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Conservation

Problems and a Little Bit of Serendipity on Vedder Mountain - Jim Duemmel

Native Plants at Everett Parks - Mary Potter 

Overwintering in Thimbleberries - Jay Scott 

What Ebey’s Landing Means to Me - Harold Mitchell 

Inviting Natives Back Home  

Ivy Removal Resource  

ACFL Conservation Easement Program  

Contribute to WNPS via Earth Share of Washington

Problems and a Little Bit of Serendipity on Vedder Mountain
by Jim Duemmel
Four years ago I heard reports of a rare plant, tall bugbane, Cimicifuga elata, on Vedder Mountain in northern Whatcom County. To find the plant I began occasionally hiking the rough trail on the peak.

On my fourth hike, in mid July 2003, I found the plant in bloom right beside the trail. In flower the white column of thin petaled blooms is easy to spot. When not in bloom the plant disappears into the forest foliage although its leaves are very distinctive. Each leaf has long petiole that spits into three slightly shorter petioles each of which ends in three leaflets. The center leaflet of each triplet is a dead wringer for a large Douglas maple leaf while the two side leaflets are similar but lopsided. The double triplet arrangement is very striking.

In early August 2004 I relocated the plants, which then bore both blossoms and seeds. But I made a disturbing discovery. Numerous notices announcing a clearcut marked the trees along the trail. The trail wound in and out of the proposed clearcut in a bewildering fashion. I could not tell whether the area containing the tall bugbane plants would be cut. So I took careful GPS readings of the location, grabbed some of the seeds, finished my hike and called the DNR.

That call, actually several repeated calls and e-mail messages, produced mixed results. The DNR was aware of the colony of Cimicifuga elata on Vedder Mountain and indeed, in consultation with a WNPS member who lives nearby, Binda Colebrook, had designed the boundaries of the clearcut to protect the plants. However they could not tell whether the plants I knew about were also outside the clearcut (and they did not “have time” to go and check). With some additional information about how the boundary was marked I made another trip to the mountain in early October.

The plants were inside the clearcut. The cutting was scheduled for the winter of 2004-2005. I carefully marked the location with surveyors tape. But impending knee surgery prevented me from immediately returning and moving the plants to some nearby location outside the clearcut.

In mid-February 2005 I was able to hike to the site again. My GPS receiver led me through the mass of logging debris to the site. There I located one remaining plant (of about a dozen that had been present). The logging activity had dislodged the plant – it was lying there on the slope with its roots exposed and a piece of surveyors tape tied to the short remnants of its stem. I could not locate any of the other dozen plants so I picked up the one apparent survivor and walked outside the clearcut into a shallow ravine that looked like a suitably shaded habitat. Carefully I placed the plant in the rich moist soil, marked it with surveyors tape again and took a careful GPS reading.

For an unknown length of time the plant had lain with its roots exposed and had been rudely moved to a new environment. What were its chances of survival? And, after all, it was only one plant. I left disappointed.

In early May I returned. My GPS receiver led me directly to the general area where I immediately spotted the bright orange surveyors tape and walked directly to the plant. It was growing vigorously—it had survived its uprooting and replanting. Relieved, I stood there a moment and glanced around the plant’s new home. Wait a minute, what’s that over there? And over there? As I looked around I found fourteen other plants of tall bugbane. By sheer dumb luck I had moved my lone survivor into the middle of an existing colony of tall bugbane! (Perhaps a colony the DNR had planned to protect?) A bit of serendipity. I was really surprised.

In late June I checked again. Several plants in the new location, including my transplant, were blooming. Then with the GPS receiver I located the old site. Despite the totally changed environment, the flood of sunlight, several plants at the old site were blooming. In addition, within a few feet, I found three flowering stems of phantom orchid, Eburophyton austiniae. Another bit of serendipity.

The events on Vedder Mountain left me with a lot of questions. Clearly the DNR was interested in preserving this species. Yet why was everyone so busy that there was no time to go and check whether the plants I found were inside the clearcut area? With precise GPS coordinates available why could they not determine this from their maps? Why was the trail not restored through the clearcut? Why did they angrily refer to the trail as “illegally built” when I first called them? Why did Rare Care, an organization that monitors rare plant populations and lists this species as one of concern in Whatcom County, when notified of clearcut, reply that they did not want this population monitored? I’m mystified.

