Journal #3

Journal #3
Date: 4/25/2020
Location: Seahurst Park, Burien
Weather: Sunny

Temperature: 52 degrees F

Time: 2:11pm

Today was absolutely stunning. While it isn't quite warm, there are blue skies and the vegetation seems to be very happy. The vegetation seems to be a lot more green and vibrant today than last week. The soil is moister and I see lots more creatures! I notice many slugs insects such as spiders and gnats. I am able to identify multiple plant species that I was unsure of last week. I feel such pride and confidence knowing I am slowly identifying more and more species.  For one, I now know my site has many sword ferns (Polystichum munitum). I try to find other ferns, such as Lady fern, Bracken fern and Licorice fern, but there only seems to be sword ferns. They are super easy to identify with there dark leaves, once-pinnate leaves and the sword handle butt at the base of the leaves. I learn that the maple over my head is, in fact, a Bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum), with its bright green, opposite, 5 lobed leaves. Besides its obvious leaves, its abundance of moss on the bark gave it away as a bigleaf maple. Last week I identified Oregon Grapes, but this week I know this particular Oregon grape is a dull Oregon grapes (Mahonia nervosa) with its 9-19 leathery leaflets with shiny surfaces. More yellow flowers have blossomed since last week, but many are still tightly wound up in balls. I know its not tall Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium) because it has more than 5-9 leaflets and has more than just one central vein. Just like last week, I hear the same bird calls - I can't wait until we start identifying birds based on their calls! The river is flowing at the same speed and force as last week but it smelled a lot fresher than last week. Last week my site smelled somewhat sewer-like, whereas today I just smell the fresh dewy air.

I had a hard time finding lichen/fungi at first, but when I really got close to the ground and ventured around a bit, I found many! Although it's not a lichen, I found an abundance of Golden Short-Capsuled Moss (Brachythecium frigidum). It hugs the big maple trees bark at my site, and I see lots of it lying on the ground attached to twigs. It is soft to the touch, almost like a sponge. It is yellowish-green, with sharply pointed leaves and toothed upper edges. Its sharp ends are a bit intimidating but it is surprisingly smooth. This moss reminds me of the leaves on Juniperus scorpulorum. On the maple tree, this moss grows in large mats and has many spreading branches. As I look to the ground, I see lots of Beard Lichen (Usnea). I'm not completely sure its species, but it is pale green and had lots of veins. It has a central cord, which makes me think it might be a Usnea wirthii. Looking some more I came across Hooded Tube Lichen (Hypogymnia physodes). This lichen isn't as abundant as some of the other species; I only saw a few specimens. It has an appressed leaf and narrow lobes. It is hollow, like the Forking bone, but as I dissect it, I notice it bears tiny soredia on the insides of the lobes. The upper surface is pale greenish and the lower surface is blackish. I found this lichen lying on the ground, but I can't find any more or its source. Next to the Hooded Tube Lichen, I see a Forking Bone Lichen (Hypogymnia inactiva). It looks somewhat similar to the Hooded Tube Lichen, but it has much narrower lobes, and there were no soredia. It was also hollow and the upper surface is pale yellowish/green and the lower surface is blackish (similar to Hooded Tube Lichen). I spot this lichen by the roots of the maple tree, but I don't see much of it. The tree provides the lichen shade and moisture from the river. Looking to my left, I see a soggy branch lying on the ground with two types of lichen on it: Ragbag (Platismatia glauca) and Blood-spattered Beard Lichen, (Usnea wirthii). The Ragbag has broad, pale green lobes.  The margins are frilly and are bearing soredia. While the upper side is green, the lower surface is shiny white. This species usually lives on trees, but I spot it on a twig, shaded under the maple tree, which is close to the river. The Blood-spattered Beard Lichen, (Usnea wirthii) has pale, yellowish-green leaves and a clear central cord. I search and search for a fungus at my site, but I am unsuccessful. I walked a few meters away, however, and am able to find a Mica Cap (Coprinellus micaeus), rooted under a fallen log. It has a brown, inky cap with salt like granules covering it. Looking at its underside, the gills are light brown and are crowded. The stem is white and smooth, about 3 cm thick. If I were to guess, I would say I didn't find any fungi at my original site because there aren't many fallen logs and shaded areas for the fungi to thrive. But where I found the fungi, there were many fallen logs for the fungi to root into.

