Ivy Pull

I spent the morning with the Nisqually Land Trust pulling English Ivy on one of their properties.

This little property is right along side the freeway, just before it enters the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. February of last year we did some of the same type work on an adjacent property. I wrote about that day with the enchanting houses and the charming artistist who live on that property.


If you look back you will see that it was a glorious sunny day. Today was quite a different story. Rain, rain rain. I think this is storm five in the chain of ten storms slated to come our way over the next week. Thankfully the wind was not blowing, but there was no hope of keeping remotely clean or dry.

English Ivy invades and runs. Its biggest damage potential comes when it climbs trees. The strong thick runners form solid mats around the trunk and between the weight of the plant and the choking off of circulation these vines can bring down a tree.

Because the creek that passes through the property is a salmon stream, the trees are vital to protect and maintain the water temperatures. They also help filter the toxins in the environment.

We focused on clearing the ivy from around the trunks in a girdling like pattern. Leaving a gap of about 2 to three feet between the ivy high in the tree and the ground will result in death for the higher ivy. I focused on the newer growth with my hand clippers. Others used saws and pick-axes to pry vines as stout as my arm from the sides of the trunks. The ground around the trees could benefit from having the vines pulled up as well. It is a daunting task. Everything you see here that is clear, bare dirt was ivy when we started.





Unlike last year the woods are not quite up to speed. Indian Plum is blooming, but there is very little fresh new growth. The native snails are asleep. I did find some tiny, fresh turkey tail fungus.




This remarkably bright cup fungus earned a new home in a rotten tree trunk.

I didn't get an opportunity to take many pictures. My hands were muddy and my camera collected its own wet and grim even inside my pocket. My coat is not waterproof and why I am putting off actually getting suitable clothes for this task is beyond me.

I could not resist taking a picture of these lovely Violas. They are a garden species and not native. No one is particularly worried about their presence.

After visiting Washington Park last week , I revisited my blog entries from last year at this time. What a difference our somewhat normal weather this winter has made. Last year we had a mild, wet, non-winter with hardly any cold, freezing temperatures.

Last year at this time Washington Park was already in bloom with flowers everywhere. Last week I could not find a one, thought I found plenty of evidence that they will be here soon!

Pt Defiance

Yikes another week has slipped away. I received a comment on my last entry from "SRM" asking about a vacation in Washington State. I wanted to refer her to my entry on Pt Defiance.

Oops need to write said entry.

Anyway welcome SRM and see my comment in last post about your questions. I am happy to help you plan. I am also hoping you will start a blog about your home state.

Last Saturday, feeling the burden of being house and office bound for yet another gray drizzly week I went down to Pt Defiance in Tacoma. The weather report was for clearing, but at home it was certainly a dreary scene. Well a walk in the deep woods, in the rain is not so bad. By the time I got to the southbound freeway I could see that a convergence zone set up showed clearing skies to the far south.

Happy Me.

The parking lot was already filed when I arrived at 915. This large park, situated on a peninsula at the mouth of Commencement Bay is a popular destination for runners and walkers. The one way loop road lends itself for a nice metered 5 mile course. How nice it would be to have such a place near by. As I walked along the road I found a little hidden treasure. This culvert is signed in white pebbles " 1936 WPA". This road is a wonderful WPA project.






Thank you to all the hard working men. The WPA projects around Washington are still treasures. See my entry from last September ( Nisqually and Mt Rainier) to see a tunnel and a lovely stone bridge made by the CCC ; the Civilian Conservation Corps, established during the same time.



The entrance of the park is dominated by two large formal gardens; Rose and Iris. Come Spring this is just the place for a camera nut to explore. Attached to the Rose Garden is a lovely house, built in 1898 by the original keeper of the park, Ebenezer Roberts. The house , now called The Lodge, was built for a whopping

get ready for it

$2250.00








Pt Defiance is home to a nice little Zoo that focuses on Pacific Rim animal species. The Aquarium is well known for its Marine Mammal rehabilitation and they have received Walrus and Sea Otter rescued from unfortunate circumstance. It is a bit odd to be walking along and see Caribou and Musk Ox. I struck off into the wonderful woods. There are three major trail routes. I picked the one that bee-lines down the spine of the peninsula. Here the trees are wonderful. Many of them quite super sized.



You can appreciate the effect storms have in this place. Gaps in the canopy and tumbled logs can almost map the historic storms of the last 20 years. Even the previous weeks rain brought down a lot of little limbs and many tips and bits off the ends of branches.



In woods like these logs are usually sawed through to allow the trail passage and left in place. The serve a vital function. Nurse logs support and give rise to new growth. Logs also are shelter and highways for animals of the woods and they hold and stabilize soil.



A handy stump can be converted to a well placed sitting place. I have seen fallen trees cut into 6 to 8 inch thick slices and the discs serve as "stepping stones" in mucky places.







This fallen Western Red Cedar burst on impact. The smell was wonderful!

The westerly trail ends at Pt Defiance itself. Here you can see the beginning of the infamous Tacoma Narrows, home of Galloping Gertie. An early explorer said of this place that with a gunnery at this point and one across the water he could" stand in defiance of the world". These illuminated trees are Madrone. They are hallmarks of Puget Sound cliff sides.

