RHH's photos with the keyword: whidbey

Part of Fort Casey State Park on Whidbey Island.

Near Fort Ebey and in Fort Ebey State Park.

This honeysuckle is described as uncommon and I have only seen it once. It is a vine growing 6-18 feet and found in west-side forests. In Explore June 9, 2009, #289.

Photographed near Cornet Bay, Whidbey Island, Washington.

This is one of the shelf fungi often found growing on dead trees or fallen trees.

In Explore June 8, 2009, #234. A single flower of this rare species. Published in an article on the website of the American Orchid Society: www.aos.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&CONTENTID=78...

These pictures are all from our recent field trip with the Washington Native Orchid Society. We found hundreds of these Coralroots at a location near Deception Pass in the San Juan Islands.

In Explore June 8, 2009, #290. Published in an article on the website of the American Orchid Society: www.aos.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&CONTENTID=78... Saturday, June 6, 2009, the Washington Native Orchid Society had a field trip to Whidbey Island in the San Juans. Under the guidance of Chelsea Kieffer from Maryland we examined a new location for this very rare orchid, found only in two locations in western Washington and first described as a new species in 2001. We not only saw this rare species but two other more common Coralroots, a Listera, a Goodyera and some Calypsos (these had gone to seed as had the Listera).

In Explore June 9, 2009, #208. Yellow Salsify or Goat's Beard (Tragopogon dubius) ---The Goat's Beard opens its blossoms at daybreak and closes them before noon, except in cloudy weather, hence its old country name of 'Noon-flower' and 'Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon,' a peculiarity noticed more than once by the poets and referred to in Cowley's lines: 'The goat's beard, which each morn abroad doth peep But shuts its flowers at noon and goes to sleep.' ---Gerard says: 'it shutteth itselfe at twelve of the clocke, and sheweth not his face open untill the next dayes Sun doth make it flower anew. Whereupon it was called go-to-bed-at-noone; when these flowers be come to their full maturitie and ripenesse they grow into a downy Blowball like those of Dandelion, which is carriedaway by the winde.' ---In mediaeval times, the Goat's Beard had some reputation as a medicinal plant, though it has fallen out of use. The tapering roots were formerly eaten as we now eat parsnips, and the young stalks, taken before the flowers appear, were cut up into lengths and boiled like asparagus, of which they have somewhat the flavour, and are said to be nearly as nutritious. The roots were dug up in the autumn and kept in dry sand for winter use. ---The fresh juice of the young plant has been recommended as 'the best dissolvent of the bile, relieving the stomach without danger and without introducing into the blood an acrid, corrosive stimulant, as is frequently done by salts when employed for this purpose.' ---Culpepper tells us: 'A large double handful of the entire plant, roots, flowers and all bruised and boiled an then strained with a little sweet oil, is an excellent clyster in most desperate cases of strangury or suppression of urine. A decoction of the roots is very good for the heartburn, loss of appetite, disorders of the breast and liver, expels sand and gravel, and even small stone. The roots dressed like parsnips with butter are good for cold, watery stomachs, boiled or cold, or eaten as a raw salad; they are grateful to the stomach strengthen the lean and consumptive, or the weak after long sickness. The distilled water gives relief to pleurisy, stitches or pains in the side.' Quoted from: www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/g/goabea23.html

Another batch of pictures from our recent hike with the Washington Native Orchid Society. This is a light colored form of the leafless, saprophytic orchid plant previously posted.

Cow Parsnip ---The juices of all parts contain a phototoxin that can act on contact with skin and exposure to ultraviolet light, causing anything from a mild rash to a blistering, severe dermatitis, depending on the sensitivity of the individual. The plant is a pernicious weed especially in pastures, where it can ruin the milk of cows that eat it. ---Various Native American peoples had many different uses for this plant; all parts of it were used by one nation or another. Perhaps the most common use was to make poultices to be applied to bruises or sores. In addition, the young stalks and leaf stems — before the plant reaches maturity — were widely used for food with the outer skin peeled off giving a sweetish flavor. The dried stems were also used as drinking straws for the old or infirm, and to make flutes for children. A yellow dye can be made from the roots, and an infusion of the flowers can be rubbed on the body to repel flies and mosquitoes. Wikipedia

Another batch of photos from our recent field trip with the Washington Native Orchid Society.

In Explore June 11, 2009, #239. This is the third species of Coralroot we saw on our field trip with the WNOS.

This photo was taken on our recent field trip with the Washington Native orchid Society - the forest was very dry at the time, there was no dew or moisture on any of the plants except this immature shelf fungus. When we returned the next day we found the same thing and can only guess that the temperature of the fungus was cooler than the temperature of the air, causing the drops of water to form.

In Explore June 15, 2009, #163. This photo was also taken on a recent WNOS field trip. This orchid as before noted is leafless and saprophytic.

Fort Casey is one of three World War Two forts built to protect the Strait of San Juan de Fuca from a feared Japanese invasion. The other two forts are Fort Ebey and Fort Worden (on the other side of the Strait). The forts are all state parks now.

We took the ferry from Keystone on Whidbey Island to Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula in order to get to Olympic National Park and Hurricane Ridge. This photo was taken early in the morning from the ferry. The Olympics can be seen in the background.

In Explore August 16, 2009, #463. California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica) of which wikipedia says: "The California poppy ... is native to grassy and open areas from sea level to 2,000m (6,500 feet) altitude in the western United States throughout California, extending to Oregon, southern Washington, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and in Mexico in Sonora and northwest Baja California. It can grow 5–60 cm tall, with alternately branching glaucous blue-green foliage. The leaves are ternately divided into round, lobed segments. The flowers are solitary on long stems, silky-textured, with four petals, each petal 2-6 cm long and broad; their color ranges from yellow to orange, and flowering is from February to September. The petals close at night or in cold, windy weather and open again the following morning, although they may remain closed in cloudy weather. The fruit is a slender dehiscent capsule 3-9 cm long, which splits in two to release the numerous small black or dark brown seeds. It is perennial in mild parts of its native range, and annual in colder climates; growth is best in full sun and sandy, well-drained, poor soil. It grows well in disturbed areas and often recolonizes after fires. In addition to being planted for horticulture, revegetation, and highway beautification, it often colonizes along roadsides and other disturbed areas. It is drought-tolerant, self-seeding, and easy to grow in gardens. It is also pictured in welcome signs while entering California. It is the official flower of California. April 6 is designated California Poppy Day." This photo is untouched including the color and is just as it came from the camera. The color was so bright and vivid, however, that it was difficult to capture, especially on the summer day that this photo was taken.