Spring Forward?

Well it is time for the annual Spring forward for Daylight Savings Time.  For most of the country I am sure the arrival of Spring is eagerly awaited.  For the citizens of Puget Sound country we wonder what we did; right or wrong, to deserve the non-winter.

I have happy anticipation of an early and potentially brief wildflower season so I started wandering the trails up at Washington Park a few weeks ago.  Oh how I love this park.  It is so diverse that I can wander for a few hours and each time have a somewhat different experience from the time before.  The warm winter we have had appears to have given the flowers a bit of a jump start.

This is simply bad news.  Our snow pack is not going to happen this year.  The reservoirs are full enough, but I am sure we are going to hear lectures on conservation.  The agriculture areas of Eastern Washington are served largely by the Columbia River and our friends to the north have received enough snow so there should be water for most.  The very high mountains have had more snow than the lower watersheds, so that helps as well.

The Daffodil fields of the Skagit are early and the tulips are not far behind.  The beautiful sunny weekends will no doubt drive people to see the fields long before the Tulip Festival starts.  Great for the vendors in LaConnor.  That is Mt Baker aka Koma Kulshan, peeking over the foothills.

The snowiest place on earth.  This record, long held by Mt Rainier was turned over to Mt Baker several years ago.  I think the rangers at Paradise on Mt Rainier are still recovering.  They held the record for what seems forever.

The park is waking up and the most reliable early bloomer is the Red-flowering Currant, Ribes sanguineum .  This plant along with Salmonberry, brings the Rufous Hummingbird.  I am not yet seeing the Salmonberry bloom and have yet to hear the zing of a Rufous.

I typically walk the park in a counter-clockwise loop.  It is bad of me to ignore the inner part of the peninsula with its deep woods, but I am drawn by the wildflowers that lurk on the stony edges,overlooking  the Salish Sea.

Today I had a darn lucky hit.  I can out of some trees and looked down at the water.  I noted a splash and revved up my camera.  Another splash and I took aim.  A third and I fired...

I was way up there and they way down.  Harbour Porpoise, Phocoena phocoena.  I took down my camera and they were gone, beyond that tree , around the point.

The moss woods along my favorite little trail is filled with promise of Calypso Orchids and Fawn Lily.  I am seeing the leaves but no sign of buds yet.  They are a few weeks off. perhaps.

A scientist interested in moss could spend a few hours counting species here.

Out on the south facing slopes the early flowers are here.  They are not bountiful but you never know what you are going to find.  These slopes are braided with trails that wander along.  Years of people following trails blazed by the likes of these little darlings

The tiny Small-flowered Blue Eyed Mary , Collinsia parviflora is always first to appear.

Another figwort, Yellow Monkey-flower Mimulus guttatus is just getting started.  It almost feels too dry for them.  They seem to like a soggy ground.

I found a few Gold Star, Crocidium multicaule and was happy to catch a busy fly on this one

The cooler woods still have a surprise.  I love mushrooms in all their detail and was very happy with these pictures.

Some day I would love to learn to stalk the savory mushroom.  For now I leave them for the Douglas Squirrels.

Speaking of stalking

He was watching Harbor Seals probably hoping for some leftovers.  The Harbor Seals were probably enjoying smelt, which are running now.  Yum smelt.....  I have not made smelt is such a long time.

I am sure I will be up here almost every week waiting for the orchids and lily to appear.  I need to think about when to tackle the slopes of eastern Washington.  They have much colder nights, but warmer days and in a week or two it may be time to travel back to Snow Mountain ranch near Yakima.  Last time I went I was caught in a snow and hail shower.

Might have to wait for real Spring for that trip.

Meandering on a Sunny Day

Up an on the road early.  If rain is forecast before noon, best get to it.

I was happily surprised as I got north of Everett to see that the skies were getting a bit lighter and before I got to Mt Vernon, there was actually sun in the sky.

Even though I was walking in the woods, it is good to be out in as good a sunlight as the day can muster.

I headed to my favorite place, Washington Park, near Anacortes to do my first good wildflower walk of the year.  There were few disappointments save for my camera work.

