Week 5

Date: May 8, 2013

Weather: Sunny and warm

Temperature: ~70 degrees F

Time: 5:30 pm

Location: Marsh Island, Arboretum 

The focus of my journal this week was insect observation! Marsh Island seemed alive with activity today-- unfortunately, it also involved too much human activity. There were bottles and cans floating in the marshy waters, and wrappers littering the path. I suppose this is the result of the beautiful weather for the past week; there are a lot more people canoeing around the waters of the Arboretum. Some just don't utilize its beauty in the same way I do. I also observed a tremendous amount of flying insects, heard bird songs, and smelled fragrant flowering buds. I noticed that the Iris (species unknown) are much taller than the last time I visited Marsh Island. The Black Cottonwood Tree and various willows remain the large, dominant plant species. I noticed Pacific willow more distinctly this time because I have experience identifying it! There were some young horsetail sprouts, and a lot more blackberry and ivy growth. I noticed a new shrub that I could not identify: it had broad leaves, 3 lobes, and dull serrated edges. Tall Oregon Grape is flourishing! I was thrilled with my ability to recognize it. Below are some photos of my observations:

Iris?

Repeat photo of 1 m square area

Repeat photo of observation area

Unknown shrub?

Oregon Grape and Lady Fern

New shrub growth. ID?

Small red ants stung my feet in the mud!

Cottonwood tree against the evening sky

Lots of flooding on Marsh Island!

Below are my observations of insects!

Arachnid - Evidence of a spider web

Diptera - Clouds of very small flies

[No photo]

Lepidoptera - Cabbage moth

[No photo]

Diptera - Fly (2 translucent wings, 4 legs, yellow body piece visually segmented, ~1/4")

Hymenoptera - Red ants (a LOT of them, right near the water, stinging)

Coleoptera - Beetle (small, orangeish body piece that split down the middle into wings)

[No photo]

Hymenoptera - Bumblebee (large, froze on ground when I got close enough for a picture -- protection?)

Hymenoptera - Ant (black, more bulbous and much larger, moving fast for its size)

[No photo]

Worm-like organism (very small, no distinctive features)