Journal #9: Site Reflection

In my final visit to the Redmond Watershed Preserve, there was snow and frost covering the ground and the trail. Many plants were still thriving even though they were engulfed in frozen stream water and snow. The fern population in the area was still growing rapidly yet the other shrubs were still dying off and becoming dormant for winter. The moss under the snow layer was still green and thriving probably due to their deep root structures that can escape the cold temperatures at the surface. The once wet muddy areas have turned into dirty frozen ice masses that have configured themselves in a way that looks like bending fingers and arcs. As I waked towards the pond I noticed a distinct chattering call coming from the frost covered snags in the middle of this frozen pond. Then I saw a slightly grayish blue bird with a stripe over the eye and I instantly knew that it was a Belted Kingfisher due to its chattering call and it's unique mohawk plumage. It was flying from various tree tops when it noticed my presence  and continued it's chattering alarm call. I started to walk back to the parking area and heard little bird activity other than the Kingfisher but then I started to notice the noise of chipmunks in the high tree tops chasing each other. They did this for a while until they heard me and moved to trees away from me. It was a good last visit to my natural area and a lot has changed since my first observations back at the beginning of the quarter.

Throughout this quarter I have noticed many changes within my observation site whether it be different species of birds being introduced to new fungi emerging from nurse logs. Since I grew up in the area of Redmond, my area was very familiar to me and I had a sense of what life was like here. I have been to this specific site in the preserve as well but I did not realize the diversity of life it supported. Before I though there were only chipmunks and robins that ruled the trees while simple shrubs and mosses grow on the ground with scattered fungi here and there. After looking closely at the physiological changes that were occurring as the season progressed into different temperature and precipitation. Over the course of this quarter I had began to notice the different structures in plants and trees that made them unique in this part of the world and I began to understand each role these specific species had in this ecosystem. What really made me realize the diversity of this forest my and my perception of this area was the presence of a variety of birds. I witnessed multiple woodpeckers such as the pileated, northern flicker, and the downy. Before I though this area was highly developed area where families brought their loud kids to ride bikes but I soon found out it was much different. This area was actually a peace habitat for all species to live naturally with little human disturbance.

Before this class I knew that the Puget Sound was unique in specific ways and had keys differences from other places around the world. What I did not realize is how it was created and shaped by glacial movements in the past. Just that alone amazed me and made me understand how unique and diverse the Puget Sound area is when it comes to wildlife and land forms. This class has given me so much knowledge about the area in which I live in and this has made me gain a sense of home and belonging when I am in this area’s natural state. Yet I also gained a greater perception of the dangers this beautiful region faces in the future due to human impact and development. I now realize that my home isn’t invincible even though it is resilient. I now have more compassion for the wildlife that inhabits the Puget Sound just as I do. By learning all of this information and actually being able to get out into the field and see these physiological changes and examples that show the history of this region, I began to understand how this area is truly one of a kind.

When I think about the word intimacy I think about having a strong personal connection with someone or something. When I started to visit my natural area, I treated it just like any other natural area in my hometown. I followed the skills boy scouts taught me about leave no trace and respected the wildlife that inhabited this natural site. After about a month I started getting into a rhythm of visiting my site and taking note of the physical changes as the season progressed. I even went to my site more than once a week because I had nothing else to do and wanted to get outside and be in nature. I started to feel a bond forming with this area because I started to see things that few people get the opportunity to witness when they just take a casual stroll through the trails once in a while. I feel bad for people that can’t or don’t want to experience nature and develop a relationship with nature and the wilderness. Through constant observation and noticing differences over the quarter, I really begun to think about how my impact affects this area since it is close to my home. By gaining a compassion for the life that dwells in this watershed preserve and realizing that my lifestyle can have a direct impact on this beautiful area. When one comes to terms that they can really cause issues with a place close to their heart then it makes big changes in their life, the way they live, and the way they view the world.