50 s 

1 sq m

Golden Short-Capsuled Moss - Brachythecium frigidum

Beard Lichen - Usnea

Hooded Tube Lichen - Hypogymnia physodes

Rag Bag LichenPlatismatia glauca and Blood-Spattered Beard Lichen Usnea wirthii

Forking bone - Hypogymnia inactiva

Mica Cap - Coprinus micaceus

Journal #2

Journal #2

Date: 4/18/2020
Location: Seahurts Park, Burien
Weather: Overcast
Temperature: 55 degrees F
Time: 5:16pm

Today is the first-day journaling at my new site! My previous site was overrun with non-native species and didn't offer a lot to journal about as it was on a beach. But my new site lies above a fast-running creek, shaded by tree canopies and surrounded by tons of low-lying vegetation.  I am sitting a fairly steep bank that leads to the creek, and the first thing I notice is the calming sound of rushing water. I am surrounded by all different shades of green; dark, light, neon. Ferns and small shrubs lie by my feet. The ferns are about 3 feet fall, swooping to the left and have sharp tips. The leaves are long (3-4 inches) and are dark green. The leaf arrangement is opposite, and the leaves gradually become smaller as they approach the tip. Hanging above me, I notice a very large tree, with maple-like, neon green leaves. Its bark is smooth, and its branches seem relatively bare. There is bright green moss on the right side of its bark, but not the left. I wonder why? Right by my left foot is an Oregon Grape. It has serrate leaf margins, pinnate venation, and opposite leaf arrangement. The leaves are dark green and smooth to the touch. It almost has a waxy coating over the top. Its flowers seem to have 3 petals and sepals. It is a low lying shrub, with bright yellow flowers at the tip. Many have not yet flowered, they are still bulbs, tightly wound up. I notice little magenta dots on each bulb. I wonder what that is? To my left, I notice a young pine tree. It has rounded needle tips that cover the whole branch,. It has two white stripes (stomatal rows) only on the underside. These features convince me it is a young Alpine Fir.  Its bark is smooth and grayish, and every now and then I spot tiny woody pine cones on the branches. The tree is only about 6 feet tall, and there aren't a whole lot of needles yet. I'm curious if I'll be able to see its growth over these next few weeks. I don't see much wildlife besides a bumblebee, but I hear many birds. One bird is particularly vocal; its call has 4-5 short chirps, then one long, vibrato-sounding riff at the end. I hear several birds call back and look up to spot them. No luck.

