Hazelwoods Wetlands

 
Out with my friend Karen at the Hazelwood Wetlands last Thursday. It was one of those rare sunny winter days. The sketching was quick, the conversation long and the tea delicious. 

Buds

Buds are embryonic. I love the way that Biology uses the same terminology for both flora and fauna. 

Buds are embryonic, undeveloped shoots from which leaves, stems and flowers arise.

Scales are a protective layer keeping woody plant buds dormant and safe through cold winters.

Some plants break out leaves first, then flowers follow. This is called Synanthous. Other plants flower first and then their leaves break out.  And some just have one huge bud. 

Synanthous plants are the most common. After all they need photosynthesis and respiration almost immediately.  

Hysteranthos are less common. These include Redbud, Witch Hazel, Forsythia, Magnolia, Cherry Blossom, Paper Bush, and various bulbs like Colchicum, Crocus, and Amaryllis

Mixed Buds include  maples, apples, and cherries

 about buds

From my nature journal

Here are some excerpts from my Nature Journal about
 Fruits and Seeds 

 

Specimen Cards

Here are some specimen cards created with the Nature Explores Club sponsored by the
Sammamish Heritage Garden 

 

Fruits and Seeds

Link to foldable Zine

Storm for thirsty crops.

A long overdue storm
is just what the doctor ordered. 

I'm stumped at the Soaring Eagle Park

So yesterday I took a walk through parts of Soaring Eagle Park. This park is north of me and not far from Inglewood Middle School. A storm of questions have been circling since, mostly about the logging history.  There are so many tree stumps with so few fallen trunks. This must be an old logging site. But when? Was it in the 1930’s? Before or after that date? Was it a clear cut? I think not. I did some cursory research and found that it has become a King County Park in 1993. Before that is was under the jurisdiction of the DNR- Department of Natural Resources established in 1957. Did they sanction the logging? OR did it happen when the Commissioner of Public lands reigned from 1889 to 1957? 

Do they hope the forest will recover by itself, over time? 100 years maybe? More? 

 

 

Like always, when I take a walk, I come away with more questions than I have answers to. Alex and I are heading to REI downtown today to buy some maps of the area. I also ordered  a local hiking book that delves into the history of the areas. The library might be another resource.