The Calypso Orchids are out.  This seems to be a good year, though not a great year.  Numbers look down a bit, and some of the flowers have already started to go to seed.  I was up one month ago and saw no buds breaking, so they came and went pretty fast.

First of the year

A happy trio

Fawn Lily are doing well.  Here too , many which were just starting to show buds are past.

The trail most of these are on is just magic.  A solid carpet of all kinds of mosses and lichens with dainty flowers and solitude.

I even saw a fair number of Coralroot Orchids starting to spike, looking like red asparagus.

The south facing slope was starting to show off its special delights.

Small Flower Blue Eyed Mary is truly small flowered.

Early Saxifrage, Prairie Star, Meadow Chickweed and Death Camas  are doing well.

The Common Camas were not breaking their bud yet.

I skirted into the woods to seek out some rare and elusive things.  In the woods there was plenty of birdsong and all over wrens, chickadees and kinglets were courting and squabbling.  I watched one wren check out multiple holes in a dead tree.  It was shopping in a condo block. A chickadee patiently waited to do its inspections.

There was a lot of new fungus coming up through the mosses. This fallen Madrone tree was really covered with tails

Out on the rock-face the wet area is just getting started with Monkeyflower

I paused to take in the view.  Clouds are starting to set in.

It was here I heard something missing for some time.

"I'm a pretty little bird-e"  The call of the White-crowned Sparrows, back from their winter in the South.  I didn't think this zoomed in photo would work, but you can see him in the top of that Juniper

Barely.  I looked in my archives for a nice picture of this bird but have none in my computer, they are all on backup discs.

What a nice walk.  Many people were out and everyone seemed in joyous spirits.  Our region needs these fine days and any break in the weather to help the workers up at Oso is welcome.

The Flowers That Bloom in the Spring...

I lucked out on my plans for the weekend. I was thinking now is a good time for the Eastern Washington early blooms. The Pass report mentioning snow, traction tires and even snow in Wenatchee put the damper on that bit of enthusiasm. I decided to focus closer to home and pretty much everyone can guess I went up to Washington Park, my favorite Spring venue.

You will be proud of me for strictly obeying the speed limit on Hwy 20 from I-5 to Anacortes.

A few weeks ago we visited without a hint of Spring on the grounds. Only a few Red Currents waiting for Hummingbirds. Saturday was a different story. The best part is that it didn't rain a lick and I actually got a bit too warm in my hike around the loop. Now flowers are starting.

I encountered a camera club having their first meeting and getting to know their cameras. I encouraged them to visit the park often and clued them in on some of the best spots for nature study.

Along the south face of the park the path to the Serpentine slope holds a treasure trove of mosses and ferns. It is here that Fawn Lily grows in abundance. This day there were two flowers already up and dozens of buds just breaking through the moss carpet. It is interesting to see that these flower buds are already quite white when they are erupting from the ground and not encased in a greenish cover, like so many lilies. All over the mottled leaves give promise of the bounty that will cover this path. It is here that I also find Calypso Orchids, but they are still quite tucked in underground.

Other early blooms include the impossibly small Blue-eyed Mary. These love the open slopes along the south face and happily tuck themselves into every rocky foothold. If moss grows on the surface, the Blue-eyed Mary appears nearby.

Paths along the south face are a little misleading. Many of them are blazed by deer and can take you to spots you do not recognize. There is always the potential to see something from a new perspective. The deer trails certainly show you where the more sturdy footing is. The superficial soil, characteristic of the south rock face, can be plenty treacherous. This Pacific Juniper makes a fantastic sculpture. On the slope the Juniper and the Madrone are the dominant species.

Yellow Monkey flower was up an blooming. They love the steep rocky walls and seem to have the longest bloom period of the showy flowers.

I followed some deer tracks and came upon a secluded break in the trees. Here I found a nice population on Satin-flower ( Douglas' Blue-eyed Grass). These flowers have an early and short blooming life. They time with the Blue-eyed Mary and Spring Gold. The "satin" in its name comes from the sheen the petals have.

Field Chickweed grows in abundance. I think it is a pretty little backdrop for the more showy, less common flowers.

I am glad I followed the little deer trail. It led me out onto a trail into the woods. "I know this trail" I thought and I looked down to my right. And there it was, exactly where one was last year. The first blooming Calypso Orchid of the year. Last year I spotted one here , very early in March. It was my first wild orchid spotting of the year then as well.

