Week 2

Sunday April 14
1:30-2:30 PM
Mostly sunny 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit

Ah the sun! While it was fun to go at dusk last week to see beavers, it is hard to beat sitting out in the sun after these long Seattle Winters. The trail was still similar to last week in that it was soggy and squishy, but there didn't seem to be as much standing water beside the trail. There also wasn't any water dripping down from the canopy - only sun. It felt like there was in general more growth throughout the swamp because I was really having to shimmy my way down the trail in some parts to not run into plants. I don't remember having to do that last week - perhaps because I was wet and carefree. The lone skunk cabbage I spotted last week was no longer alone. There were two other ones next to the one I had seen last week, but I suspect they had been there all along and I just didn't have the observation skills to spot them! Sadly, the yellow leaf on it was looking much less vibrant and wasn't standing up straight like it was last week. The big green leafs seemed much larger this week though, so I'm interested to keep following how that plant progresses. I was able to identify salmonberry that I had seen last week but learned about this week. I've got quite a bit of it and am curious when the actual berries grow. I was also able to tell the difference between a swordfern and a lady fern. I had thought that all the ferns were the same, I had no idea that we have so many different kinds! While the swordferns still look brown in areas and possibly unhealthy, the lady ferns were a nice light green color and standing up somewhat straight. I visited the tall wheat-like grass again and for some reason there was an on going clicking sound. I couldn't figure out if it was from insects amongst the plants or if it was literally the plants making the noise. I thought the sun may have something to do with it, but I'm not sure. Another thing I saw when I was out there were turtles! There had to have been at least 10, but they were across the water a ways so it was hard to count them or identify them any further than 'turtles'. The site continues to be a tough one for bird watching due to all the foliage.

 Here is a repeat photo from a plant I saw last week. Any redness these berries had is now turning dark and shriveling up.

 

 Here is the Salmonberry.

 

Lady fern! It's funny how different it looks compared to sword fern now that I know the difference.

 

 Here's a repeat of the skunk cabbage. The glare from the sun doesn't quite show how much the yellowness of the one main leaf has changed. Notice the size of the green leafs.

 

 Here is my view out across the water on a nice sunny day. There is a log out there covered in turtles!

 

Lastly, here is the wheat-like grass that I'm sure we'll see a lot of at Union Bay Natural Area.

This week the main assignment was sketching. I have very little experience with drawing or sketching, so this was definitely a challenge for me. To help myself out a little, I chose a plant that was pretty simple. I'm not sure what it is, but going through these exercises really made me see many more details than I would have without the sketching. Anyways, here they are:

My study drawing actually turned out much better than how I feel about pretty much anything I've ever drawn. Going through the steps not only helped me get to know the plant better, but I think it may have enhanced my drawing skills. Here are the 4 other plants I decided to draw as well:

 

If you click on the pictures hopefully they will be big enough so that you can clearly see them.