In recent weeks I have been driving to Yost Park in Edmonds, Washington, to hike the trails and bird and bug watch. The park covers an area of 48 acres around the ravine of Shell Creek. The creek was dammed in 1902 to provide water to the community. The remains of the water project can still be seen along the creek. The original forest was cut over around 1900. Now it is covered with a second growth forest of western red cedar, red alder, bigleaf maple and western hemlock trees, and numerous shrubby undergrowth plants that provide a dense understory.
Because of the variety of the biota my excursions have given me some experience in the identification the local flora and fauna. The park is home to several pairs of barred owls, at least one pair of pileated woodpeckers and numerous spotted towhees, dark-eyed juncos, black-capped chickadees, Pacific wrens, Bewick’s wrens, American robins and song sparrows, not to mention northern flickers, American crows, and red-breasted sapsuckers. Swarms of midges bounce along Shell Creek and bumble bees can be seen looking for nesting sites and visiting flowers along the fern-lined trails. The following collection of photos is the result of my peregrinations. As usual, all photos are by me.