Rubus parviflorus “Thimbleberry” Rosaceae
Tacoma, WA
May 2013
Robert Niese
Thimbleberry is an abundant edible berry found throughout forests in the west. They tend to grow best in disturbed areas such as roadsides, landslides, and clear cuts.
Month: February 2015
Silverbird (Empidornis semipartitus) Muscicapidae
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
January 18, 2015
Robert Niese
This is definitely not the Pacific Northwest. I think I should keep these over on my other blog (somuchscience) instead… Thoughts?
Cicindela oregona "Western Tiger Beetle" Carabidae
Olympic National Park, WA
June 6, 2013
Robert Niese
Look for these awesome predators on sandy river banks west of the Cascades. They are lightning fast and voracious hunters, but that doesn’t detract from the beauty of their iridescent exoskeleton!
Moneses uniflora “Single-delight” Ericaceae
Olympic National Park, WA
June 1, 2013
Robert Niese
This unique Ericad is found in moist coniferous forests across the northern hemisphere and is the sole member of its genus. It truly is delightful!
Vaccinium ovalifolium “Oval-leaf Bluberry” Ericaceae
Mount Rainier National Park, WA
August 9, 2013
Robert Niese
Cladonia sp. “Pixie Cup Lichen”
Olympic National Park, WA
June 6, 2013
Robert Niese
This easily recognizable lichen genus is one of my favorites. The tall cup-like structures for which the group is named are actually modified structures that release spores. Other members of the genus, such as Cladonia cristatella, the British Soldier Lichens, produce a bright red cap on each tall stem instead of a shallow cup.
Anemone occidentalis “Western Anemone” Ranunculaceae
Mount Rainier National Park, WA
August 4, 2012
Robert Niese
While many hikers will often overlook the flowering phase of this Anemone, their fruiting phase is definitely impossible to miss.
Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) Scolopacidae
Santa Cruz, CA
January 3, 2015
Robert Niese
These shorebirds spend their winters here on the Pacific coast and fly inland to the Great Plains to breed in the summer.
Chrysolina hyperici “St. Johnswort Beetle” Chrysomelidae
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA
May 2013
Robert Niese
In the late 1940s these beetles were introduced to California to control the spread of the weed St. Johnswort (Hypericum perforatum). The introduction of the beetles was so successful that the state erected a monument commemorating their success in Eureka, CA.
Oemleria cerasiformis “Indian Plum” Rosaceae
Tacoma, WA
May 2013
Robert Niese
Oemleria is a PNW endemic and is one of the first plants to leaf-out and bloom in spring. Later in the summer Oemleria will begin to bear ripe fruits which are purple with a large pit, giving them the name Indian Plums. These fruits here were unripe and tasted bitter and chalky. I should have waited for them to turn purple!
Northwest Naturalist 