Massive old growth Douglas Fir stump with springboard cut, now a forest nurse
This stump, probably logged a 100 years ago, dates back untold 100s of years. This area was once selectively logged which left a number of old growth trees and stumps to shelter and nourish the ancient forest floor of the Stimpson Family Nature Preserve.
The Daily Bucket is a regular feature of the Backyard Science group. It is a place to note any observations you have made of the world around you. Insects, weather, meteorites, climate, birds and/or flowers. All are worthy additions to the bucket. Please let us know what is going on around you in a comment. Include, as close as is comfortable for you, where you are located. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns that are quietly unwinding around us.
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Join me below the entwined mat of forest fungus for the rest of the tour.
Located just minutes from commercial and residential tracts in Bellingham, WA, lies a gem of a nature reserve with 350 acres of old-growth forest, woodlands, and wetlands that is now protected and maintained for future generations. Following a gift from the Stimson Family descendents in 2000 and augmented and supported by a partnership of seven public and private entities, this primal forest is readily available with four miles of trails for public enjoyment and education now and into the distant future. The partnership includes: The Whatcom Land Trust, Department of Natural Resources, Whatcom County Parks and Recreation and The Conservation Futures Fund, The City of Bellingham, The Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District, Western Washington University, and The Rotary Club of Bellingham.
The Reserve includes the Lake Louise Natural Resources Conservation Area owned by the Department of Natural Resources, 196 acres owned by Whatcom Land Trust and 34 acres jointly owned by the City of Bellingham and Whatcom County. Whatcom County Parks & Recreation manages the Reserve, and Whatcom Land Trust maintains a permanent stewardship endowment for its upkeep.
Attribution:
Todd Ellsworth
Within a few feet of the parking lot, you are immersed in deep woods as you skirt around the Beaver Pond, covered in a chartreuse blanket of algae.
This "Black pond" gets very little sunlight
Cousins beside an Old growth fir
A 457 year old fir toppled by wind and wet ground
Into the canopy
A series of nurse stumps
Blow down across the trail
Vanilla-leaf (Achlys triphylla)
Nettles (Urtica dioica) or a subspecies thereof – flowers are purplish
Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridus)
Indian Pipe, (Monotropa uniflora) – An oddball flower that does not use photosynthesis for its food.
Fungus with a moss hat
Pileated and Hairy woodpeckers' work station
Outcrop of Chuckanut Sandstone
At the same time that we are trying to save the earth itself, we need to be working to preserve the many natural resources we still have so that, just in case we save the planet, we'll have some nature left for the next generations to enjoy.
"Spotlight on Green News & Views" will be posted by Meteor Blades every Saturday at 1:00 pm Pacific Time and every Wednesday at 3:30 Pacific Time on the Daily Kos front page. Be sure to recommend and comment in the diary.
Jump right into the forest and tell us what's in your backyard that is worthy of saving.