Journal #8: Indentifying Birds

During my time at my natural area I noticed that not much has changed with the emergence of cold temperatures and dry air. There are almost no strong fungal formations that are easily seen while waking through the forested area. All the mushrooms I have seen are either dying or damaged in some way from another source. With the decline of fungi, the moss in my area seems to be thriving and there are almost no changes in its growth. It's lust green color is still present and has even spread farther out to some decomposing logs in the area. On top of all this moss is the leaf litter of broadleaf trees such as bigleaf maple and red alder. The Devil's club in the area is pretty much completely gone as well as the skunk cabbage. With the weather being quite dry and very cod in the past week, the moisture in the forest has dropped drastically and some previous swamp-like characteristics are now nonexistent. There are no areas with deep mud and wet puddles and all that remains now are hardened icy dirt and soggy patches of land. Also, many ferns have started to die off and the population of ferns have declined and thinned out. This cold be due to the cold temperatures and the start of winter coming soon. Even though the temperature has begun to drop, the chipmunk community is still highly active in search of food to store for the upcoming winter months. Many could be seen scrambling around the forest trail hunting for seeds and nuts scattered around the ground layer of conifer litter. Along with these chipmunks, birds such as song sparrows, american robin, and black-capped chickadees are communicating and vocalizing in various trees.

This drawing illustrates a Song sparrow or Melospiza melodia climbing along a branch within a thicket of twigs and branches next a pond in my natural area. This bird was constantly moving and hopped/flew to various branches making no noise besides the movement of sticks and wings flapping. This small bird also would creep along the ground and twigs to get from one side to the other. When on the ground level amongst the leaf litter, it would pick up objects such as small twigs or leaves. It would then bring these objects to an under covered shelter area. This sheltered area was only about half a foot off the ground and had a dense thicket of branches engulfing it. This bird didn't seem to be hunting for food since it remained in the same area for an extended amount of time. Also, this small sparrow was completely alone at the time and was not communicating with any vocalizations with other birds nearby. It finally flew away over the pond when it noticed my presence.

While walking through the watershed preserve, I heard a constant hammering noise against some hollow object. I instantly knew it was a pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) from its obvious pecking  sound that it emitted across the forest as well as my previous sightings of this woodpecker before. This bird was on a dead tree that was about twenty feet high and only had a few thick branches and  exposed areas with bare wood. It was not communicating with any other birds and only produced a loud pecking sound against this hollowed out decomposing tree. There were no bird around or even on the same tree as this bird and I have never seen multiple pileated woodpeckers in one area making it seem as though they are solitary creatures. I observed this bird for about thirty minutes until it flew away in the other direction. It stayed on this tree for a while and would hop up and down using its talons to grip the bark in order to hold on. The pecking was not constant either and the bird would take breaks and then continue to peck at the wood of the tree.

Journal Entry #7: Fungi Drawings

During my time at my natural spot the weather was great and there was absolutely no rain and clear skies. But with these clear skies, it brought very low temperatures and dry cold air within the forest. While I walked through the conifer forest in the early afternoon, birds were singing everywhere and robins could be seen flying from branch to branch. As I stepped over fallen logs and decomposing plants to reach my specific observation area, I noticed many new species of small fungi have emerged from decomposing logs and wood scraps from recent windstorms. There were still spots that were covered with yellow bigleaf maple leaves but many of them have started to rip apart and die off for good. As I sat down and looked at my surroundings, I noticed that many logs have lost there bark and have exposed rotting wood sections. This might be due to some animal activity or just weakening in the wood that caused it to fall off as it decomposed. The moss of the forest floor was still prominent and showed no signs of dying or weakened growth. The Devil’s club in the area was almost completely gone and the Skunk cabbage has begun to die off as well. Brown holes have appeared in the large wide leaves of the skunk cabbage as it droops downwards. It seems that most of the skunk cabbage that’s dying is in the wettest areas. This could be due to fungal infections of just temperature changes that are causing the death of the skunk cabbage. I walked over to the pond in my area after I took notes and wrote down my observations of my natural area. Once I got there I saw a male and female Mallard duck. I recognized the distinctive green head of the male and the brown feathers of the female. It is important to distinguish the mallard from the merganser because they have similar colored heads in the males yet the beak of the merganser is curved down towards the tip. The chipmunk activity wasn’t too high during my time there most like due to the large amount of people in the reserve.

