Life on the Outer Coast

Tuesday, July 10 was a quintessential southeast Alaska kind of day. Misty, rainy and vaguely warm. The 8 students in the last section of Forest ecology , Emily and I hiked up Mt. Verstovia in the rain. I've never hiked with an umbrella before, but was very happy that I brought mine. A student from Barrow had hers as well. We may have looked a little odd, but we were alot happier than the rest of the class. I was tempted to wear my shorts, but was happy that I settled on the high tech. (anything but jeans) wear. It was a little chilly at picnic rock. I was sorry that it never cleared off enough for the students to see the view of town, but the cloud draped trees were beautiful.

Found another yellow Corallorhiza along the trail at about 850ft, it wasn't open enough to investigate the venation of the sepals.
The first meadow was free of snow, but there was still some between the clump of trees and picnic rock. Viola glabella and Harrimanella stelleriana were blooming in the meadow. One Castilleja parviflora was open enough to show the students how striking the flower would become when open. I didn't see any Coptis in bloom. Near picnic rock Luetkea pectinata, Erigeron peregrinus, Phyllodoce glandulifera and a few Harrimanella were blooming. I'll have to make another trip in 2 weeks to check the progress of the flowers, maybe start a little earlier and make it to Arrowhead. There were Robins, Varied Thrush, Juncos, and Hermit thrush along the ridge and in the area around Picnic rock.

Saw 4 marbled murrelets on the way home.

On Monday morning I saw the first flock of Phalaropes this summer.

Today took the class to Starrigavan for another very rainy walk. We collected some Frittilaria bulblets and yarrow. I'll bring the chocolate lily backed cooked for the class to taste and let them take the yarrow home for tea.
Castilleja, Ligusticum, Heracleum and Achillaea were in bloom.