Some background for a parting question. Much of the trail that I walked consisted of an old unpaved road (or a jeep track more likely) very well shaded by trees and brush. What two plant species immediately and abundantly cover such a roadbed when a clearcut removes the shade?

Tall bugbane is listed as a Threatened species in Washington State, is on the provincial Red List in British Columbia, and is considered Endangered in Canada (COSEWIC 2002). According to Jenifer L. Penny’s article on the species in Accounts and Measures for Managing Identified Wildlife – Accounts V. 2004, “It occurs from extreme southwestern British Columbia south to southwestern Oregon. It is rare throughout its entire range in the Pacific Northwest, but is particularly rare in British Columbia.” It grows in shady, moist, mature western redcedar forest, nearly always associated with bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum). “The deciduous component of mixed forest is important in maintaining optimal light conditions for this species. Deciduous tree species that occur with tall bugbane include bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum), vine maple (A. circinatum), and Douglas maple (A. glabrum var. douglasii). Bigleaf maple is the most important as it occupies the forest canopy, increasing forest floor light during the spring. Natural canopy gaps provide the opportunity for flowering and establishment of progeny.” Its heavy seeds have no special dispersal mechanism and generally fall within a few meters of the parent plant. “Initially, plants respond favourably after logging (clearcuts), but there are several risks to its continued persistence following the initial disturbance. . . . Clearcuts can provide the necessary conditions for seedling establishment, but the early stages of forest growth may overcome the plants due to intense competition. Thus, although tall bugbane responds favourably to removal of the forest canopy (Kaye and Kirkland 199), the longer term impacts are unknown.” Jim, better hold onto those GPS coordinates and keep an eye on that tall bugbane colony!

Native Plants at Everett Parks
by Mary Potter, WNPS Native Plant Steward, Snohomish County Class of 2000 & Native Plant Specialist, Everett Parks and Recreation

Our mission at Everett Parks is Good Stewardship of Park Lands. One strategy for good stewardship relies on our Native Plant Program. We strive to use native plants in ornamental landscapes, as street trees, to enhance our forest and trail program and as a focus in our parks. We use native plants because they are adapted to local conditions. After they are established they require less maintenance, less fertilizer, less water and less leaf/litter removal in naturalized areas. Not only is this good for the environment it also helps us work within the constraints of a tight budget.

Another aspect of our mission is the involvement of the community through our “Adopt a Park” and “Adopt a Trail” programs and specialized volunteer projects. Volunteers on these projects help us with planting, defining trails, removing invasive plants, applying mulch, watering during plant establishment and controlling weeds in new plantings. Of the 30+ parks we’ve chosen eight as our Focus Parks. Each provides an opportunity to feature native plants. If you walk the path at Lowell Riverfront Trail you can study native plants like nootka rose, evergreen huckleberry and highbush cranberry in a landscape setting on the east side and naturalized on the west. At Johnston-Kelly Environmental Park we work with View Ridge Elementary School and have created a native plant display garden at the entrance by the amphitheatre. Visitors can enjoy a journey through the woods on trails over “Rocky Waters” and past “Marshtopia”. Earth Day 2003 began our Lewis and Clark Commemorative Garden at Howarth Park.

We welcome any help and input for this garden and other projects. Please call Pam Dixon, Volunteer Coordinator, at 425-257-8331 or Libbie Soden, Native Plant Program Supervisor, at 425-257-8582 for more information.

Overwintering in the Thimbleberries
by Jay Scott
In pale wintry light we felt the crisp sting of the cold air on exposed skin. The trail crunched that distinctive sound as we walked on frost heaved ground. Weather this brutally cold occurs only a few days a year in the foothills near Arlington. We knew the native wildlife is naturally adapted to conditions such as this. But, this sort of weather was surely the most challenging for winter survival. It must be a time for culling those too hungry or weak, we pondered.

It was a subtle movement in the thicket. A branch twitched, then a flutter. A bouncing horizontal flight ended on another branch. The black-capped chickadee began hammering in woodpecker fashion. Small bits of wood fell. Some distance away we observed more chickadees similarly working in earnest. The thicket composed almost entirely of thimbleberry was under siege. They were very intent on their pursuit and allowed us to come unusually close to observe. Their activity was concentrated on bulbous portions of the plant’s stem. They would bore a cavity then immediately resume the same process on another branch.