#3: Memory sketch

#4: Contour sketch

#5: Gesture sketch 3 sec

#5: Gesture sketch 5 sec

#5: Gesture sketch 30 sec

#5: Gesture sketch 60 sec

#8: Study drawing

A young tree, potentially Abies amabilis

Short fern by my feet

Unknown plant grown by the water

50 sq m

1 sq m

View as I look right of my site

Maple tree

Journal #1

Formative Experience:
I have been fortunate enough to have been surrounded by nature at an early age. I grew up in Marin County, next to the beautiful Mt. Tamalpais, where Muir woods was just a drive away and stunning beaches were ample. Nature or passion for the environment was not something my parents found incredibly important or particularly emphasized. In fact, they barely believe in climate change! But ironically my dad introduced me to backpacking, and mountain biking and little does he know, my love for the environment. When I was around ten years old, my dad and brother frequently dragged me along to our local mountain (Mt. Tamalpais) to flying remote-controlled airplanes. Everyone in my family is pilots, so naturally, they enjoyed this outing. But I always dreaded it; I had and still have absolutely no interest in planes and even less interest in remote-controlled airplanes. Annoyed at them for dragging me along, I would wander around, and pick as many different flowers as I could. I would stash them in my pocket, bring them back to my dad, and ask him if he knew the names of the flowers. He knew the names of a few flowers, but not many. He didn't seem to care that he didn't know the names of all the flowers. But I was very eager to learn as many species as I could, to the point that I knew every flower on the mountain. Noticing I took an interest in the nature around me, my dad offered to buy me a native flower ID book to bring when they went flying. From that day forward, any time my dad, brother and I would go to Mt. Tamalpais to fly airplanes, I would bring my flower ID book and identify as many plants as I could. I'm not sure what sparked my interest in identifying these species, but it was something I became very passionate about. Maybe it was because I wanted to be the different one in my family and be passionate about something they weren't. Maybe it was because I just liked the pretty colors of the flowers. I'm not sure. But I'm grateful for whatever it was. To me, it was rewarding to be able to see my progress and identify more and more flowers. I loved learning about why the flowers were certain colors, when they bloomed, where they were grown. It was like learning a new language! I would pick the flowers, and instead of stashing them in my pocket, I would stash them in the correct pages of the ID guide, hoping one day I would fill the whole book with every flower in it. While I never found all the flowers, but I did begin to discover my love for nature and the environment. Now when I encounter new environments, I strive to learn the names of the native species.

Journal #1
Location: Seola Beach, Burien, WA
Temperature: 57 degrees F
Weather: Clear skies, windy
Time: 4:56pm

Today was a beautiful day to be on the beach, however it was quite windy. I am sitting on a wooden bench on Seola beach; to my right is a steep hillside full of conifers (Cupressaceae and Pinaceae) and unfortunately a lot of English Ivy, and to my left is the beach. Looking straight ahead I have a beautiful view of the Olympics, but I am unsure exactly what peaks I'm looking at. At 50m^2 ahead, in the midst of the conifers I see some deciduous trees, however, they don't look very well. They are bare and seem as though they waiting for warmer weather to come around. At the base of the conifers, I spot lots of cones lying around. Besides a few colorful flowers, the hillside landscape is very green. My eye is drawn towards this one beautiful, magenta flower, so I walk over to it and ID it as an Annual Honesty. Just above it lies a Wild Cherry. Sitting on the bench, I am unable to smell what is around me as my nose is overwhelmed with the smell of seawater. I close my eyes and focus solely on the sounds around me. It's funny because, on my right, I hear the calming sound of leaves brushing against one another, but to my left is the juxtaposing sound of whitecaps crashing into one another. At 1m^2 in front of me, my feet are dug in the sand, but the grass tickles my legs. I go to touch it, but its sharp edges cut my hand a bit. Grass. Why is there grass on the beach? Looking through my ID guide, I'm guessing it is Dunegrass (Elymus Mollis) (?). I hear a buzzing sound, and quickly spot a ginormous bumblebee in search of flowers. Disappointed by the lack of flowers, the bumblebee leaves. I spot some empty crab shells in the sand, but I hardly see any wildlife. Usually, at this spot I see seagulls and other birds, but not today. Maybe it's because it's so windy. Close by my feet I notice an herb with purplish zygomorphic flowers and needle-like leaves. I become frustrated and slightly confused as I unsuccessfully spend about 10 minutes trying to identify this herb in my PNW ID guide. Once I smell it, however, I immediately recognize it as Rosemary. This reminds me of warm Rosemary bread from QFC. I take a minute to soak in the sun and appreciate my surroundings. Coming to this spot offers me a place of solitude and calmness, away from the busyness of everyday life. Watching the trees above me sway envokes a sense of ease and relaxation - they are just moving with the flow. As I wrap up and leave my spot, I feel less heavy, more serene and more refreshed.

Conifers in my 50 sq m. periphery (50m^2)

Panorama of Site (50m^2)

View of trees as I look upwards

Unknown shrub surrounded by lots of English Ivy (1m^2)

Wild Cherry (1m^2)

Annual Honesty (1m^2)

 

Dunegrass (?) (1m^2)

Rosemary (1m^2)