Washington - 2009 I - Orcas Is., Mt. Rainier and Mt. Saint Helens
Bittersweet Nightshade; Solanum dulcamara*
Nightshade Family Seattle, WA June 17, 2009 This wildflower is related to tomato and potato plants.
Salmonberry; Rubus spectabilis
Seattle, WA June 17, 2009 These pretty pale orange berries are quite common in western Washington. I ate a few of them, they are not as sweet as raspberries, but they are OK. The white fuzz on the leaves is from the cottonwood seeds.
Herb Robert; Geranium robertianum*
Geranium Family Seattle, WA June 17, 2009 Yet another non-native! This plant is related to our native Wild Geranium.
Enchanter's Nightshade; Circaea alpina
Evening Primrose Family Seattle, WA June 17, 2009 You have to look closely to appreciate the tiny white flowers on these plants. I'm not sure how it got the "nightshade" name.
when we missed the last turn into Seattle and we ended up across a bridge into another part of the city. Many shallow parts of the lake were covered in Fragrant Water Lilies.
The Public Market in Seattle is a delight to the senses (yes, even the fish area!). I was in awe of the beautiful flowers, fruits and vegetables, such as these, that lined the stalls.
American Brooklime; Veronica beccabunga americana
Figwort; Snapdragon Family Seattle, WA June 18, 2009 These little blue flowers were growing at Samammish State Park, but I saw them in Ashford and Silver Lake. They are common in wetland areas.
Horsetails; Scouring Rushes; Equisetum
spp. Seattle, WA June 17, 2009 These unusual plants are not wildflowers, in fact, they don't have flowers at all. Horsetails are ancient plants that have been around since before the days of the dinosaurs. I liked the interesting pattern of the plants.
Osier Dogwood; Cornus stolonifera
Dogwood Family Ashford, WA June 22, 2009 This Dogwood is common growing near creeks. Unlike other members of the Dogwood family, this one does not have large bracts surrounding the small flowers.
This view of Snoqualmie Falls was taken from a deck that requires a steep 1/2-mile hike to reach.
Because of the cold climate of the northwest, it takes many years for stumps and to decompose. Often tree seedlings will grow in the soft, decayed wood. The roots grow over the log or stump and into the ground, if they are fortunate, they will grow into a mature tree. This "Nurse stump" has a young tree growing out of it.
Curtis found this little crab among the rocks on the beach. One of the nice things about liking nature is you can be entertained just about anywhere outside! :)
Hairy Cat's Ear; Hypochaeris radicata*
Aster Family Seattle, WA June 17, 2009 Hairy Cat's Ear was the first wildflower we saw from the plane, it is a very common plant in the west. It grows to around 18" and can color roadsides and yards with their golden flowers.
Inside-Out Flower; Vancouveria hexandra
Family: Berberidaceae Seattle, WA June 17, 2009 I always study my books and the internet to learn about the plants and flowers that I may encounter while I'm traveling in a new area. There are usually some flowers that get my attention by either their looks or an odd name, I call them my "target plants"; this plant was one of those. I had seen Inside-Out Flower on our '98 trip, but I didn't get a good photo. I was happy to get a second chance when we stopped at Seward Park in Seattle shortly after we left the airport. It is an interesting-looking plant with an interesting name.
Thimbleberry; Rubus parviflorus
Rose Family Seattle, WA June 17, 2009 The berries are edible, but seedy and not very palatible. I saw the flowers in many parts of western Washington.
Large-leaved Avens; Geum macrophyllum
Rose Family Seattle, WA June 17, 2009 I saw this plant blooming in many areas of western Washington. Like many other members of the Geum genus, it has spiky seeds.
Fragrant White Water Lily; Nymphaea odorata
Seattle, WA June 18, 2009 When we missed the turn into downtown we ended up far from where we wanted to be. Sometimes getting "turned around" can be a good thing, we would have never seen Green Lake Park and these beautiful Water Lilies! :)
The guys at the fish market have quite a sense of humor, when a young boy and his grandmother came over to look at this ugly Monkfish a worker pulled a hidden cable and the fish reared up, causing them to jump back and the on-lookers to roar with laughter!
Forget-Me-Not; Myosotis sylvatica
Seattle, WA June 18, 2009 There are several species of Forget-Me-Nots in Alaska, they were brought here from Europe. I found this plant in Samammish State Park outside of Seattle. They are beautiful little pale blue flowers. I liked the growth pattern of this plant.
Twinberry fruit; lonicera involucrata
Honeysuckle Family Seattle, WA June 18, 2009 I was too late to see the flowers of this plant blooming, but the fruits are much more interesting anyway. It is not hard to see why they are called "Twinberry".
Cucumber Family Seattle, WA June 18, 2009 I've seen this plant in other western states. It has green cucumber-like fruits. The vines climb high into the trees along trails and roadsides.
These huge water tubes transfer water from the Snoqualmie river to a powerhouse built in 1898 that is still used to generate electricity. I had to take this photo through a chainlink fence.
added some excitement on our hike to the bottom of the falls! :) Good news for folks who don't like snakes, there are no venomous snakes west of the Cascade mountains.
A marine Isopod is a saltwater version of a roly poly.
Himalayan Blackberry*; Rubus discolor
Rose Family Seattle, WA June 17, 2009 This plant grows all over western Washington, it really is an invasive non-native.
