Methusalah's Beard

The beard's scientific name is Usnea longissima. A tuft of hanging sort of hair. Methusalah's is a lichen, 15-35 cm long. It is found on trees and shrubs. This particular strand of lichen is found in the pacific northwest. Apparently it is really sensitive to air pollution, and is beginning to vanish. Because of this it is slow to grow, and should never be picked. I feel bad now.



Reference:
http://www.lichen.com/bigpix/Ulongissima.html
http://www.paulnoll.com/Oregon/Wildflower/plant-Lichen-Methuselahs-Beard.html
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.austinsierra.com/alottasandtest/images/news20091011archive.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.austinsierra.com/alottasandtest/als-newsarchive5.aspx&usg=__gzzxbniiWrlAWTODwpIllVjyqrY=&h=375&w=500&sz=75&hl=en&start=0&sig2=a4xmHU5GoTmrCLf7vR5m5Q&zoom=1&tbnid=PjGF00HSY_WYxM:&tbnh=156&tbnw=208&ei=URnWTaPtCerRiALw5bCgDw&prev=/search%3Fq%3DMethuselah%2527s%2BBeard%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DX%26biw%3D1600%26bih%3D770%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=613&vpy=96&dur=638&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=112&ty=107&sqi=2&page=1&ndsp=35&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0

Duck flats 5-12-11

Duck Flats

Thursday May 12, 2011 5:30PM-8:30PM

56°F

Sunny with light winds.

Plants and animals:

Horsetail- Equisetum arvense

Cow Parsnip- Heracleum lanatum

Fireweed- Chamerion angustifolium

False Indian Corn (Indian Poke) -Veratrum viride

Pyrola- Pyrola americana

Stinging Nettles- Uritica dioica

Wild Celery- Angelica lucida

Yellow Skunk Cabbage- Lsyichiton americanas

Common Dandelion- Taraxacum officinale

Shooting Star- Dodecatheon pulchellum

Ostrich Fern- Matteuccia struthiopteris

Goats Beard- Aruncus sylvester

Porcupine- Erethizon dorsatum

Mallard- Anas platyrhynchos

Gadwall- Anas strepera

Arctic Turn- Sterna paradisaea

American Robin- Turdus migratorius

Mew Gull- Larus canus

This trip could not have happened on a more beautiful day. The sun was bright, and I could not see a cloud in the sky (well maybe a little on the horizon). Because the ducks and birds were mostly either flying or floating on the water far away it was hard to identify them, but because someone brought a pair of binoculars were able to make a better attempt.

Devils Club

Devils Club - Oplopanax Horridus

by Robert Smith

Oplopanax Horridus is its common name but most commonly known as Devils Club. Its part of the Araliaceae family or the ginseng family. They grow in northwestern part of the united states and canada in well drained soils and can be found 100 miles inland from the coast growing very thick in some areas. Devils Club can grow up to 5 meters tall and its stem can become up to 3 meters in diameter. It grows from a thin hollow stem that hardens as it grows larger, also sprouts green and or white flowers and red berries though out the summer.

Devils Club has been used in the past to treat sicknesses such as coughs or stomach pains. It can also help treat illnesses such as influenza, arthritis, and diabetes.

References

http://www.drugs.com/npp/devil-s-club.html

http://www.alaska-in-pictures.com/devils-club-plant-leaves-7364-pictures.htm

Epilobium angustifolium

Location:
Alaska
Range:
Temeprate Northern Hemisphere
Habitat:
Wet, acidic soil in open pastures





Fireweed is an Alaskan wild flower. It has long slender leaves that alternate on the stem and are veined. When in bloom, mid to late summer, the fireweed produces a stalk of pink/red flowers. The stem is green and round in the early spring but in fall the stem as well as the leaves begin to turn a deep burgundy color. The plants height can range from one foot to a towering eight feet tall. The seeds begin to ripen and drop after the last flower of the plant blooms. Alaska fireweed is very edible and is used to make such things as tea, jams, and syrup. Fireweed is a food source for most alaskan herbivores such as moose.
Fireweed is a very beautiful, and useful plant. Native Alaskans uses the herb for its medicinal properties, later in history it was discovered that fireweed contains vitamin C and pro-vitamin A. The coolest thing about fireweed is its ability to colonize disturbed land. It is one of the first plants seen growing after volcanoes and even oil spills.

Resources:
http://funtongue.tripod.com/alaska/anchorage_09.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_weed#In_habitat_restoration
http://www.gallerylodge.com/gallery_lodge_004.htm

Anderson Bay

Thursday, May 19th, 2011

Overcast with light rain and light wind.

39 degrees

Creatures

Anderson Bay

Blue Mussels---Mytilus Edulis

Arctic Tern---Sterna Paradisaea

Sea Otters---Enhydra Lutris Kenyoni

Sunflower Star---Pycnapodia Helianthoides

Barnacle---Cirripedia

Sitka Periwinkle---Littorina Sitkana

Long Fin Sculpin---Jordania Zonope

Sea Urchin---Echinoidea

Plate Limpet---Notoacmea Scutum

Leather Star---Dermasterias Imbricata

Black Claw Crab---Lophopanopeus Bellus Bellus

Gumboot Chiton---Chryptochiton Stelleri

Shoupe Bay

Black Oystercatcher---Haematopus Bachmani

Harbor Seals---Phoca Vitulina

Humming Bird SP.

Plants

Anderson Bay

Rockweed---Fucus Gardneri

Brown Algae---Phaeophyceae

Lichen SP.

Ostrich Ferns---Matteucia Struthiopteris

Goats Beard---Tragopogon

Moss SP.