One of the most prominent mushrooms in this area would be the Shrimp Mushrooms or Russula xerampelina. This fungus has a reddish pink cap with a darker disc or center in the middle. The color of the cap becomes lighter as it nears the margin or edge. The cap is slightly sticky and slick especially after a recent raining. The gills of this mushroom attach to its creamy white stem and annulus that usually yellows with age. These mushrooms usually emerge in decomposing conifer litter in lowland mountain ranges. It tends it enjoy warmer weather but continues to grow into the cold months of fall.

Another fungus that is emerging in numerous places within the Redmond Watershed Preserve is Goat’s beard or Hericium abietis. This fungus is a whitish grey that has hundreds of filaments clusters of spines that have pointed tips. The spines begin to turn reddish orange with age. This mushrooms usually grows at the foot of large conifer trees and thrive in conifer needle litter. Also, this fungus can coexist with other smaller fungi and is usually surrounded by decomposing wood and logs as well. This fungus grows in lowland mountain ranges in the fall and winter months when it’s cold and rainy.

The other fungus that I noticed in extremely wet areas was the turkey tail or Trametes veriscolor. This mushrooms is very distinctive due its multicolored bands and white underside. The bands tend to become darker and darker as it goes up towards the sun. The surface is slick and somewhat shiny with bumps and rough in some areas. Also, this fungus uses dead and decomposing nurse logs as support and as a place to grow. The surrounding habitat is usually very wet and this specific fungus was found on a log in the pond. This fungus also grows year round and can endure many different temperatures and weather.

Another interesting fungus that I noticed emerging in my area was Witch’s butter or Tremella mesentercia. This fungus is very easy to spot in this dark and brown forest since it has a specific bright orange color and gelatinous structure. This fungus has numerous lobes and blobs that form and large mass that attaches to decomposing logs. This mushrooms grows in lowland mountain ranges in either the fall or spring and it enjoys large amounts of rain yet somewhat temperature weather. The surrounding habitat of this fungus is usually conifer liter and dead trees and logs.

One of the largest mushrooms in my natural area would be the short-stalked white russula or Russula brevipes. Its large gills angled upwards can characterize this fungus and it’s smooth white top that is curved and warped. The stem is also very large and has a slight annulus that connects to the stem and then ends at the volva in the decomposing dirt. This mushroom usually grows in conifer leaf litter and in wet dirt underneath large conifer trees. Also, the surrounding area is usually next to trails and disrupted natural areas.

Another fungus that uses nurse logs as support in my area is Angel wings or Pleurocybella porrigens. This fungus is usually always found on decomposing logs that have either fallen or rotting inside. It tends to grow along with mosses and on damp decomposing wood. This mushroom has a smooth white cap that emerges from the woods bark. There are separated white gills underneath each cap. This fungus usually grows in lowland mountain ranges and tends to grow in extremely damp and wet places. 

Journal #6: Nature Experience

During my time at the Redmond Watershed Preserve, it was pouring profusely and the trail to my site was basically a stream. I walked into my area and noticed that the ground was covered in Bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) leaves. Everything was absolutely soaked as large drips from the various trees fell to the ground. Some shrubs such as Devil’s club were still vanishing and new fungus were emerging from the decomposing conifer floor. Since there weren’t many broad leaf trees in my specific natural area, the leaf litter was minuscule but the moss was rampant. Along with this moss grew different types of mushrooms such as Shrimp mushrooms and Goat’s beard. In the past there have been other types of fungi but with the increased rain and cold weather new colonies have emerged out of either nurse logs soaked in water or decomposing leaf litter. There wasn't much bird activity as well as chipmunk activity in this usually lively forest. The rain was so constant and hard that the birds were probably sheltered due to the lack of prey present in the area. There is no point for these creatures to hunt and search for food which ultimately costs them energy. I walked farther in to the preserve towards the pond in search of some wildlife. While the rain rippled the pond’s surface, I thought I saw some mallard ducks across the water but it was too far to see.

The plant that I thought looked unique in this environment was the Sword fern. With its long central rod with emerging curled swords at the tip. These flat swords began growing larger as they lined the sides of the central rod down to the decomposing forest floor. On the back of each of these swords there are two rows of buttons of pollen that smear when rubbed in your fingers. This was not the only rod of the plant as a whole though. There were multiple bright green rods in a cluster emerging in different directions and hanging at a slight arc while water weighs it down.

