Week 3

Date: April 21, 2013
Time: 10:30 - 11:30 am
Weather: Cloudy, light drizzle
Temperature: about 50 degrees Fahrenheit

It was a cloudy sunday morning, with a light drizzle as I walked to my location. It was warmer than last  weeks visit. I heard birds chirping above me, hoping I would see one around my location this sunday. I noticed that the plants that I was unable to ID my first week, was Indian Plum.  They were growing taller from the first time I saw them. I also noticed Red Huckleberry in my location too! At first I wasn't sure if it was huckleberry, but I remembered that the leaves of the huckleberry are "zig-zaggy" or just everywhere and they were tiny and elliptical. They were also a brightish green color. At my location there was a lot of Salal around, I identified them by the texture of their leaves, a leathery tough kind of texture. I was surprised to see a beaked Hazelnut  nearby, but as I was looking through my site there was more than one beaked hazelnut, there was 2 or 3. I was excited/ surprised that I didn't see them before! They had very soft leaves like thimbleberry, the bark was brown and smooth. I did not see any flowers or catkins blooming yet. I went to check on the oregon grape from last week and I noticed more flowers blooming as well as that the oregon grape was a tall oregon grape because underneath the leaf, the vien was rigid and not smooth compared to a dull or short oregon grape. Then I checked on the thimbleberry nearby, it had more leaves and grew a little taller, but no flowers yet. The red elderberry still has the same flowers from last week, but yet no berries. But when I came around to check on the salmonberry, I saw berries that were forming! I have never seen berries that are not yet fully bloomed or I have never seen a process like this occurring. I was really excited after seeing the salmonberry. There was a plant I saw that had a lot of thorns, maybe a Nootka Rose but im not sure. While I was walking towards the beach area of Lincoln Park I was able to spot a hummingbird! It was perched on a tree branch high above me.

A picture of my area within Lincoln Park 

(picture of red huckleberry leaves) Red Huckleberry: 

Latin Name: Vaccinium parvifolium

Part of the Heath family 

The leaves small and elliptical in shape. The berries are a bright red in color and their bark is a bright green. Their flowers are small and jug-shaped with a pinkish color. 

(The huckleberry in the above picture does not have it's flowers or leaves yet)

(not the same Indian Plum from week 1)

Indian Plum

Latin Name: Oemleria cerasiformis

Part of the Rose family 

The leaves are also elliptical in shape, but a lot bigger in size then the Red Huckleberry's leaves. The bark is a brown-purple color. If you take one of the leaves and crush it/fold it, the leaf will give off a scent. The scent smells similar to a cucumber.

Tall Oregon Grape (repeat picture from Week 2)

Latin Name: Berberis aquifolium

Part of the Barberry family

Has even pinnate compound with 5 - 9 leaflets. The leaflets are elliptical in shape and are serrated or spiny (like holly). The flowers of have a yellowish- green color and are grown in clusters. If you turn one of the leaflets over, you can feel that the spine is very rigid and rough in texture. 

Beaked Hazelnut

Latin Name: Corylus cornuta

Part of the Birch family

The leaves of the plant are ovate in shape and are very soft like thimbleberry. They are also serrated or toothed. The bark is brown and smooth. The flowers that grow are called catkins which have a yellowish color to them. 

Thimbleberry 

Latin Name: Rubus parviflorus

Part of the Rose family 

The leaves are 5 lobed and have fine hairs on top of the leaf and bottom. They are very soft when you touch them. The stems are a green to brown color. Flowers are white in color and have a papery petals. When the berries bloom they will have a red/crimson color. 

Salmonberry 

Latin Name: Rubus spectabilis

Part of the Rose Family

Have compound leaves with 3-5 leaflets. Leaflets are ovate in shape and are toothed/ serrated? The stems are a lightish brown color and have thorns. The flowers have a reddish - pink color, fuchsia. They have 5 petals and look papery- crinkly. When the berries bloom they have a crimson to yellow color. 

Salal 

Latin Name: Gaultheria shallon 

Part of the Heath family 

The leaves are ovate in shape and are toothed. They are evergreen and the leaves have a leathery texture to them. The flowers are small and white to pink in color, they are bell shaped and grow in long clusters. When the berries bloom, they area purplish/black in color. 

Red Elderberry

Latin Name: Sambucus racemosa

Part of the Honeysuckle family

Has opposite, pinnately compound with 5 to 7 leaflets. The leaflets are Lanceolate in shape and are toothed. Has week stems and the flowers grow in conical clusters, they're white in color. When the berries bloom they are red in color and very small. 

A photo of the thorns I saw on a plant/ shrub. Possibly a Nootka Rose?