ALPINE FORGET-ME-NOT

Katrina Moran
6/22/12
Post of a flower that I will be going more in depth about
I identified this flower on our Dock Point field trip


ALPINE FORGET-ME-NOT : Myosotis alpestris, ssp. asiatica

Family: Borage/Boraginaceae
Habitat: Sub-alpine and alpine meadows and slopes (lower in coastal areas) throughout most of Alask, except Southeastern and the Yukon River drainage.
Blooming Time: Late May-June on south facing slopes to early August in northern snow beds.
Description: A perennial plant, 6-15' tall, with long-stemmed, lanceolate blue-green leaves with many stiff hair. The plant has one or more hairy stems with sessile leaves reducing in size upwards. The flowers are 1/4 to 3/8' across, have 5 rounded blue petals joined at the base with a yellow eye surrounded by white. The spike of flowers curled in a cyme in bud.
Comments: This is the Alaska State Flower. There are several members of this genus and closely related genera in Alask. The flower spike is tightly curled in bud. Most have blue flowers, but sometimes could be white or pink. Arctic species belong to the Eritrichium genus. They have very short stems, rosettes of small, hairy leaves at the base and the flowers are vivid blue.

These are such beautiful little flower I had to share more about this flower in my blog. I really like it also because it is my States flower and I think it deserved a little more appreciation! :)


References: Alaskan Wildflowers by Verna E. Pratt

DOCK POINT

Katrina Moran
Dock Point field trip on 6/21/2012

The weather was beautiful out and the temperature was around 70 degrees. It was a perfect day for a hike and a field trip. All clear skies and just gorgeous out. Our class went to Dock Point but started identifying organisms on the beach first and then worked our way up the trail afterwards.
I am going to list all the different organisms, plants, flowers and animals that I saw and identified on our field trip to Dock Point, enjoy!

Organisms found on beach:

SITKA PERIWINKLE- Littorina Sitkana
ALEUTIAN MOON SNAIL- Natica Aleutica
LUVA ALGAE aka Sea Lettuce
BALTIC MACOMA- Macoma Balthica
BEACH HOPPER- Traskorchestia Traskiana aka "Jumping Jacks"
BLUE MUSSEL- Mytilus Trossulus
RED MITE-Dermanyssus gallinae 
ACORN BARNACLE- Balanus Glandula
PLATE LIMPET- Tectura Scutum aka "China Hats"

References: Alaska's Seashore Creatures by Carmen M. Field and Conrad J. Field

Plants and flowers I identified while on the Dock Point trail:

COASTAL SAXIFRAGE- Saxifraga ferruginea  
SALMONBERRY- Rubus spectabilis 
DEVILS CLUB- Oplopanax horridus 
RED ELDER BERRY-aka RED ELDER- Sambucus racemosa ssp. pubens
SITKA ALDER- Alnus crispa ssp. sinuata
BLACK COTTON WOOD- Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa
COW PARSNIP-Heracleum lanatum
FRAGILE FERN- Cystopteris fragilis
LADY FERN- Athyrium filix-femina
WILD CELERY- Angelica lucida
NORTHERN YARROW- Achillea borealis
ARCTIC DOCK-Rumex arcticus
SITKA SPRUCE- Picea sitchensis
TRAILING BLACK CURRANT- Ribes laxiflorum
SITKA WILLOW- Salix sitchensis
GOATS BEARD- Aruncus sylvester
ALASKAN BLUEBERRY- Vaccinium alaskaense
SKUNK CABBAGE
OSTRICH FERN- Matteucia struthiopteris aka "Fiddle Heads"
ARCTIC WILLOW- Salix arctica
FALSE HELLEBORE- Veratrum viride 
DWARF DOGWOOD- Cornus canadensis
OVAL-LEAVED BLUEBERRY- Vaccinium ovalifolium
GRASS OF PARNASSUS, BOG STAR- Parnassia palustris
ALPINE FORGET-ME-NOT- Myosotis alpestris, ssp. asiatica
SITKA MOUNTAIN ASH- Sorbus sitchensis


References: Alaskan Wildflowers by Verna E. Pratt and Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coat by Pojar Mackinnon

Some of the different kinds of animals I saw and identified were:
STELLERS JAY- Cyanocitta stelleri
NORTH WESTERN CROW- Corvus caurinus
BALD EAGLE- Heliaeetus leucocephalus




References: Guide to the Birds of Alaska by Robert H. Armstrong

Overall a great day for a field trip and learned a lot of other different kinds of plants and animals I never knew about or learned about. Great day!