Birdsfoot Trefoil; Lotus corniculatus*
Pea Family Seattle, WA June 17, 2009 This pretty little yellow non-native wildflower is a common roadside "weed" in much of the United States.
Cow Parsnip; Heracleum lantanum*
Parsley Family Seattle, WA June 17, 2009 Cow Parsnip has huge leaves and flower clusters. It is a common plant in the Pacific Northwest.
Pacific Rhododendron; Rhododendron macrophyllum
Seattle, WA June 17, 2009 This is the state flower of Washington. Rhododendron means "rose tree".
English Daisy; Bellis perennis*
Aster Family Seattle, WA June 17, 2009 This little non-native wildflower can become quite weedy in lawns, we saw it all over western WA.
A cruise ship had docked in the Seattle harbor, so there were lots of tourists visiting the Public Market while we were there. This market is famous for the fish-throwing workers, when a patron purchases a fish they yell the name of the fish and throw it to the guys behind the counter! It is quite a spectacle.
An interesting mix of Lichens at Mt. Rainier.
Rose Family Seattle, WA June 17, 2009 These pretty little roses bloomed in the woods of many of the parks we visited. Roses are an important nectar source for insects and later in the year, the fruits, called "hips" are eaten by birds and other animals.
is located 25 miles east of Seattle, an easy drive on I-90. The 270-foot waterfall can be observed from a covered deck. For the strong of leg and heart, there is a steep 1/2-mile trail to the bottom of the falls. Along the trail you'll pass the powerhouse where water diverted from the river above the falls drops through 2 huge tubes to turn the turbines to generate electricity. The large building on the left is the Salish Lodge.
flowers shows the bright pink nectar guides.
Poison Hemlock; Conium maculatum*
Anacortes,WA June 19, 2009 This is the infamous Hemlock plant (not the tree!) that was the undoing of Socrates. Poison Hemlock is a deadly poisonous plant that can become very weedy in damp, disturbed sites. I photographed this one at the dock while we waited for the ferry to Orcas Island.
We are driving onto the ferry, the Yakima, on our way to Orcas Island.
Oceanspray; Holodiscus discolor
Rose Family Seattle, WA June 17, 2009 This pretty shrub has sprays of fuzzy white flowers that brighten the roadsides and forests.
Saltmarsh Starwort; Stellaria humifusa
Pink Family Seattle, WA June 17, 2009 I found this plant blooming in the grass on the shore of the lake at Seward Park. It is related to Chickweed.
Heath Family Seattle, WA June 17, 2009 Unfortunately, the Cottonwood trees were shedding their seeds, so their white fuzz covered nearly everything, like these flowers. I quickly learned there are many flowers in the Heath family in the northwest, they kept me busy consulting my wildflower books to tell who was who!
Sweet Pea; Everlasting Pea; Lathyrus odoratus*
Seattle, WA June 17, 2009 These pretty pink flowers grow along the highways in much of western Washington, even on the banks of Puget Sound. I remember my mother having this plant growing in her garden when I was young. Although they are related to edible peas, the seeds of this plant are poisonous.
Kenny and I went to Washington and Oregon from June 17 - July 1, 2009. We drove more than 1500 miles in those 2 weeks and saw Seattle, lots of plants, Puget Sound and Orcas Island, the Pacific Ocean, and four volcanoes. This was our second trip to the northwest, our last visit was in 1998 with our kids. I liked the poem on this Seattle Public Market street plaque, it says, I have always known at last I would take this road. But yesterday I did not know it would be today. by Japanese poet Narihara It sums up my love of travel!
Cooley's Hedge Nettle; Stachys cooleyae
Mint Family Seattle, WA June 18, 2009 I spotted these plants blooming near a footbridge at Sammamish State Park in Seattle. It grows up to 3 feet tall and has bright pink flowers, it is a treat to come across this plant on a hike. Hummingbirds are also attracted to these pink flowers.
Evergreen Blackberry; Rubus laciniatus*
Rose Family Seattle, WA June 17, 2009 I will eventually get to a native plant! It is sad that there are so many invaders in our country, they often spread and crowd out the pretty natives.
Snowberry; Lonicera involucrata
Honeysuckle Family Seattle, WA June 18, 2009 The little pink and white flowers are pretty when they bloom in the summer, but the most interesting aspect of the plant is when the white berries appear in the fall.
Rose Family Seattle, WA June 17, 2009 These spikes are made of hundreds of tiny white flowers.
Figwort Family Snoqualmie, WA June 18, 2009 These pretty magenta, light pink and white flowers brighten the landscape in western Washington. It is another non-native, brought to North America by European settlers as a medicinal plant. The cardiac drug digitalis is made from the leaves, but don't try self-medicating with it, the plant can be deadly if used incorrectly.
Our son and his girfriend, Jeanie, flew to Seattle on Thursday night and the next day we drove to Anacortes, WA. We met the ferry and Jeanie's parents in Anacortes. While we waited for the ferry the tide was dropping, so we entertained ourselves looking at the little crabs that scuttled out from under the rocks. Crabs are scavengers, they hunt for food on the beach. They in turn, are also eaten by other animals.
Pelagic Cormorant; Phalacrocorax pelagicus
Anacortes, WA June 19, 2009 We saw these birds nesting on the piers as we pulled out of the dock on the ferry. Each opening had a bird in it.