Emily's Puget Sound Journal: Week 8

Date: Monday June 3, 2013
Weather: Sunny and very warm
Temperature: ~ 74 degrees F
Time: 5:00 pm
Location: Marsh Island

Walking the path on Marsh Island today truly felt like summer. The island is swamped with water, perhaps a result of the increased activity of watercraft in the Arboretum. The waters on both sides of the island were crawling with canoes and kayaks. Brian and I visited the site together and shared photos in an attempt to prepare for the final project. There are still many species we need to identify around the Arboretum, and this visit proved that there is still some exploratory work to be done.

I observed a huge growth in yellow iris and pond lilies. The amount of greenery is immense compared to only a few weeks ago. The air was alive with photosynthesis! There was algal growth in the murky water, and the yellow iris were blooming beautiful flowers. I heard and observed several birds, including crows, great blue heron, gadwall ducks, bewick's wren, American robin, and marsh wren. There were still a lot of red ants in the mud, which unfortunately I felt the effects of in my bare feet. (The mud was so deep that I had to take off my shoes to avoid sinking.) The Scouler's willow and Pacific willow were so much larger than during April, it was almost surprising how abundant the leaves were. I noticed some foliose lichen on the trunks of trees, common horsetail growing thickly along the path, and tall grasses identified by their nodes. The cattails looked like true fuzzy cat tails, and this is where I saw the Great Blue Heron nestled. I noticed some flies, and identified one as a diptera individual. The blackberries were in bloom, as were a few other types of flower that I had trouble identifying. One yellow flowering plant looked like it could be subalpine buttercup. I noticed paper birch and black cottonwood, and a lot of new growth on the lady ferns. There were some new species I hadn't noticed before and was unsuccessful in identifying, including a medium size tree leaning out over the water and a shrubby tree -- both I presumed to be invasive species.