Since it was pouring down rain while at was at my natural area, there were not many birds out looking for food or even singing songs. The only bird that I was able to see was a couple of robins in a distant tree. They had smooth brown backs that stretched down to a grouping of soft pads that spanned into a larger width than the body. The bird’s nose was small and was about half the size of its head. The chest was white and seemed to have some spots ruffled into the soft frontal area. The feet of this creature was the hardest feature to see but it almost seemed like it was cover by the soft white underbelly.

The last organism I observed was the Sow bug when I lifted a semi-buried rock to reveal dry dirt. As I looked upon this insect that was scrambling to find darkness, it had a round oval shell like body. This hard shelled body had different sections and plates which resembled metal armor. At one end of this shelled oval, there were two lines bent with a 90 degree angle in the middle. Little spikes were emerging from the two long sides of this plated shell armor that quickly sped away. Usually I used to seeing these bugs rolling into a ball as a defense method yet this organism lacked his ability. On the edge of the oval there was a flat bend in the multiple plates that was horizontal with the ground. This physical trait keeps the creature from rolling into a ball. 

Journal Entry #5: Redmond Watershed Fungi

As I made my way into Redmond I noticed very ominous dark skies and knew it was going to rain hard. Since it was going to rain that meant the fungi in my natural area would be fresh and prominent within the wet decomposing forest. When I arrived to my spot it was pouring down rain and I was forced to wear my rain suit from boy scouts. I marched through the mud and rain trying to take photos without soaking my phone and only took notes within my rain jacket. I sat at the base of a larger western red cedar to make my observations. I heard numerous bird calls even though it was hard to hear with the falling rain against the wood and ground. Even though I did not see any of these birds since they were tucked away in the leaf cover, there were many other creatures roaming about. There were hundreds of frogs that could be heard from the pond near my area. I walked close to the water and saw a Pacific tree frog underneath a sword fern. He jumped away into the water before I had a chance to get a photo but I recognized its darker green body color with strips on the its back. Back at my natural site, the Devil's club population was completely gone and all that remains are the  spiked branches erecting from the decomposing conifer litter. Many ferns are still looking healthy and moss covers the entire patch of ground my site is located. A key phenological change I noticed though was the emergence of different fungi since I was last there. As I walked through my spot searching for mushrooms I noticed many areas that were once dominated by White matsutakes have been overrun by Shrimp mushrooms and Goats beard. This could be due to changes in leaf litter and the ability they have to decompose specific leaves. Also, the temperature is starting to drop drastically and new fungi that emerge are possibly more tolerate to colder temperatures than other fungus that were emerging earlier in the season.

This was the first mushrooms I stumbled upon during my trip into the watershed. This is a Shrimp mushroom or Russula xerampelina and it can be characterized by it's bright pink cap with a darker red ring in the center. Also, this specific mushroom can tend to have an almost fishy smell to it which allows it to be easily identified. This fungi was found on the dead conifer and dirt litter near a decomposing tree. The bordering habitat was composed of sword ferns and and water soaked wood that have fallen off of trees. The weather was extremely wet and rainy and this gave the mushrooms and shiny tint to their caps.

This strange mushroom is called Goat's beard or Hericium abietis and can be characterized easily by it's strange physical structure. This fungal formation is different from the usual cap and stem and this allows it to stand out and be distinctive to the wondering eye. Goat's beard is a darkened white in it's early stages of growing but as it ages it retains an almost orange/brown color. When I discovered this fungi, it was at the base of a living tree and seemed to be connected to it's main root. It was surrounded by dead conifer needles and various sticks and twigs. Also, this mushrooms was in a highly dense moss area which might contribute to it's growing ability. The weather outside was very rainy and had been hours before I arrived.

This odd fungal colony on the side of this tree are Angel wings or Pleurocybella porrigens. Charaxterizing this fungus is easy due to its distinctive structure and location of growth. This fungus was found on the side of a nurse log that was covered in various mosses and lichens. These white formations are very smooth on the top and curve downwards but have noticeable gills. The surrounding area was full of moss and ferns with extremely wet and moist ground directly below. Water had collected in some areas on top of the emerging fungi from the rainy weather.