Common Rockweed

 Common Rockweed—Fucus Distichus evanescens is one of edible algae which can be seen in Alaska. It lives in areas of North Pacific: Arctic Ocean, Bering Sea, and Aleutian Islands Alaska to California, Japan, and Russia. It prefers to live in low and high tide and intertidal rocky shorelines. It grows up 20 inches tall, and can be seen all seasons around those areas. It’s strong enough to survive in freezing temperatures and fresh water. The color is yellow-brown like olive to medium blown. You can easily find it since it has distinguished shapes like a mitten and many branches and pods with a rough touch. Since the pod holds air, if you squash it, it makes popping sounds. It also has holdfast and blades with a midrib. Young branches are often flat and don’t have pods.

 As other plants, common rockweed is home to marine species such as periwinkles, snails, or crabs, and it’s also primary food for periwinkles. Rockweed is not only a secure place to feed or hide from predators, but also a sunshade for many marine organisms. It has a vital role for marine ecosystem.

Reference

http://www.seaweedsofalaska.com/species.asp?SeaweedID=34

http://pendiva.com/seaweed/fucus/

http://www.cobscook.org/rockweed-as-habitat.htm

Dock Point

Date: June 21 2012

Time: 1:00-4:30 p.m.

Climate: 65F, Sunny with perfect clear sky, rather hot

Beach

Blue Mussel—Mytilus Trossulus

Sitka Periwinkle—Littorina Sitkana

Sea Lettuce—Ulva lactuca

Plate Limpet—Tectura Scutum

Baltic Macoma—Macoma Balthica

Acorn Barnacle—Balanus Glandula

Common Rockweed—Fucus Distichus evanescens

Red Mite—Dermanyssus Gallinae

Northwestern Crow—Corvus caurinus

Harbor Seal—Phoca vitulina

Dock Point Trail

Steller’s Jay—Cyanocitta stelleri

Red Elderberry—Sambucus racemosa pubens

Western Buttercup—Ranunculus Occidentalis

Devil’s Club—Echinopanax horridum

Black Cottonwood—Populus balsamifera trichocarpa

Fragile Fern—Cystopteris fragilis

Salmonberry—Rubus spectabilis

Lady Fern—Athyrium filix-femina

Wild Celery—Angelica lucida

Northern Yarrow—Achillea borealis

Sitka Spruce—Picea sitchensis

Trailing Black Currant—Ribes laxiflorum

Ostrich Fern—Matteucia struthiopteris

Arctic Willow—Salix arctica

False hellebore—Veratrum viride

Arctic Dock—Rumex arcticus

Sitka Willow—Salix sitchensis

Goatsbeard—Aruncus Sylvester

Alaskan Blueberry—Vaccinium alaskaense

Dwarf Dogwood Bunchberry—Cornus Canadensis

Oval-Leaved Blueberry—Vaccinium ovalifolium

Sitka Mountain-Ash—Sorbus sitchensis

Alpine Veronica—Veronica Wormskjoldii

Alpine Forget-Me-Not—Myosotis alpestris asiatica

Grass Of Parnassus, Bog Star—Parnassia palustris

Willow Herbs—Epilobium species?

Star Flower—Trientalis europea arctica

 It was a perfect day for hiking and our field trip! Dock Point is one of my favorite places in Valdez; I‘ve walked around there many times, but I haven’t realized that there are countless marine organisms, plants, flowers, or birds that we observed today. It’s not easy to identify each species since most of them look so similar, but learning their subtle differences is very interesting! I’ve never looked at algae or kelp attentively, so I enjoyed observing them. There is also a different world I’ve never known.

Scouler’s Willow

 Scouler’s Willow—Salix scouleriana is one of shrubs which is 2-12 meters tall and has various stems. The branches are dark brown to yellowish-brown. Its leaves are getting dark green as grow older, and older leaves are hairy. It prefers a rough area where has drained soils, and rare to be lived with wet and saline soils. It’s the only native upland Salix and, like other willows, it’s infertile species. Scouler’s willow blooms in early spring, and starts to release seeds by early June in Alaska. Its bark has a similar effect to aspirin; thus it has been used as treatments for common diseases by Native Americans. Scouler’s willow is not only a great mother for many upland birds, but also good food for a Moose and Honey bee. 

Reference

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SASC

http://oregonstate.edu/dept/range/sites/default/files/Scouler_27s_20Willow.pdf

Valdez Glacier

Date: June 14, 2012
Time: 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Weather: Cloudy with Shower, a gloomy sky, Breeze

Star Moss—Tortula ruralis

Sitka Alder—Alunus sinuata

Scouler’s Willow—Salix scouleriana

Eskimo Potato—Hedysarum alpinum

Common Fireweed—Epilobium angustifolium

Northern Yarrow—Achillea borealis

Kamchatka Rockcress—Arabis lyrata

Sitka Willow—Salix sitchensis

Hooker’s Willow—Salix hookeriana

Common Dandelion—Taraxacum officinale

 It was my second time to see any glaciers at close range. It’s just amazing that the area, where used to be covered glacier ice at ancient times, is now a huge home to many organisms. I really wanted to see Valdez Glacier as once used to be, but I felt like how much happy I am to be here while I appreciated their tiny wonderful world in a vast land of Alaska. It’s surely informative thing to realize that there is a life exactly the same as we have and to learn their power to survive. I had a great time and enjoyed our first field trip!

