autumn

Fir-cone Mushroom (Strobilurus trullisatus)

February 27, 2013
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Strobilurus trullisatus is a nifty little fungus with a very specialized habitat: the decaying cones of Douglas Fir trees. This habitat is plentiful in the northwest because Douglas Fir can grow just about anywhere in the region. Without the help of Fir-cone Mushrooms and other decomposers, we would be up to our eyeballs in Douglas Fir cones by now…

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Lobster Mushroom

November 6, 2012
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The cool air temperature of the mossy understory in northwestern forests is matched by the cool colors of the vegetation: greens, mostly, some yellowish, some bluish. Green is everywhere. So when something in the forest shows off a color from the warm end of the spectrum, it sticks out like a sore thumb against the verdant backdrop. But this is uncommon. Most of the wildflowers of the forest are white or purple, rather than…

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Salmon Migrating up the Klickitat River

October 25, 2012
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The Klickitat River flows for 75 dam-free miles (121 km) from the east side of the Washington Cascades near the Goat Rocks Wilderness, cutting south through deep layers of basalt, to its confluence with the Columbia River near the town of Lyle. The lower 10 miles of the Klickitat are officially designated as “Wild and Scenic.” This river provides…

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Snowberry

January 9, 2012
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Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) is a common shrub in low to mid elevation forests of the Pacific Northwest. It prefers drier sites, in shade or open areas. The oval-shaped leaves of Snowberry are abut 1″ long (2.5 cm) and are arranged oppositely on very thin stems. The whole plant grows up to 6 ft tall (2 m). The small clusters of pink, bell-shaped flowers…

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Coho Salmon Spawning in Eagle Creek

December 9, 2011
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Salmon are without question one of the most iconic animals of the Pacific Northwest. I have managed to see spawning salmon only a few times, but I intend to make more of an effort to see and learn about these amazing fish. About a week ago, I set out to see salmon in the Columbia Gorge…

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Boxelder Bugs

November 27, 2011
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As the weather cooled down this Autumn, some little bugs showed up at my house. Dozens of them have been creeping around on the exterior walls for the last two months. Small groups of them huddle in the corners of the windowpanes. You have probably seen these insects before– they are Boxelder Bugs (Boisea rubrolineata). They are especially conspicuous in autumn

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Poison in the City: The Fly Amanita Mushroom

November 18, 2011
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I haven’t had a chance to do any real mushroom hunting this Autumn. Other responsibilities have kept me out of the forest. Even though I didn’t go out to find the fungi, they came to me. Well, sort of. My wife and I were walking through downtown Portland when she pointed to something reddish-orange in the shadows beneath a rhododendron, off the sidewalk on a major street. She had spotted a…

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