At a distance I first though this was a piece of trash someone had left behind but I soon realized it was a fungus. This thick and hard fungal formation is called Varnished conk or Ganoderma tsugae. This fungus can be characterized by it's fan-like shape and dark orange color on the top of it's structure and a dirty white middle section that collects water droplets. This mushrooms was found emerging out of a wet decomposing log with moss all over mush like the tree that harbored the angel wings. The surrounding area was dead conifer needles and wet patches that have started to form puddles. The weather was still very rainy when I stumbled upon this species.

This fungus is very prominent in the watershed I visit each time yet it is very different from many other species of mushrooms in this area. This mushroom is a type of Chanterelle due to its cap formation and it's distinctive gill structure that is angled upwards.The top of this mushrooms was covered in the dirt that was above it when it emerged out of the soggy ground. This fungus was found on the side of the trail in a thick layer of decomposing conifer needles and dirt with a thin layer of moss on the surface. the surrounding area was dominated by moss and a scattering of twigs and needles but was covered by the canopy of trees above which prevents a lot of water falling directly on the fungus. the weather was very rainy but this mushrooms seemed to be quite dry.

This colorful fungus is called Turkey tail or Trametes veriscolor and can be characterized by it's layers of changing colors and it's resemblance to the tail feathers of a turkey. I has a wet and slimy coat over it and is quite stiff with touched. This fungus was found emerging off of a tree that had half submerged in pond water and the other half suspended in the air at a horizontal angle. The surrounding area was extremely wet since it was right next to a pond and it had been raining earlier. Also, it coexisted with moss on this old and damp log and shared it with no other noticeable fungi. The weather was still very rainy and it had been rainy for a long time while I was in my natural area.

Journal Entry #4: Invertebrates

My third visit to my natural area in Redmond, there were many significant changes that have occurred during my two week absence. While I was at Mount Rainier for my natural history field trip, Bigleaf maple leafs began to turn a bright yellow and fall to cover a majority of the forest floor. When I arrived to my area, only decomposing needles and moss covered the ground. Since there are many Bigleaf maples in other areas of the reserve, my area was free from decomposing broad leaves. Many plants are at the early stages of dying off before the winter such as the Devil's club. As I observed my site carefully I noticed that there was no longer any recognizable Devil's club leaves. Only their spiny and sharp branches emerged from the ground but have started to slightly lean over. Along with the Devil's club, many fungi that have seen in this area have completely disappeared, yet some new fungi have emerged but in different locations. Shrimp mushrooms have started to grow near decomposing logs and wood that have high amounts of moss on them. Along with the shrimp mushrooms, Witches butter has also emerged on dying logs but this type of fungi could only be seen near the developed paved path in the reserve. It's odd bright orange gelatinous shape easily catches the eye of either people or animals walking by. Another bright orange fungus that began to grow on old trees was the Orange peel fungus. Characterized by it's cup-like shape and distinctive orange color also makes it easy to see in this dark green and brown natural area. Although the fungi was plentiful, the skunk cabbage was also in full force. Since this area is a wetland, the moisture concentration is very high and allows this plant to grow large leaves to catch sunlight. While sitting at my natural area I could hear the constant hammering of a woodpecker at work. From my previous experience seeing woodpeckers in this area, my best guess for the species would be a pileated woodpecker. I continued to walk through the reserve towards the water to gaze upon the stillness it brings. Small chipmunks would make squeaking noises as I walk through the dense forest. But I spent the majority of my time in this area observing numerous insects in my natural area.

 This invertebrate is common called a Blue Darner or Aeshna multicolor. It is characterized by it's distinctive blue spots that run along the top of its segmented abdomen. Also this species of dragonfly has two fore wings and two hind wings which give it more control and maneuverability while in flight. This insect is covered by a hard black exoskeleton with a few blue spots. Also, it has three pairs of legs and uses these to land on plants and other objects. While observing this organism I noticed that it tends to land on vertical blades on thick grass. As I watched it fly across the water in the still pond, it would move quickly to various logs where it would land for about three to five seconds and then move on to the next area.