Several months previous to the event we had been observing that an obscure, gnat-sized, stingless wasp had been busy in the thicket too. Humans usually notice the wasp as just a tiny smudge on the windshield. It had injected its eggs into a select spot on a branch. The growing larvae was the object of the chickadee’s intense effort. It was survival food.

The larvae were hidden from view inside the branch but was easy to locate. The plant’s stem had swollen into a cancerous appearing growth called a gall. Dissecting the gall revealed the larvae and tunnels they had made through the plant tissue. Researchers have found this plant tissue rich in extra starch, glycogen, and protein. Outer layers of the gall contain tannin and phenolic compounds. The inside of a gall is therefore food for the herbivorous larvae. The outside is foul tasting armor against predators. Apparently the chickadees were undeterred this day. A few insects are also known to penetrate the protective shell of the gall. One insect has been observed living in commensal harmony with the larvae. Ten other insects besides the chickadee have discovered what a delectable meal resides inside. After devouring the gall builder these invading insects often make themselves at home inside the protective shell of the gall. But, if left undisturbed, by early spring the grub will metamorphose into a flying wasp and vacate the gall. Its abandoned home can then provide shelter for other small insects. I have observed pill bugs, earwigs, and small spiders living in the galls much like hermit crabs utilize someone else’s empty house.

The galls appeared numerous in this thicket, occurring on about one in three branches. The location of the gall on the branches was always in that season’s new growth. In some locations I have observed as many as fifteen galls on a single branch. In other remote areas where the thimbleberry is more sparsely spread out the galls were fewer per plant and were often non-existent. Similar wasps in this Cynipidae family are well known for their gall activity in oak trees or cultivated roses. Other types of plant galls have origins just too numerous to mention. But, it is only the Diastrophus kincaidii wasp that makes thimbleberry galls. And, this wasp only makes its gall in thimbleberry. It is plant specific. Adjacent plants in the thicket at Arlington such as salmonberry, spirea, and blackberry were devoid of galls.

Just how the gall is formed is not yet fully understood. Some researchers think it is the tunneling movement of the larvae that in some way stimulates the plant’s excessive growth. Other ideas consider molecular signals from the initial egg injection or the excrement or respiration of the larvae. Whatever the mechanism is that promotes this excessive plant growth awaits to be discovered. Great fortune may be in store when the results of this research are exploited. For instance, this science may someday induce a stalk of celery to swell to many times its normal width. Or, imagine the economic potential of enormously thick Douglas fir trees.

So, a wasp, many other insects, black-capped chickadees, and some day even humans may benefit from galls produced on thimbleberry. An observer may wonder if the plant benefits from galls as in a symbiotic relationship. Not much. The only activity I have witnessed is occasional fertilizing of the plant by the chickadees. Do galls harm the plant? Probably not much either. Branches sometimes break or the direction of growth is altered at a deteriorated gall. But, I consider this a natural type of pruning like deer browsing. The following season the plant is always flourishing.

What Ebey’s Landing Means to Me
by Harold Mitchell
The following remarks were sent by Harold Mitchell to the Ebey’s Landing Historical Reserve staff. Commenting publicly on the use and preservation of our local, state and national parks is one of the many ways WNPS members fulfill our mission to foster the preservation, conservation, and study of the native plants of Washington and the education of the public on the values of native flora and its habitat.

The public was invited to attend two meetings in mid-February to make comments on the land protection needs and priorities of Ebey’s Landing National Historic Reserve. An operational question was asked, “What places do you treasure within this Historic Reserve?”

As a member of the Washington Native Plant Society, my response would have to be, “the bluff trail.” I have made numerous field trips over some 12-14 years to this trail, and have never failed to be moved by the sweeping views out the Straits of Juan de Fuca to the west and down Admiralty Inlet to the south. Bluffs to the south are steeper and show patches of slide areas, while the slopes below our trail appear to be in equilibrium. No slide areas mar the rich vegetation of grasses, occasional small conifers, and many wild blooming plants from March to July.