Valdez Glacier

Friday, June 15, 2012

Valdez Glacier

Katrina Moran
Natural History 104 Lab
6/14/2012
Our first field trip was to the Valdez Glacier in Valdez, Alaska.
The weather was somewhat windy with light showers.
Our class consists of three students and this was our first field trip of the summer semester.
The geological features of where we were observing had mountains surrounding the whole area. The glacier was right between two mountains and we could wake along the water shore. There was a lot of vegetation with little snow still left on the mountains and hills.
I am going to identify and list all the plants and animals I observed on our field trip in my blog today.

The first plant that I identified:
 DWARF FIREWEED, RIVER BEAUTY
Epilobium latifolium

Family: Evening Primrose/ Onagraceae
Habitat: Along streams or river bars and on scree slopes in the mountains throughout most of Alaska.
Blooming time: July and August
Description: Stems somewhat sprawling up to 20" tall. Leaves are lanceolate, alternate on stem, greyish-green, and somewhat fleshy.
Comments: Might be confused with Wild Sweet Pea. When I identified this plant, the flower did not bloom yet because it is not quite the blooming time for them yet.

Second plant I identified:

BARCLAY WILLOW 

S. barclayi

This willow is easily distinguished by its twigs, which are yellowish-green under their hairy coat, and by its saw-toothed leaves, which usually develop a whitish bloom underneath with age. 

Habitat: It could be found from Northern Southeast Alaska west to Prince William Sound and south to Mt. Adams, Washington. 

Comments: Twigs of Barclay's willow often end in rounded galls ('willow roses'), composed of deformed leaves and caused by insects. This is the only willow in Alaska that will have willow roses, also this willow might be confused with Variable Willow, but it could have characteristics of both. 

Third plant I identified:

BEAUTIFUL JACOBS LADDER

Polemonium pulcherrimum

Habitat: Dry, rocky areas, fields and roadsides, in Southeastern, Southcentral, eastern Central Alaska and the Aleutian Chain.

Blooming time: Late May to late June

Description: A low perennial plant, 8-14", with many flowers on branched stems. Leaves have 10-15 rounded leaflets. The flowers are joined at the base and have 5 rounded violet-blue petals that are white at the base and have yellow centers.

Comments: The Northern Jacobs Ladder, is less common alpine variety with sticky, hairy stems. 

Fourth plant I identified:

GROVE SANDWORT

Moehringia lateriflora 

Family: Pink/ Caryophyllaceae

Habitat: Woodlands and alpine slopes. Very common throughout most of Alaska, except the North Slope.

Blooming Time: Late May and June

Description: A small, rather delicate, upright plant, 4-7" tall, with small, opposite, oval leaves. The small flowers have 5 white petals.

Comments: This plant is easily mistaken for a Chickweed (Stellaria) which has 5 petals, each split, appearing to be 10 petals. 

Fifth plant I identified:

COMMON FIREWEED

Epilobium angustifolium, ssp. angustifolium

Family: Evening Primrose/ Onagraceae

Habitat: Meadows and woods throughout most of Alaska

Blooming time: July and August

Description: A tall plant, 2 1/2 to 5 feet, growing from deep horizontal roots. Leaves are lanceolate, and placed alternately on the stem which is usually simple, or occasionally branched. The bright pinkish purple flowers have 2 large, rounded petals at the base and 2 slightly smaller rounded petals above. The 4 sepals are long, narrow, pointed and purplish. 

Comments: The flowers are used to make honey and jelly. The leaves are edible, especially the new (red) shoots in the Spring. Inner stems are soft and pithy inside and are very nutritious. Varieties with white or pale pink flowers are sometimes seen.

Some of the animals I observed around the Valdez Glacier were apparently mosquito's. I saw a spider, he was all grey and very quick and about an inch long. There was not much wildlife that day.  

I picked a couple flowers to put in a plant press, one which was the Beautiful Jacobs Ladder. 

Overall, a very good first field trip and enjoyed learning about these 5 different plants and flowers I observed.

References: Two field guides, Alaskan Wild Flowers by Verna E. Pratt and Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alaska. Pojar, Mackinnon.