Naturalist Trip - Oxbow Lake Loop

Trip Report

This was the first naturalist trip to a relatively new trail, built on state land by the Mountains to Sound Greenway in 2018 and 2019.  The 2-mile loop has less than 200 feet of elevation gain, and it should surprise no one who is familiar with naturalists trips that it took us 5 hours, with a leisurely lunch break, to to cover the distance.  Lowland wildflowers were in abundance, as were  mosses and lichens, and the large big-leaf maples, still waters of the lake, and the running water of the river all provided habitat for a variety of birds.  

The Mountaineers Naturalist figure out a plant along the trail. (Photo and caption by Thomas Bancroft)

We used a variety of resources for identification, including the Moss and Lichens guidebook (from The Mountaineers' Moss and Lichen course), Pojar and McKinnon's Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, and the Merlin, Washington Wildflower, and iNaturalist apps.  

The Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River bends, cutting into the bank. (Photo and caption by Thomas Bancroft)

We enjoyed touching lichen on the bark of trees, as a way of identification.

Graphis scripta - Pencil Script Lichen. (Photo and caption by Thomas Bancroft)

We could hear the Pacific Wren serenading us in the parking lot during our Mountaineers' Circle. Cristina's sharp eyes spotted the small wren in a tree snag.

A Pacific Wren sings in the understory of the lowland coniferous forest. (Photo and caption by Thomas Bancroft)

In the waters of the Oxbow Lake, we watched two Canada Geese sit on nests on either end of a large log in the water.The tranquil waters of the oxbow lake reflect the mountains, trees, and sky.(Photo and caption by Thomas Bancroft)

Our favorite flower identification of the day was Nuthall's Toothwort.  Some loved it's fragile beauty; others enjoyed saying the name out loud.

(Photo by Thomas Bancroft)

We even found the beauty in the Devil's Club--but kept a respectful distance!

(Photo by Thomas Bancroft)

Many thanks to Thomas for co-leading and fantastic photos, and to Thomas, Cristina, and Nicole for keeping bird and plants lists. 

Species	Count
Canada Goose	4
Ring-necked Duck	4
Hooded Merganser	1
Common Merganser	2
Rufous Hummingbird	2
Turkey Vulture	1
Belted Kingfisher	1
Red-breasted Sapsucker	3
Pileated Woodpecker	2
Steller's Jay	2
Black-capped Chickadee	2
Chestnut-backed Chickadee	7
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	2
Pacific Wren	9
Varied Thrush	2
American Robin	6
Song Sparrow	6

Family	Scientific Name	Common Name
Aceraceae	Acer circinatum	vine maple
Aceraceae	Acer macrophyllum	bigleaf maple
Araliaceae	Oplopanax horridus	devil's club
Asteraceae	Cirsium vulgare	bull thistle, spear thistle
Asteraceae	Mycelis muralis	wall lettuce
Asteraceae	Petasites frigidus	arctic sweet coltsfoot, arctic butterbur
Berberidaceae	Achlys triphylla	vanilla leaf, deer's foot
Betulaceae	Alnus rubra	red alder, Oregon alder
Brassicaceae	Cardamine nuttallii	slender toothwort, Nuttall's toothwort
Brassicaceae	Cardamine oligosperma	little western bittercress
Caprifoliaceae	Sambucus racemosa	red elderberry
Caprifoliaceae	Symphoricarpos albus	common snowberry
Cupressaceae	Thuja plicata	western red cedar
Equisetaceae	Equisetum telmateia	great horsetail, northern giant horsetail
Ericaceae	Vaccinium ovalifolium	oval-leaf blueberry, Alaska blueberry
Ericaceae	Vaccinium parvifolium	red huckleberry
Geraniaceae	Geranium robertianum	herb Robert, stinky Bob
Grossulariaceae	Ribes lacustre	prickly currant, swamp currant
Hydrophyllaceae	Hydrophyllum tenuipes	Pacific Waterleaf
Juncaceae	Juncus effusus	soft rush
Lichen	Dolichousnea longissima	Methuselah's beard, old man's beard
Lichen	Graphis scripta	pencil script lichen
Lichen	Thelotrema species	Bark Barnacle
Liliaceae	Maianthemum dilatatum	false lily-of-the-valley, snakeberry
Liliaceae	Prosartes hookeri	Hooker's fairy bells, Hooker fairy-bell
Liliaceae	Trillium ovatum	Pacific trillium
Montiaceae	Claytonia sibirica	candy flower, Siberian spring beauty
Moss	Dicranum scoparium	broom moss, dicranum moss
Moss	Hylocomiadelphus triquetrus	big shaggy-moss, rough goose neck moss
Moss	Hylocomium splendens	stairstep moss, splendid feather moss
Moss	Leucolepis acanthoneura	Menzies' tree moss, palm tree moss
Moss	Plagiomnium insigne	badge moss, costal leafy moss
Moss	Plagiothecium undulatum	wavy-leaved cotton moss
Moss	Polytrichum juniperinum	juniper haircap moss, juniper polytrichum moss
Moss	Rhizomnium glabrescens	fan moss, large leafy moss
Moss	Rhytidiadelphus loreus	lanky moss, loreus goose neck moss
Onagraceae	Circaea alpina	small enchanters nightshade
Papaveraceae	Dicentra formosa	Pacific Bleeding Heart
Pinaceae	Picea sitchensis	Sitka spruce
Pinaceae	Tsuga heterophylla	western hemlock
Plantaginaceae	Plantago lanceolata	English plantain, narrowleaf plantain
Polygonaceae	Rumex obtusifolius	bitter dock, broadleaved dock
Polypodiaceae	Athyrium filix-femina	common ladyfern
Polypodiaceae	Dryopteris expansa	spreading woodfern, alpine buckler fern
Polypodiaceae	Polypodium glycyrrhiza	licorice fern
Polypodiaceae	Polystichum munitum	western swordfern
Polypodiaceae	Struthiopteris spicant	deer fern
Ranunculaceae	Ranunculus repens	creeping buttercup
Rosaceae	Geum macrophyllum	largeleaf avens
Rosaceae	Oemleria cerasiformis	Indian plum, oso-berry
Rosaceae	Rubus leucodermis	blackcap raspberry, whitebark raspberry
Rosaceae	Rubus parviflorus	thimbleberry
Rosaceae	Rubus spectabilis	salmonberry
Rosaceae	Rubus ursinus	trailing blackberry, California blackberry
Rubiaceae	Galium odoratum	sweet-scented bedstraw
Salicaceae	Populus trichocarpa	black cottonwood
Saxifragaceae	Tellima grandiflora	fragrant fringecup
Saxifragaceae	Tiarella trifoliata	foamflower, threeleaf foamflower
Saxifragaceae	Tolmiea menziesii	youth-on-age, piggyback-plant
Scrophulariaceae	Digitalis purpurea	foxglove
Urticaceae	Urtica dioica	stinging nettle, common nettle
Violaceae	Viola glabella	pioneer violet, stream violet

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