This cute little fuzzy insect is called the Banded Woollybear Caterpillar or Pyrrharctia isabella. This caterpillar is not very hard to distinguish and many people have seen these in the wild before. It is characterized by it's two black bands on each end of it;s body with an red/orange band directly in the middle. This caterpillar is engulfed with small bristles which give it some defense against predators and some species in it's family produce histamines that can be transferred when the bristles are touched by a foreign object. Also, I gently touched it with a twig and it quickly formed into a curl and stayed in that position until it believed the threat was gone. Also, a completely black head can be seen at  one end of the caterpillar yet all of its legs are covered by bristles.

This invertebrate is called the Ground Beetle or Pterostichus lama. This beetle is very common in decomposing coniferous forests under rotting or fallen logs. It can be characterized by it's ridged abdominal exoskeleton structure as well as it's constricted thorax and abdomen junction. This beetle is usually nocturnal so I have to lift up a few pieces of decomposing wood in order to see and observe this organism. I would flee immediately when exposed to sunlight and I tried to cover it with a leaf to test whether the darkness meant some safety for them. When I placed a leaf on top of the fleeing beetle, it completely stopped moving and would not emerge from under the leaf until it thought the threat was gone. Also, when exposed to sunlight this beetle would scramble towards any wood and covered areas.

The insect shown in this sketch is the Black Carpenter Ant or Camponotus pennsylvanicus. This ant is very common in decaying forests and moist environments. This ant can be characterized by it's large head, hairy thorax, and slightly brown legs. The behavior of this ant was very strange and complex. this species of ant is usually found in large swarms and there were only a few I found in my area. I dug through some decaying bark and wood piled on the ground and found some to observe. They usually scatter when exposed to daylight light and taken from their decomposing warehouse of wood. Their abdomen is plated which allows more maneuverability for the exoskelton which tend to be stiff and hard.     

Finally the last invertebrate I decided to sketch was the Sow bug or Oniscus asellus. When observing this organism, I thought it would be able to roll into a ball as a defense mechanism but I was surprised to notices that the edges of it's exoskeleton were horizontal and flat. This structure prevents the sow bug from rolling into a ball and therefore much look to shelter for protection. This insect is characterized by it's overlapping shelled exoskeleton as well as it;s two large antennae that it uses to detect objects. Also, this bug has seven pairs of legs making it distinctive from other insects. When exposed to light, the Sow bug would retreat to dark moist areas and would try to remain covered no matter what.

Some other invertebrates I encountered on my trip to my natural area were Waterstriders (Aquarius remigis), Brown marmorated stink bugs (Halyomorpha halys), and a Yellow-spotted millipede (Harpaphe haydeniana)

Journal #3: Mt. Rainier Field Trip

The first plant I identified at The Nisqually Refuge was the Common Snowberry or Symphoricarpos albus. This plant is characterized by its distinctive white berries it produces as well as its pinkish bell-shaped flowers in the spring. This shrub tends to prefer shady and moist conditions such as wetlands or floodplains. Also, this plant produces a think system of roots and is actually usually for erosion control due to its ability to stabilize surrounding soil. It has adapted to grow this thicket of roots in order to be able to survive in moist and loose soil environments. Also, this plant has evolved to produce berries that are edible to animals so when these animals expel their waste it spreads its seeds to different areas.

  

The Bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) was also present at the Nisqually Refuge. Characterized by its large leafs with five lobes, the Bigleaf maple retains these huge leaves in order to catch large amounts of sunlight yet lose a lot of water in the process. This tree tends to be near riverbanks and high moisture soils due to their water lose during photosynthesis. Also, these trees tend to live in windy areas, which has driven them to evolved winged protection for their seeds. This adaption in seed structure allows the wind to carry it greater distances and it allows the seed to fall slowly and safely to the ground much like a helicopter.