On the less steep to nearly level upper side of the trail there are shrubs and conifers, wind-sculptured to fantastic shapes. Eagles and hawks soar overhead, taking advantage of updrafts from the warm slopes. Seals and sea birds can be observed in the waters below.

Plants not usually seen inland appear here, e.g., two species of Amsinckia (fiddleneck) and Calandrinia (red maids). There is one plant on the endangered list—fear of unauthorized collecting forbids naming it.

Toward the north end of the trail appears Parego’s Lagoon, below, an interesting botanical and geological phenomenon. Many millennia ago this was a small bay, then later a salt marsh. Action of currents, tides, and wind gradually built up a berm which now has closed the former entrance, resulting in a brackish water lagoon surrounded by unusual salt marsh habitat.

The slope below the trail is fragile and would benefit from a few signs cautioning hikers not to step below the trail. Users should be confined to walkers only as bicycle tires could damage the trail and start erosion.

Vist our Plant Lists page for a four-page plant list for Ebey’s Landing Bluff Trail.

Inviting Natives Back Home
Many of our members enjoy planting and studying native plants in their home landscapes as well as in their natural settings. Several members share their experiences with us here. WNPS supports these efforts through our educational presentations and our native plant sales. The Salal Chapter’s display garden (see the September Potent Teller) is also a wonderful source of guidance and inspiration.

Rick Machin, Fidalgo Island:

When my wife, Meredith, and I moved to the Pacific Northwest four years ago, we found ourselves surrounded by native plants that were new to us. But what a treat! And, thanks to the Salal Chapter with their introductory community plant walks, I was able to begin the fun journey towards learning about our special flora. How exciting it was (and still is) to learn about the area's unique plants from patient walk/hike leaders like Harold Mitchell and then return home and find the very same plants on our property.

This couldn't have come at a better time. We were building a new house, complete with planning its landscape. Specifically, it was an opportunity to preserve the native plants, large and small, and eliminate having a lawn, something we celebrated by donating our lawnmower to the Chapter's Native Plant Garden. That said, the "installed" landscape does have a few ornamentals, but mostly we planted natives, which, to no one's surprise, have proven to be right at home and thrived.

Today, in addition to no grass to mow, we have the usual conifers -- some are second-growth approaching one hundred years -- and most of the common understory plants found on Fidalgo Island. Appreciating the value of old-growth nurse stumps and logs, we take pride in preserving the lushness and diversity of the native plants around our home.

In summary, I'm very grateful to the Washington Native Plant Society for stimulating my interest in and appreciation of our local botanical treasures. We're glad we were able to preserve the “naturalness" of our property and look forward to the seasonal transformations of plants that are right at home in this special part of the world.

Phyllis Dolph, Anacortes:

I have tried to plant enough trees, ferns, and native plants to make a forest here where we live. I wanted to turn our acre and a third into a naturescape, similar to Washington Park, with a movie of color up by the house to attract birds and butterflies. Now we are hoping to sell this house, along with most of my lavish flowers and treescape, to someone who appreciates all this fecund splendor.

We are going to move to another home in town near the Community Forest Lands which has a square, pinched yard. So, up will come the grass! Down will go topsoil plus my two compost piles and the contents of my worm bin. "Mountains" will be stirred, shaped and readied. Then some fine day, a bunch of friends will join us for a planting-and-pizza party and some of my most precious native plants will be transported to live over there.

Dreams of "small is beautiful" begin to fill with the canvas of my mind with color, intimate nooks and corners, and myriads of birds and butterflies. I am using my heart to guide me, with Kruckeberg's Gardening with Native Plants and Link's Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest for information. Because my husband is an important part of the landscape (landscaping) too, well, you know the rest of the story. It will be beautiful, we hope, eventually, and as natural as a small townscape can be.

Dick McManus, Everett:

I plant native species around my area as a hobby and fight with the blackberries. I have planted six to eight Douglas firs in a new park next to Silver Lake. They are now about eight feet tall. I also planted some red alder which are now about twelve feet tall. I have also in the past seven years planted native trees around my condo at the south end of Silver Lake which has a protected wetlands surrounding it.

Further from home, I tried to get a resolution into the Democratic Party platform regarding quarantining English ivy in Washington state as has been done in Oregon.

Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius)
by Bill Wamsley
Lewis County Noxious Weed Control Board, 360-740-1215

Family: Fabaceae (Pea Family)

Other Names: Broom, Scot's Broom

Description: A deciduous woody perennial shrub up to 9 feet tall.

Stems: Dark green with a waxy covering; angular with an upright-erect growth habit.

Leaves: Three parted leaf with simple margins.

Flowers: Showy, bright yellow legume like flowers, abundant along the stems.

Fruit: Pea like pods that split open in late summer and eject the seed up to ten feet.

Seeds: A three year old plant produces up to 18,000 seeds per year. The hard coated oval seeds are about 1/8th inch long. Seeds remain viable in the soil for up to sixty years.

Root: A deep, branched taproot.

Ecology: Scotch broom is very adapted to the maritime climate of western Washington. It favors infertile soils and will readily occupy disturbed sites.

Cooperative Extension Publications: Scotch Broom; PNW 103 and Pacific Northwest Weed Control Handbook; Misc. 0049.

Why Be Concerned?

• Interferes with the establishment of forests and invades natural areas.
• Overruns pastures, utility corridors and roadsides increasing the maintenance costs of these operations.
• Displaces the native plant species and the wildlife that depend on them.
• Broom infested areas create a fire hazard.

How can the spread of Scotch broom be prevented?

• Early detection and control of broom in new areas.
• Anticipate broom infestation and plan for revegetation after soil disturbing activities.
• Clean construction equipment and utilize "broom free" soil and rock resources.

Scotch Broom Control

• Cutting - Use lopping shears or hand pruners to cut the stems off at ground level. Best control will be achieved during the summer months of July and August. It is important to cut at the soil surface to minimize sprouting of new buds/shoots.
• Hand pulling - Hand pull small seedlings when they are 8 to 30 inches. Pulling is easiest during the spring, fall, and winter months when soils are moist.
• Weed Wrench- The Weed Wrench is a tool designed for the pulling of woody vegetation. The weed wrench can be used on broom of various sizes (¼"-2½" stems) and is effective in removing the root. [See below.]
• Mowing - Mowing can be used as a maintenance/ control measure for established Scotch broom plants. The optimum time for mowing would be during the post bloom to seed pod formation stage of plant growth. Repeat mowing during the growing season, combined with other field maintenance (fertilization, seeding) will enhance the treatment effectiveness.
• Biological Control - Consult the reference: Biological Control of Weeds in the West; Western Society of Weed Science, 1996 for current information about biological control agents available.

Ivy Removal Resource
Ivy Off Urban Trees (Ivy O.U.T.) initiated by the Washington Native Plant Society has become a collaboration of many individuals and groups working to rid our parks and natural areas of the invasive English ivy. To learn about the Ivy O.U.T. program, visit www.ivyout.org.

Anacortes Community Forest Lands Conservation Easement Program
Every $1000 donated to the City of Anacortes Forest Land Endowment Fund earns a conservation easement on one acre of the Anacortes Community Forest Lands. Conservation Easements, held and monitored by Skagit Land Trust, prevent forest acreage from every being logged, mined, sold or otherwise developed. In the first two years of the program $270,000 has been donated to protect 270 acres of native plant and wildlife habitat, including several acres of old growth forest as well as meadows, lakes, and wetlands. 1230 acres remain eligible for protection. Donors of $5000 or more may request specific acreage for protection. For more information or to contribute, contact Anacortes Parks & Recreation, P.O. Box 547.

Contribute to WNPS via Earth Share of Washington
You can support WNPS through regular payroll deductions. Public employees may specify WNPS by code on their payroll deduction pledge forms. Employees of private companies that include Earth Share in their workplace giving campaign may write in WNPS as a designated recipient for donations. If your employer does not yet participate in Earth Share, you can designate WNPS in the "Specific Organization" or "donor option" section of your United Way pledge form.

All donations received by WNPS through workplace giving campaigns will be used to fund activities that support WNPS's mission to promote the appreciation and conservation of Washington's native plants and their habitats.

Whether you are still working or retired, please share this information with your friends and family around the state. If you have any questions regarding workplace giving, please contact Joëlle Burgess at Earth Share of Washington at j.burgess@esw.org or (206) 622-9840 or visit www.esw.org on line.

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Updated: April 14, 2007
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