Hydrotherapy

What a whirlwind it has been the last few weeks. Work has been suddenly very busy and I have not had the opportunity to get out for my walks most days. I see that the Public Works department is getting ready to do some digging at my pond, so I am not sure I am going to be able to see Spring fully unfold in this pretty corner of my workaday world.

A place the yields pictures like this

A jaunty Fox Sparrow male. His female was inside the blackberry bush

or this beautiful macro of a plum (?) blossom. I am hopeless on garden ornamentals.

and this sleepy Mallard framed by a Gum tree getting ready to be glorious.

But no matter, there are plenty of places to explore on the weekends. Last weekend after working a morning pulling invasive blackberry at the Wilcox Flats parcel for the Nisqually Land Trust, I visited the Mima Mounds preserve. This unique area is home to interesting geologic formations and, in a month or two, interesting flowers. I will be revisiting and doing a whole article about this mysterious place.

I will probably include some dry theory on glacial out wash and earthquakes forming the landscape. I learned last weekend that there is a devoted group that holds true to the theory that this place was formed by the Giant Blue Gopher. The GBG is a mysterious animal that only emerges from underground, for the purpose of mating, in the light of a blue moon. Followers meet on the site during the blue moon to keep watch.

Today I didn't need to be at work and had no commitments, so I dashed up to Port Townsend to visit Pt Wilson / Fort Worden.

Fort Worden was made famous in the movie "An Officer and a Gentleman". It sits on the northeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula at the mouth of Admiralty Inlet. This marks the end of the Straight of Juan de Fuca and, after passage through the inlet, the beginning of Puget Sound. The old protective gun placements are great for exploring. There is a matching facility across the inlet at Fort Casey, on Whidbey Island. This is a great place for kids to have fun.

On the seaward side of the placement, the bunkers are hidden by dunes of sand and rock breakwaters. The banks are planted with gorse which in theory would have helped slow down invaders on foot. At Fort Casey the gorse was particularly thick, the last I visited many years ago. In the picture below , the battery is inside the grassy area between the trees.

The inlet is subject to regular disruption of the intrepid little ferry that crosses to Whidbey Island. Severe winds and currents as well as extremes of high and low tide levels will shut down runs. When you see this tiny boat, a throwback to the early days of the ferry system it is easy to understand the caution. I have ridden the ferry on a day with weather worse than today. It can best be described as thrilling. Water splashes over the bow and if your car is first on, you might get a free front end wash with your passage.

Today the wind was really whipping. It is easy to see the effect of these winds on the trees.

The beach is a nice rocky one. There was very little evidence at high tide of shells or tide pool life. The rocks are colorful and varied. This small collection was gathered by a woman strolling the beach. She told me she liked to collect pretty and interesting rocks from beaches she visits. She takes them home for her rock garden. I love this idea. I often take away a particularly interesting rock for my aquarium.

The birds of Wilson Point can be pretty exciting. I have seen Puffins here as well as Snow Buntings on the sandy beach. Today there was little evidence of bird life on shore. Out in the water it was possible to find Surf Scoters and Barrows Goldeneye. I saw a flock of Robin fly over and they progressed sideways more than forward. Overall the bird life was pretty sparse and I figured most were further west in Dungeness Bay, well sheltered from the battering winds and waters.

The flowers of Pt Wilson can be fun to discover. There is plenty of Seashore Lupine not yet in bud. I found these tiny Small-Flowered Blue Eyed Mary in the sandy protected habitat. I would have missed them if I had not been seeking any blooming item. The flower cannot be more than 6mm across and flat on the ground. (I love my digital macro)

Near the Fort Worden housing there is a Rhododendron garden. One unfortunate issue is that the bushes are not labeled. Many were full of buds and will put on quite a show in the coming months. There were several that are in full bloom now.

The grove was filled with Robins, Varied Thrush and Junco.

Pt Townsend is really a little gem as far as Washington cities are concerned. There are many Victorian era buildings and homes, well preserved. This is a the clock tower from the Jefferson County courthouse. It almost appears, from this angle, to be an interesting ogre.