Low Tide Ocean Shores, WA

1. There are few sandy beaches in Washington, but over the long weekend we went to Ocean Shores and the sand stretched as far are you could see.
2. Since it was low tide and not much life on the beach, we headed to the rocky jetty to find some creatures.  Here are a couple of chitons (believed to go back 400 million years), feasting on rock algea.
3. Hanging Sea Anemones (closed waiting for the tide to come back in)- bits of rock and shell attached, contain stinging cells (nematocysts), green due to zooxanthelae
4. Sand ripples left by the retreating tide.
5. Barnacles and Mussels
6. Luke and Easton
7. The brown blob is tar spot algae - very flat patches on rocks, common to rocks in high-tide zone ( Ralfsia pacifica)
8. Gooseneck Barnacles - clusters of white claws, compete with mussels for space, filter feeders, higher up on large rocks (Pollicipes polymerus)
9. Giant Hermit Crab with Connor

Note - While at the beach it is so important to be respectful of the creatures that live there and their habitat.  Here is a great list of guidelines from the Washington State University Beach Watchers:

• Please leave all living organisms in their native habitat, where you find them on the beach.
• Walk with care to avoid injuring plants and seaweed. Plants and seaweed prevent erosion, provide habitat and hiding places for intertidal organisms. They also provide food for many animals and insects.
• Step on bare spots as much as possible, walking slowly and at a safe pace.
• Overturn rocks with care, if doing so. When finished looking, return them gently to their original position to avoid crushing anything that lives underneath.
• Kneel quietly by tidepools, taking care not to walk in them or put your hands into them.
• Fill any holes you may create if digging for clams. Piles of sand left on the beach can smother other organisms.
• Leave creatures attached to rocks, rather than removing them for study, since removal may kill them. Since it is natural for them to be attached, more can be learned about them by observing where and how they choose to live.
• Enjoy anemones without prodding them. Anemones will often squirt water if poked, but sadly this can kill them because they need that water for survival until the next tide covers them.

Run Salmon Run - Field Trip

A really great experience is to see the salmon returning home to spawn. Here in Seattle we think about salmon all the time and it is amazing to see them in person. I highly recommend:  

Issaquah Fish Hatchery
125 W. Sunset Way
Issaquah, WA 98027
Open daily during daylight hours; indoor exhibits are open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

If you can't make it at least check out the salmon cam
and your family can cheer along - Go Salmon Go!

We are participating in

How Low Can You Go? - Tides

This is my friend Sarah and I at our "graduation". How do you like our caps?  Sarah has opened a whole new world to me, I had no idea all the amazing things I was missing on the beach. We participated in a Beach Naturalist training program this spring through the Seattle Aquarium and now we are joining a lot of other naturalists out on Seattle's beaches during low tides.  I'm so excited!

Today was the lowest tide of the summer in Seattle and I mean low -3.5!  

The rest of the week the tide schedule (in Seattle) is:

Monday -3.4 at 12:54PM

Tueday -2.9 at 1:41PM

Wednesday -1.9 at 2:28 PM

Thursday -0.5 at 3:17 PM

Head to the beach a couple hours early so you can really check it out and the tide tends to roll back in before you know it! The lowest tides are during full and new moons (just so you can plan your beach trips). To find out tide schedules and beaches that have naturalists to ply with questions (all summer) click here.   I'll be at Golden Gardens Monday and Tuesday if you want to come say hello.

Now for a little beach naturalizing...Here are some some things to look for when you are out in the Pacific NW.  For all of you in many other places, here is a reason to plan a visit here :)  I also wanted you to have a chance to check out some of the great things on our beaches: 

1. Whelk Eggs 
2. Heart-shaped mullosk
3. Cauliflower algae/seaweed
4. A group of sea anemones that have retreated waiting for the water to come back in
5. A moon snail
6. A whelk that has been eaten by a moon snail (See that perfectly drilled hole?)
7. A geoduck clam - the siphons are both smooth and it's big (the largest burrowing clam)
8. A sea star that is regenerating a leg

1. A thatched barnacle
2. A well-disguised crab amid the rocks 
3. A red-rock crab by Luke's foot
4. E discovering something cool
5. An egg casing from a moon snail (This is filled with thousands of eggs)
6. A limpet
7. A big upside-down anemone hanging from the rock
8. Luke and the boys exploring 
9. A sea cumcumber with tentacles out
10. Several sea cucumbers
11. A bleached shell covered with baby barnacles
12. A group of little bamboo tube worms

Field Trip (literally) - Tulip Fields Forever

Something I love about spring is the flowers,  Growing up in a cold part of Canada, little crocuses bursting up, even through snow was a sure sign the deep freeze would soon thaw.  Just north of Seattle are some beautiful tulip farms.  It is fun to drive around the fields seeing such colour after a gray winter. 

