The Chuckanuts

We have had the coldest April on record since the 1800's and twice our normal amount of rainfall - April was not a great month and May has not been much better so far.  Today was chilly and cloudy, at least in the morning, but I did manage to get out for a little while.  Went to the Chuckanuts, the low mountain range, south of Bellingham and the only place where the North Cascades come down to meet the sea.

There wasn't a lot blooming, the tide was in at the beaches and there wasn't a lot to see there, but I did check out a few spots.  Went to see how the Corallorhiza striata were doing along the Interurban Trail.  From there walked to Clayton Beach in Larrabee State Park and found the tide in.  Drove finally to the south end of Chuckanut Drive and took some time exposures of a cascade on the creek there.

First, the Corallorhizas, which were just starting to bloom.  For those who do not know, these are leafless, saprophytic orchids that get their nourishment from decaying organic material and not through the process of photosynthesis.  There is an area along the Interurban Trail where these grown in some profusion, an area I know through my good friend Marti Anderson.

From the area where the Corallorhizas were found I drove to the parking lot for Clayton Beach and walked to the beach, but was disappointed to find the tide in (note to self: check the tide table next time).  The only picture I too was of the flowers of the Salmonberry, about the only thing in bloom.  Saw no insects or butterflies, though they are usually to be seen along that trail.

Finished there I drove to the parking lot of the Oyster Creek Inn and scrambled down to the creek to get some time exposures of the cascade that comes down the hill and then under a bridge on the drive and past the restaurant.  Not the most exciting day, but at least I was able to get out for a little while and get the few pictures that I've posted here.

Washington Park Again

We have had the worst spring here that I can remember - endless rain and cold weather with very few decent days. Yesterday was the second coldest day on record for the date (May 6th), and we have not had a day without rain this week. The mountains are still snowed in and everything is way behind schedule.

Yesterday afternoon things did dry out, though the sun never appeared and it was still chilly. Feeling like I was going to go crazy if I didn't get out, I headed for Washington Park in Anacortes for a few hours. Arriving about 5:00, I hiked the trails around the edge of the park looking for wildflowers and anything else of interest, finishing my brief trek at about 7:00.

The Fairy Slippers were still blooming, though many had begun to go by and set seed. The Common Camas had begun to bloom, so I concentrated on getting pictures of those along with some of the Fairy Slippers. Found some mushrooms also - not surprising in view of the wet weather - but not a lot else to photograph. It was good to be out for a little, though.

Fading Fairy Slipper

Common Camas

Red Banded Polypore

Couldn't resist some more pictures of the Shooting Stars which were growing right along the edge of the rocks near the sea.  They were starting to go by as well, but were still making a brave show.  Ended with a few timed exposures of the wavelets on the rocks and then headed out for a Deschutes Black Porter and home.  Had at least a few hours of being outdoors and seeing some of the spring wildflowers.  Hope the weather changes and very soon!

Few Flowered Shooting Stars

First Native Orchids of the Year

Today (April 23) was the best day we've had this spring, sunny and warm without a cloud in the sky, a perfect day for an outing with the Washington Native Orchid Society.  The society usually has its first excursion in April and this year was no exception.  We went this year to Washington Park on Fidalgo Island near the town of Anacortes, a park I had visited several weeks ago on my own: http://ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2011/04/washington-park-anacortes.html.

We went, as we always do in April to see the Fairy Slippers, Calypso bulbosa, the earliest of the native orchids to bloom.  When I was there several weeks ago they were just beginning to bloom and I found only a couple that were fully open.  This time we found them all over the place and nearly all of them blooming.  These are the variety occidentalis, a rarer variety that is found only in the west, primarily in the North Cascades and west of the Rockies: http://nativeorchidsofthepacificnorthwest.blogspot.com/2010/07/calypso-bulbosa.html.

Fairy Slippers (Calypso bulbosa var. occidentalis)

The park covers a small rocky peninsula and has a two mile road that loops around the peninsula and follows the shore.  There are also many trails both along the shore and through the middle of the park. I arrived an hour early and found one other member already there, eager to be out and about in the wonderful warmth and sunshine.  We hiked along the road about half a mile and scouted things out before the others arrived, finding locations for some of the plants we were there to see. 

When everyone was there we all hiked together around the park taking plenty of time to explore the rocky shores and woods, looking for Fairy Slippers and other wildflowers, really anything of interest we could find.  We stopped for lunch on a sunny point on the south side of the peninsula, where I managed to get a short nap in the sunshine and where we also saw some Death Camas in bloom.  We finished our excursion at about 3:00 in the afternoon and went our separate ways.

Death Camas

There were many other wildflowers besides Fairy Slippers blooming, especially in the woods between the road and the rocky cliffs that line most of the shore: Shooting Stars, Fawn Lilies, Sea Blush, Spring Gold, Prairie Star and Yellow Monkey Flower among them.  We found several other orchids that were not yet in bloom, some Coralroots, probably the Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza maculata), and Piperias, which appeared to be the Slender White Piperia (P. candida) which I hope to see in bloom at a later date.

Shooting Stars

Fawn Lilies

Sea Blush

Yellow Monkey Flower

Prairie Star

Spring Gold

There were other things to see also, some marvelous views of the San Juan Islands and the Strait of San Juan de Fuca, a lot of pleasure boats and some kayaks, since this was a long holiday weekend.  We spotted a number of birds including an eagle and an Orange-capped Warbler, a new bird for me.  Saw any number of Banana Slugs especially early in the morning, but even without all the things to see it was wonderful to be out in the spring sunshine enjoying such a beautiful day.

I stopped on the way home for a couple of halibut tacos at a seafood market near Burlington and then went on, not hurrying, but enjoying the views of Mount Baker and the Twin Sisters which were awesome in the sunshine.  The only downside to a wonderful day was that my wife and hiking companion was not there to enjoy the day with me - she's away for a few more days visiting family on the other side of the country, including a new granddaughter.

Twin Sisters