Festival of the Trees Interview at The Nature Blog Network

Stop by The Nature Blog Network for an interview discussing The Festival of the Trees blog carnival with Pablo, Dave Bonta, and me. Learn about how The Festival of the Trees got its start, and how you can participate in future issues.

Many thanks to our interviewer Wren and the rest of the team at The Nature Blog Network for inviting us to share our passion, and for helping to share the community of nature bloggers with the world wide web.

To read past issues, volunteer to host, and learn more about The Festival of the Trees, we invite you to visit The Festival of the Trees coordinating blog.

Learn more about Wren's work at her blog Wrenaissance Reflections.

Sunrise Rhododendron

Of Rain and Bud Burst

Spring is in full-swing here in the Pacific Northwest, and we have enjoyed many fine days of rain. I thrive on the grey and the wet, and so do the evergreens.

A few days ago, I slipped out to catch a photo of the first dogwood tree which I have found thus far on my property. Everyone around seems to have big, happy dogwoods, and I was beginning to feel left out. These shy, slow-growing jewels hide quietly among their evergreen partners; then emerge with their unique, opalescent grace of big, buttery blossoms.

Meanwhile, I spotted the first emergence of fresh evergreen tips on the tallest Douglas firs, and their shorter companions are not far behind. The rain has every tree swelling; alders are transformed from sticks to thickets; ferns and mosses creep out from the woodwork; wheelbarrow traffic must pause for crossings of salamanders and frogs.

It’s easy to get lost gazing skyward, but the forest floor is rich with new growth: lichens, mosses, and shrubs of all kinds are ready for fruit and flower. Soon, I will be able to share the rhododendrons, salal, and huckleberries. Today, I conclude our images with the soft leaves of the foxglove, and the patient reawakening of the salmonberry.

Evergreen Goodness: American Holly Among the Pennsylvania Hardwoods

Mystery Shrub

This plant grows in abundance around the local area, and likely elsewhere too. I have yet to determine just what it is, but it appears to grow in large, bushy forms anywhere that it can take root.

Over the last several weeks it has taken its turn blossoming among the other plants, as these are next to the cottage. The little white flowers have a faint, delicate scent which seems a good attractant for the bumbles.

Perhaps the fruit (if there is fruit) will aid me in identification. Any guesses?

Trees in gold skirts

While I realize that I’ve shared a lot of forsythia with you lately, I simply must share more! After all, it is blooming all over the place, and with pictures like these two, how can I resist?

Gold sunset light on gold flowers equals arboreal bliss.

Neighbors

To conclude our investigation into the Pacific Rhododendron, I’d like to show you two of our subject rhododendron’s favorite neighbors, and dear friends of my own.

Meet Salal, and “Mystery-Bush” – two shrubby evergreens that grow happily along side the rhododendrons in my back yard in Seabeck. These two can be found in many other places around the Pacific Northwest.

The salal is the plant with the large round-ish leaves. Like the rhododendron, salal is a member of the family Ericaceae.

Unlike the parking-lot variety which are small and close to the ground, the salal growing in the forest interior have to reach high to stake their light claims, and most are over a meter tall. Others grow up to five meters high, often leaning on their neighbors for extra support.

As to “mystery-bush”… here is my quandary: I believe that it is a type of common huckleberry, also of the family Ericaceae, but I haven’t been able to confirm that. Another alternative would be that it is a shrub called boxwood (part of a different family, I believe). I am simply at a loss. Maybe they are one and the same, and it's merely a question of local word choice?

Whatever it is, this lovely plant produces swaths of tiny, pink fragrant blossoms which are followed by huge clumps of juicy, sweet, blue, violet, and black berries. Not only do the small birds and the bumble bees LOVE these plants, but apparently huskies do too!

Both of the husky dogs that have lived with me have enjoyed many an hour sitting beside these bushes, shucking the berries off like so much corn! Once they’ve finished with one bush, they move to the next one. The evidence of their efficient and voracious harvesting method is shown in the undigested leaves adorning each healthy poopy in the morning.

As a side note, we also have another huckleberry that grows around the forest which produces tiny, tart, red berries. As much as I might miss all my forest friends of Western Washington, I am so incredibly excited for my opportunity to meet all the plants of the East Coast!

Transcience

In light of the earthquake affecting people in the India-Pakistan-Kashmir regions, I would like to share the following:

Transcience by Sarojini Naidu http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/naidu01.html#2

Note: Transcience is the second poem on the page.

Second note: I had to look up ashoka. Here's a good picture that came from a quick google:

http://www.geocities.com/indiatrees/ashoka.jpg