With sunny skies there were many folks about. Some of the runners were clearly men from the nearby Joint Base Lewis / McCord. Nice to see but "excuse us Ma'am" as they ran past... well sigh.

Turning my eyes to nature study

Like all wet side mixed conifer woods this one is filled with life of every size.

Tiny moss spores

Licorice Fern growing on a trunk. This ferns rhizome tastes like licorice. Native peoples used to chew it or use the extracted juice for cough. There is also a mention of using it as a body wash for measles. I am sure it is a good astringent. I would say, too, it sweetens the breath.

It is a potent taste and a little dab will do ya.

Interesting shelf fungi encrusting a trunk and climbing a broken limb.

The grandest tree in the park is likely to be The Mountaineer Tree. This Douglas Fir is believed to be about 450 years old. I could not resist having a lie down at its base to get a squirrels eye view.

I went down to Owens Beach. This weekend ( January 22/23) was King Tide time. The highest tides of the year. At Olympia, in the area of the market, the high tide this morning as 17+ feet. Today there were many out of a beach comb. This is not the typical saltwater beach with plenty of shells. I did get a lovely polished bit of blue glass

and this nice photo of a Glaucous-winged Gull.

Back up the hill along a weaving staircase (feel the burn) and I was back staring at Musk Ox and once again at The Lodge. There is a nice little Japanese garden complex here, adjacent to the old trolley station which was fashioned with pagoda styling.

I recognized several trees here from Dr Kruckbergs garden; a Japanese Larch and a Spanish Fir. They also have a Moon Bridge over the water complex. See my Kubota Garden entry from October 2010 for a formal garden with a Moon Bridge.

I drove back to the freeway via Ruston Way along the waterfront. It was lunchtime and many of the restaurants and eateries were packed. I bet everyone just thrilled to be out in the sun. I had to stop when a big red boat caught my eye. This is Fireboat Number 1 built in 1929 and one of the first west coast fire boats. It is a grand thing to stand next to. neat and clean and fitted with water cannons. It makes quite a picture.

I will have to return in the Spring. The Iris and Rose Garden will be in bloom There is also a Rhododendron Grove in the park as well as the nearby Rhodi and Azalia collection at the Weyerhaeuser HQ.

Happy New Year ~ I take the plunge

Today I started my 365 Project on Flickr and was trying to come up with an idea as to where or what to do. Starting the day with a review of the newspaper I caught an article about the Kirkland Polar Bear Plunge being "cancelled". The city did not wish to sponsor the event. The woman being interviewed said she was disappointed and felt that she would carry on anyway. Strictly unofficial, don't you know. ( wink wink)


I thought I could likely get some good pictures at this event. I went over to St Edwards State Park for a walk around to kill time before the event.


St Edwards is north of Kirkland in Juanita and the site of a former seminary. It is also the location of Bayster University, a well regarded Naturopathic Medicine center. The park is typical second growth mixed woodland with plenty of trees and thick understory. High on a hill on Lake Washington there are some nice trails up top and a great loop that goes down to the lake and back up, circling the whole park. The trails are pretty fair, with some soft and mucky spots in places. The hill climb is enough to make a good workout without suffering.

Given the mixed age of the trees there are a fair number of old dead timbers. These attract woodpeckers and it is easy to see evidence of their food searches. I easily had three viewings of Piliated Woodpeckers and two encounters with Hairy Woodpeckers during the two hour walk.

Piliated Woodpeckers produce large excavations in the trees.














You will often find piles of wood chips at the base of trees. If a bird is actively foraging you might even see chips flying through the air.










Downy and Hairy woodpeckers are much smaller and produce tidy little round holes. Their nest cavities provide nesting spots for chickadees, nuthatches and wrens. Piliated holes are much larger and might be used by small owls and squirrels.








This fallen Madrone made a pretty picture down on the lake front.





Many fallen and cut logs supported turkey tail fungus. I got some lucky bugs in this picture.







During my ramble I convinced myself that I should go to the Polar Bear not just to take pictures but to take the plunge myself. I had thought about it the last two years but begged off at the last minute.


So I donned my still muddy pants from the tree planting a few weeks ago ( I figure they need a wash) , my thermal t neck , a swim halter and water shoes. At 1230 there were a few other people milling about. We wondered if it was going to be just us. At 1250 there were suddenly people coming from all over. Kids and oldsters, teens in bikinis and some get ups I cannot describe. The TV station crew was there (KIRO) and they were busy taking shots and interviewing folks


I had my camera in a double zip lock. I was hoping to get some action shots from the water. There was a countdown and a rush and we were all in. I chill of the water was not that bad, what killed me was the rocks of the lake bed. Even with my water shoes...OUCH!


I didn't expect everyone to turn and rush back to shore so by the time I fumbled my camera out, the action was pretty much over.






But I did it, dripping head to toe I felt great.


I looked around for some photo potentials and there was one little boy doubled over crying.



"I'm so cooooooollllllllldddddd." This tiny thin voice. It was tragic.



Everyone laughed and I think the TV crew caught it on film. A warm blanket was produced and the boy soon cheered up.






It made a great shot.