Q ~ Quilomene

The Quilomene is another one of my lovely lonesome places. This large , isolated wildlife management area supports very dry habitat and it is here I find cactus and other near desert flora. Butterflies can be quite numerous as the area supports many species of mustard, which many butterflies are attracted to. The rough roads are a challenge to drive, so hiking is required to visit and view the habitat.

This unit is between Ellensburg and Vantage along the old Hwy 10. You can enter through the back door via the Colockum Wildlife area. There are extensive wind turbines in place along this road and it is also possible to drive into the Wild Horse Wind Farm and access the land during the Spring Summer ( very hot) and Fall . The wind turbines give a clue, it is rarely still here. The wind can be persistant and makes camera work a challenge.

Watch out for ticks. This is the only place I have ever picked one up.

P ~ Physaria alpestris , Washington Twinpod

Physaria alpestris Washington Twinpod


This is the plant that started it all. I met these bizarre pods on a hike at Red Top in 2009. I had no idea what they were. Hollow plastic-like, they rattled noisily when fingered. Someone suggested I post them to Flickr to see if they could be identified. Sure enough I had a hint within a few hours and using the on-line resources of the Herbarium at the University of Washington Burke Museum I was able to make an id. As a member of the mustard family they are one of dozens of confusing and challenging members of this family in the dry side of the Cascades and east slope uplands.

The flower of this plant is unexpected. Bright yellow blooms on long stems straggle along the rocky soils. The leaves are soft and slightly furry. The stems of the flowers can be so long that the pods, when they appear, are far removed from the leaves as if they were not associated with each other.

This plant made me appreciate that no one book can serve to easily aid my knowledge. I currently have three field guides for plants in this region and there are still gaps that must be filled by using the Herbariums on-line photo collection.

O ~ Oreamnos americanus, Mountain Goat

Despite its name, the Mountain Goat is not a true goat but is a member of the sub-Family Caprinae along with the goats. In the Cascade Mountains of Washington, Mountain Goat are at the southern-most tip of their natural range. It is possible to find these animals within 30 miles of downtown Seattle near Mt Si and along the I-90 corridor. Mountain Goats were introduced to the Olympic Mountain area where they are currently causing quite a bit of ecologic damage to the rare flora of the park.

Goats eat common vegetation along with moss and lichen. They migrate vertically to follow the snow pack. Padded, cloven hooves allow the animals to navigate rock faces that can be nearly 60 degree slope. Main predators, aside from man, are Golden Eagles, which will hunt the young kids. It is common to find both Mountain Goat and Golden Eagles in the Yakima Canyon between Ellensburg and Yakima.

The shed wool the mountain goat was collected and used by native peoples for textiles.

N ~ Nisqually Delta

Nisqually Delta


The Nisqually Delta is home to the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. It is here that I honed much of my bird watching skills. For over 100 years ago this delta was patch worked by dikes, drained and used for farming. The land was then bought and preserved as the Nisqually NWR. In 2001 a 6.9 magnitude earthquake damaged several of the dikes allowing the fresh water of the Nisqually River and the salt water of Puget Sound to enter into its former natural home. In 2009 the remaining dikes were removed and the precious estuary was on its way to being restored.

We now have a wonderful opportunity to study the recovery of vital saltwater estuary habitat. This mixing of fresh and salt water supports plants and animal life vital to the ecology of the region. It is here young salmon transition to the saltwater habitat. Visitors can observe the daily tidal changes from a new one mile long boardwalk that takes you well out into the intertidal area.

The Delta is ever changing and this new habitat supports scientific discovery as well as wonderful recreation opportunity.

http://nisquallydeltarestoration.org

Happy Valentines Day

The Way is in the heart   ~   Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.


Western Tarnished Plant Bug ,  Lygus hesprus

M ~ Melospiza melodia , Song Sparrow

Melospiza melodia , Song Sparrow


The most common and widespread of the sparrows in the United States, Song Sparrows can be found and heard in most every open grassy or brushy habitat. They are very sociable and are regularly found in city back yards as well as isolated mountain forest edges and meadows. Here in Washington most of our birds are well marked and favor russet and white colors. Much of the streaking is over-washed with a bluish gray blush.

Song Sparrows are so common that they are often used to relate bird size when in the field. In discussion with another birder it would be common to say that a bird is bigger then or smaller than a Song Sparrow. Other birds that serve as a size standard are American Robin , chickadee and pigeon ( Rock Dove) and American Crow.

L ~ Lushootseed

Lushootseed is the language / dialect of the Puget Sound region native peoples. There are a dwindling number of native speakers left and through the work of the late Vi Hilbert and now Zalmai Zahir and other, efforts are being made to expand the number of native speakers beyond the approximately 300 known today. Even within this languages narrow range, there is a distinct dialect, north to south.

Todays photos are part of a story in Lushootseed with its English translation.

Here Zalmai Zahir and Cassy George demonstrate different greeting phrases.