Devils Club---Oplopanax Horridus

I have lived in Valdez my entire life and this has been the first trip where I have actually gotten to explore more of the Valdez than I have ever seen. Even though it was cold and not a pretty day it was still an amazing adventure that made me look closer at the things around me in my environment.

Anderson and Shoup bay (thing)

Time: 9:00- 3:45
Date: Thursday 19 May, 2011
Place: Anderson bay and Shoup bay/beach
Temperature: 39 degrees
Climate: A cloudy day with mild rain. The wind speed was six miles per hour.

Plants:
Bald Eagle- Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Sea Otter- Enhydra lutris
Brown Algae- Phaeophyceae
Sunflower Seastar- Pycnopodia helianthoides
Leather Sea Star- Dermasterias imbricata
Bat Starfish- Asterina miniata
Sitka Spruce- Picea sitchensis
Rockweed- Ascophyllum nodosum
Polychaet
Blue Mussels- Mytilus edulis
Giant Green Anenome- Anthopleura
Surf Grass-Phyllospadix scouleri
Ochre Starfish- Pisaster ochraceus
Amphipod
Purple Urchin- Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
Tidepool sculpin- Oligocottus maculosus
Methusalah's Beard- Usnea longissima
Plumose Anenome- Metridium senile
Spiny Mudstar- Petalaster foliolata
Giant Pacific Chiton- Cryptochiton stelleri
Dall Porpoise- Phocoenoides dalli
Black Oystercatcher- Haematopus bachmani



This was such a great trip. I was very excited to get to go to the other side of the bay. This was a choice place to study intertidal animals, and to see all the plant life around the Pacific Northwest. We saw such a wide variety of animalsin the tides, as well as loads of plant life and molluscs. I very much plan to go back to Anderson Bay as soon as possible.

The Arctic Tern

by Robert Smith

Sterna Paradisaea better known as the Arctic Tern is famous for its long yearly migration from the Arctic to Antarctica. They are found intertidal areas around the coast, where the water covers land during high tide and washes out during low tide and also around marshes and lake areas or other rocky areas. Arctic terns nest on the ground in small shallow gravel, moss or sand laying only 2 to 3 eggs. Arctic Terns can be 11 to 15 inches long with a 25 to 29 inch wingspan and only weigh 3 to 4 ounces. They are foragers either eating fish insect or crustaceans. They hover over the water and then dive into the water snatching whatever they dive for, and on occasion they are able to catch flying insects.

References

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/bigyear/field-notes/AKtravellog

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Arctic_Tern/id

http://king.portlandschools.org/files/houses/y2/animalmaineia/files/species/aternac/animalinitials.html

WIld celery

Angelica lucinda is a perennial herb that is commonly called Wild celery in some areas. It is found on the west coast and the north-east United States as well as much of Canada. Wild celery has a thick, hollow stem. The leaves are shiny and grouped in clusters of three. It has groups of small, five petaled flowers that grow from the end of the stalk. The flowers range from green to white. Angelica lucinda prefer to grow in shaded areas without too much sunlight and can grow to be somewhere between 1-1/2' to 4' tall. While this plant is abundant in the Prince William Sound area it is endangered in Connecticut and New York as well as being labeled as threatened in Rhode Island. The stalks of the wild celery are edible and taste like celery which is where its common name comes from. It can however be mistaken for water hemlock which is extremely poisonous.

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

http://www.sagebud.com/seacoast-angelica-angelica-lucida/

http://www.cdhs.us/Flower%20Project/Family%20Index/Umbelliferae%20Index/A.%20lucida/A.%20lucida%20Fset.htm

http://www.pnwflowers.com/flower/angelica-lucida

Anderson Bay/Beach Peninsula

May 19th 2011, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Overcast skies, low clouds, mist--rain, cool breeze
Temp: 39 degrees Wind Speed: 6 mph

Animals
Birds:
Bald Eagle (Juvenile & Adult)- Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Mew gull- Larus canus
Acrtic tern- Sterna paradisaea
Pigeon guillemot- Cepphus columba
Marbled Murrelet- Brachyramphus marmoratus
Black legged kittiwake- Rissa trydactyla
Black oyster catcher- Haematopus bachmani
Surf scoter- Melanitta perspicillata
Common murre- Uri aalge
American golden plover- Pluvialis dominica
Common raven- Corvus Corax

Marine Mammals:
Harbour seal- Phoca vitulina
Sea otter- Enhydra lutris
Dalls porpoise- Phocoenoides dalli
Harbor porpoise- Phocoena phocoena

Intertidal Animals:
Sunflower sea star- Pycnopodia helianthoides
Giant green anemone- Anthopleura xanthogrammica
Purple sea urchin- Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
Tide pool sculpin- Oligocottus maculosus
Hermit crab in blue top snail shell- pagurus spp.
" " moon snail shell- pagurus spp.
Blue top snail- Calliostoma ligatum
Red flabellina- Flabellina capensis
Giant pacific chiton- Cryptochiton stelleri
Leather sea star- Dermasterias imbricata
Ochre sea star- Pisaster ochraceus

Plants
Marine:
Rock weed- Fucus vesiculosus
Giant kelp- Macrocystis pyrifera
Surf grass- Phyllospadix scouleri
Sea lettuce- Ulva lactuca

Terrestrial:
Sitka spruce- Picea sitchensis
Sitka alder- Alnus viridis
Salmon berry- Rubus spectabilis
Ostrich fern- Matteuccia struthiopteris
Redcurrant- Ribes rubrum

Amazing! This was the best field trip ever! I loved the intertidal habitat and being on the water. Experiences like this strengthen my desire and motivate me to become a marine biologist. My favorite part of the trip was Anderson Bay, I loved the immense biodiversity of the intertidal habitat.