Life on the Outer Coast

Wednesday was a nice day, unfortuately had to spend too much of it indoors spinning my wheels. Did startle a mink on the boardwalk on my way to town and found a lone marbled murrelet on the way home yesterday afternoon. Noticed that Bear Mtn has a much more extensive frosting of snow. There was also snow on Verstovia/Arrowhead and on the Sisters.

On Tuesday's walk through the park I collected a Russula that I call either "teguila sunrise" or "rosy fingered dawn" depending on my mood. It keys to Russula bicolor and fruits abundantly every year. The taxonomy is as usual vague and unconvincing. This year I'm making a slightly better effort to describe/name the local Russulas (I've been thinking about this project for the last million autumns).
There was a large group of R. bicolor in one area with many young Sitka Spruce next to a cut bank. The cap is a carmine-pink red with a yellowish center. The margin is striate. The cuticle peels around the margin, stopping about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way toward center. The stem only slightly bruises gray, but only after sitting around for 24hours. The stem and spore print are white. The taste is intensely hot. The spores had pronounced amyloid warts (with iodine, not Melzers). Cut a wedge section of the cap and a cross section of the wedge to look at the hymenium. I'm a little out of practice, and a new razor blade might have been a good idea, but I could see that the cystidia were clavate in shape. There were a few basidia without spores visible as well. Ringed the coverslips with nail polish so I could take them to town in hopes of getting photos. Hope to post them tomorrow. I'm guessing that it would make sense to take a photo of the cap.

Thursday was sunny again and there was frost on the dock in town. The dock on Galankin only had a tiny trace and the low at the house was 41F. Heard the flicker again by the dock, but didn't see it. The chickadees have re-discovered the feeder on the deck. It probably helped to add seed. A ruby crowned kinglet perched on the branch next to the feeder, but didn't come to the deck.

Ran the first samples of root DNA from Coptis, Cornus, Triantha, Gentiana, Rubus, Carex livida and Trichophorum through the PCR process today. Used 2 primers for the first round. If we get any positives, we will use the more specific primers (Glomus, Gigaspora, Acaulospora etc). We should see something tomorrow, if there is anything to see.
Went back to the now pock-marked from sampling muskeg to collect 3 more samples each of Cornus, Coptis, and the two sedges. This time collected from both the swale and hummock areas. Did manage to find all species on both microsites, but it wasn't easy. I collected a more roots of Empetrum, Kalmia, Vaccinium oxycoccus and Triantha as well so I can try to isolate some of the fungi by culturing from the roots. Managed to leave my glasses in the muskeg...

Walked down to the river mouth in the park on my way back to Mt. Edgecumbe with the samples. Still lots of Scoters, but the Harlequins had moved a little further out. Saw a few widgeons, ample mallards and a plethora of gulls. Collected a Lactarius deliciosus to look at the spores and a Pholiota. Looked them over for something different, no luck. Continued my circuitous route to Japonski island via Swan Lake. The Cackling goose was still there. It joined the mallards in the begging brief frenzy. Two scaups were on the lake. Heads mostly tucked or I might have practiced distinguishing greater from lesser.

Had an entertaining run looking for the last ingredient of the culture media. After doing some reading, decided to try both corn meal and MMN agar. Was a little nervous about the ingredient list in the latter, but managed to locate all, but one ingredient, malt extract. Tried every lab in town...no luck. Next tried finding home brew supplies. Called liquor stores, health food stores, again no luck. Fortunately found one helpful acquaintence (thanks to Phil Burdick) with a ready supply of dry malt extract. I'm sure that it isn't exactly the same as media grade, but hopefully it will supply the magic ingredient. Never a dull moment.

One storm petrel on the way home just outside Crescent Hbr. Someone told me there was a pod of killer whales in the channel. Alas , I only saw gulls.