Local Chapter Field Trips

Central Puget Sound

Guidelines for compensation for drivers of carpools: $0.25 per mile per car, to be divided among the passengers. Tolls and ferry fares are additional and are to be divided among all those in the car.

Meadowdale County Park, Edmonds, led by Dan Paquette.

Mosses have been enjoying this el niño winter, so why shouldn’t we?  Join Dan for a brief excursion into the ravines of Meadowdale County Park.  This is an out-and-back two mile hike which will eat up about three hours and has a four hundred foot elevation change.  Emphasis will be on identification of bryophytes, but we’ll wear out the last 110 pages of Pojar from Pteridium past Cladonia through “Index”.

Afterward, participants may opt to join a group for buffet at Café India in Lynnwood.  A basic spreadsheet of mosses, liverworts, together with a less robust list of lichens and woody plants is available for anyone requesting it.  The list includes references and general locations for many of the species.

Seahurst Park, Burien, led by Jim Branson.

Cabin fever? Join Jim for an exploration of this great park, where an abundance of Trillium ovatum and Lysichiton americanum (skunk cabbage) should be in full bloom. The nature trail loops from the beach into the upland forest and past wetlands and streams.  This leisurely one mile loop walk may be muddy, so wear sturdy shoes. If rain threatens, be sure to bring an umbrella or raincoat. Limit of 20 participants.  

Trees and Shrubs of the UW Campus, led by Arthur Lee Jacobson.

The enormous U.W. campus offers tremendous diversity of plants, planted and wild, native and otherwise. Many rare trees and shrubs were planted by forestry professors, botanists, and the gardening staff. There is an ethnobotanical garden; a medicinal herb garden; a botany greenhouse, and other gardens both formal and informal. We will encounter many fascinating species. Whoever cares to join the leader for beverages afterward is welcome at College Inn Pub. Limit of 20 participants. 

Douglasia at McCord Creek, Columbia River Gorge

Two of the showiest endemics in the Columbia River Gorge—Douglasia laevigata, smooth-leaf Douglasia and Synthrys stellata(Columbia kittentails) can be seen in mid-April.  Douglasia grows high on the basalt cliffs near the falls (bring binoculars for a good look). Kittentails grow right along the trail, and although lower plants will be past prime, the higher ones should still be fresh. We'll also see Cliff paintbrush (Castellja rupicola) adding splashes of red to the elegant salmon-colored Douglasia. If time allows, we'll look for Dicentra cucullaria, Dutchman's breeches, at near-by Starvation Creek falls.  Carpooling encouraged, but you can meet us at the trailhead as well (spend the weekend, perhaps?).  From Seattle, the round trip mileage cost will be about $85/car, to be shared by passengers & driver ($5/car suggested to purchase carbon credits to offset the carbon footprint of the trip). Come prepared with lunch & water. Hiking boots recommended, dress for the weather. Limit of 12 participants.

Echo Mountain and Spring Lake Bog, led by Caren Adams.

Caren will guide us through lowland forest along an easy trail, gaining a few hundred feet in elevation to the top of Echo mountain where chocolate lily (Frittilaria lanceolata) and fawn lily (Erythronium sp.) should be in bloom.  Historically fire was probably used by Native Americans to manage the site -and last year there was an unplanned fire!  It should prove interesting to see how the plant community has responded.

And if lake levels allow, Caren will also take the group to the fringing bog along the shore of Spring Lake. Ledum groendlandicum (laborador tea) and Kalmia microphylla occur there. Bring boots or shoes that can get saturated if you plan to visit the bog. Otherwise walking shoes should be sufficient. Bring food and water and dress for the weather.

Kraft Island, North Fork Skagit River, led by Howard Coleman.

Kraft Island lies in the delta of the Skagit River. The island has ultramafic (serpentine) soils, and supports a unique set of plants. At high tide it's an island, but at lower tides you can walk through a nice brackish marsh and easily access this special habitat. Stay tuned for details.

Central Washington

Columbia Basin

Columbia Basin Hikes

Koma Kulshan

Little Squalicum Park, led by Allan Richardson.

This winter walk will emphasize identification of deciduous trees and shrubs based on their twigs and buds (copies of a key will be provided). There is a diverse assortment of native and non-native plants along the upland trails and an abundance of natives, especially willows, along the beachfront. The trip is timed to reach the beach at a low enough tide. Bring trail snacks and water, and dress for the weather.

Earliest Flowers at Deception Pass, led by Mark Turner.

Pass Island at Deception Pass State Park is one of the earliest places where the wildflowers start blooming in our region. It's a sunny site and one of the best for seeing masses of grass widows (Olsynium douglasii). In other years we've also found first blossoms of Ranunculus occidentalis, Cerastium arvense, and Ribes sanguineum. The madrones are majestic, the sedums fantastic, and the meadows above the swirling tides divine. If we have time and interest we may also wander along West Beach. Bring your lunch and dress for the weather.

Northeast Washington

Okanogan

Olympic Peninsula

Miller Peninsula State Park, East Side, led by Sharon Schlentner and Ann Weinmann.

Join us for an exploration along the eastern side of Miller Peninsula state Park.  This should be a 3-4 mile walk through woods to the water, perusing some low elevation winter botany. Bring a lunch, hand lens and dress for the weather.  Please call as trips have been cancelled due to inclement conditions. 

Duckabush River Trail, led by Fred Weinmann.

Duckabush River Trail offers a wide variety of habitats with interesting native plants. We will botanize about 3 miles along the trail which gradually climbs over Little Hump, elevation 700 feet, drops down to and follows the river about a mile before starting up Big Hump. The lunch spot and turn around point is part way up Big Hump. Bring lunch, your hand lens and field guides; be prepared for any kind of weather.

Cross Quimper Peninsula Exploration: From the Straits of Juan de Fuca to Port Townsend Bay, led by Dixie Llewellin.

We will traverse Port Townsend City limits from North Beach Park to Port Townsend Bay. This entire walk is around 5 miles and will traverse diverse native plant habitats. We will travel through Cappy’s Trails and use several of the public trails to Kah Tai Lagoon and end up in town (for lunch/tea?)  We can arrange a car shuttle back to North Beach Park. 

Quimper Peninsula Wildflower Hot Spots, led by Dixie Llewellin and Ann Weinmann.

Begin at the Kah Tai Prairie (at the Port Townsend Golf Course) at 9:30 am. The trip will continue from there to Fort Townsend State Park and then to Kala Point. At Kah Tai Prairie we will tour the oldest garden of Port Townsend to see the spring display of native flowers that once filled Happy Valley. Learn the history of the preserve and see projects taking place at this small relict prairie. Some of the highlights will be spring gold, biscuit root, common camas and death camas. At Fort Townsend State Park we will hike among old growth trees. The Calypso orchids will be flowering, and we will see several species of parasitic plants (Hooker’s ground cone and spotted coralroot, for example) that are signature plants for the park. We will finish at the most floriferous of the dune/beach, strand communities on the Quimper Peninsula. The paintbrush, delphiniums, chocolate lilies, and several other species will be in flower.

Salal

Field trips will be scheduled as snow melt and weather permit. If you would like to know about the trips as they are scheduled (generally at short notice), please send me your phone number if you want to be called, or your e-mail address.  Susan Alaynick, 360-333-7437 or s_alaynick@hotmail.com

San Juan Islands

No field trips are scheduled at this time.

South Sound

South Sound Field Trips

Suksdorfia

No field trips are scheduled at this time.

Wenatchee Valley

No field trips are scheduled at this time.