These trees were spotted at Mima Mounds and are actually two different species. Directly in the middle is a Red alder (Alnus rubra), which is characterized by its ability to produce both female and male catkins. Also, the red alder has adapted to be a pioneer species in that it can grow on extremely poor soils and surfaces due to its ability to fix nitrogen from the air.  The two trees on each side of the red alder are Oregon Oak trees (Quercus garryana) and tend to dominant these prairie lands. Like many trees, Oregon oak protects its seeds with a hard shell and they are eaten by birds and small mammals which then spreads the seeds across the landscape. This adaptive relationship allows this tree to spread rapidly and in areas where other trees typically don’t grow thus making it easier for the oak to gain sunlight and deal with less competition.

While I trekked up Mt. Rainier I noticed this tree which is a Mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) which was much scarcer than the dominant subalpine fir. This tree is characterized by its smaller needles and its conical crown and drooping leader. This adapted shape allows it to survive in snowy environments because the conical shape and drooping tip sheds snow off easily. An adaptation that allows this tree to grow in such extremely cool temperatures and poor soil conditions is its ability to have a thick and strong root system gives it support during the permafrost winters. Also, this tree is highly shade tolerant which allows it to survive the long foggy falls and winters on Mt. Rainier.

This low-land shrub is called Red-mountain heather (Phyllodoce empetriformis) and it grows all over the upper alpine range of Mt. Rainer. This plant is characterized by its short blue/green needles and its pink bell-shaped flowers in the spring. Also, this plant usually thrives in high elevations zones and moist environments. This shrub has adapted to combat high winds and cold temperatures by growing short and having a slow growth process in order to remain under the snowpack during the winter. By doing this, they are protected by the snow from open surface temperatures that could freeze the plant and the high winds are unable to harm the shrub.

Another tree that I spotted on Mt. Rainier was the Alaska yellow-cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis) and it looks much similar to the western red cedar but some key differences. This tree can be characterized by its yellow/green scale-like leaves and its droopy type shape. This drooping shape allows for snow to easily fall off and keeps the tree from being weighed down by the snow. Also, this tree is extremely hardy and usually only needs conditions that have a lot of sun and moist soil making it well adapted to cold temperatures and high elevations.

This shrub called Devil’s club (Oplopanax horridus) was spotted in the old growth forests of Mt. Rainer. This shrub typically likes well-drained moist soils and can be characterized by it’s large spines on its stem and leaf bottoms. Also, this shrub produces a large amount of red berries that bears are quite fond of. This adaptation of producing berries allows it to spread it’s seeds through the waste of bears. Also, this plant has adapted to form hundreds of sharp spines that prevents animals from chewing on its branches and large leaves.

This thumbnail sketch shows the receding tides of the Nisqually Refuge. This area is unique in many ways but it is an estuary which means it is an area where salt water from the Puget Sound meets the fresh water from the Nisqually River.  This mixture of different waters presents nutrient rich environments where numerous different species thrive and live their lives. The Nisqually River flows from the Nisqually glacier on Mt. Rainer which is the source of all of its water. This glacial runoff ran down the mountain towards the southern tip of the Puget Sound where it finally met the salt water of the sound thus creating the Nisqually estuary.

This thumbnail sketch illustrates where the Nisqually glacier ends and where the start of the Nisqually River begins. The glacier is currently in retreat but about 14,000 years ago during the Ice Age, this glacier was much more massive and carved out the bowl-like canyon in the thumbnail. As present day neared, temperature began to rise and the glacier started to retreat and began to melt. This melting then formed the Nisqually River, which starts in this area in the thumbnail. The glacier caused the tree line to rise and to stop at where the glacier reached and carved out of the granite and other mineral.

Today many glaciers in the world are retreated and nearly diminished, yet the Nisqually glacier is still present but won’t be within the next century. Mount Rainer has been shaped and carved by glaciers throughout thousands of years. During the Pleistocene era, the Cascade Range was overwhelmed by massive glaciers and at this time ice volumes were at an all-time high. Valleys and Canyons were filled to the brim with solid ice and this glacier extended 60 miles down the mountain reaching the lower land regions surrounding the mountain. Since the little Ice Age starting from 1250 to the mid 1800’s, the glaciers on Mount Rainer have been receding due to higher temperatures. Currently the buildup of snow and ice is much slower than the melting rate thus causing the glacier to retreat up the mountain even when the glacier is moving down the mountain about seven inches a day.