For driving directions and info check out the website for the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival  lots of the farms have diversions and fun and fresh cut flowers for sale.  The area is beautiful.  bring gum boots if you plan to get out of the car, there are some great photo opportunities.  You never know what you might see a crazy tourist fall in the mud or a crazy flock of snow geese take off in a panic as a bald eagle swoops up one for lunch, (I know the Eagle or tourist would've been a better picture, but I didn't get a good one).

Oh and last tip, if you go be sure to stop for good food and a good cause at the Kiwanis Salmon Barbecue 11am-7pm everyday 1717 S. 13th St, Mount Vernon, WA 98274. Alder grilled salmon with baked potato, coleslaw, garlic bread, beverages and ice cream. Adult plate $12, child/senior plate $10. Visa/MC. I-5 Exit 226, head east, turn R on 13th St., 4 blocks to Hillcrest Park.

hmmm? What is this?

Any botanists out there? After soccer - C (of course) found this berry/seed pack/fruit...Any ideas? It is quite beautiful and pretty - not the best close-up though sorry...

Giant Sunflower

Spotted on our walk, this yard had several of these! ENORMOUS!! and in the country they say the city is a concrete jungle...more like a flower garden jungle.

Squirrel Feeders

Thanks for all the great acorn ideas - I can't wait to try them out (we have quite a stash). So if I was a squirrel and found out some blogger was trying to figure out what to do with acorns I would say - "umm give them to the squirrels, of course". The boys and I compromised and instead of a trap we made squirrel feeders. That artist woman has a great squirrel cut out here. She also includes a template and great instructions. We grabbed cardboard boxes from our recycling bin and turned them inside out and cut out the squirrel (I just eyeballed it, I'm not much for measuring), being sure to make the feet extra large and a little deep to hold the acorns in the base. We using packing tape to keep it sturdy (and since we have a little on hand).

The boys decorated the squirrel with markers.

See her great instructions in the background?

The grey cardboard is a good colour, but maybe some paint inside would be nicer on these guys :)

C and E were so excited to put them outside we skipped the tail...we put them visable from the front window so we could watch. By the next morning there was not much left but some acorn lids and crumbs. And apparently squirrels don't ask other squirrels nicely to share their acorns, they just push them over and steal the loot :) We also watched a couple of blue jays help themselves so it was pretty fun.

Acorn

What is it about acorns? I think it might be their dapper hats, but something about these seeds are so cool. We have been collecting...many, many acorns. What should we do with them? My boys want to trap a squirrel - me? Not so much. Anyone have a craft idea to share? I'll share some acorns...

Eggs - Salamander Side Up

As we approached Lake Sylvia, C said, "I hope I find something cool today. My friends and even their moms and dads tell me I always find really cool things."
I said, "We have been here so many times, I don't know if we will find anything new or that interesting."
"I will." said C with confidence.

I shouldn't have doubted him. Within an hour he had a crowd gathering around him. I stepped in for a closer look...I have never seen anything like this. He found it on a leaf..I think it is a jellied mass of salamander eggs! It was a thick, fairly solid jelly lump.

The Northwestern Salamander

Mt. Rainer Nature Notes from 1936 published by the National Parks Service regarding salamanders

University of Maine - Aquatic Field Guide

The beach and lake were pretty fun too!

What a berry nice day...

A hot summer day and the blueberries are ripe, practically falling off the bushes. The picture of C top right is while we were weighing in (over 8 lbs of berries!). As he lay down in the shade on a cushioned bench, with a belly full of berries, he said, "This is what I call blueberry heaven." That pretty much sums it up. Oh and the best part of the day - Dad got to come too!

Sometimes when you think U-Pick, you think, picked over. Not the case, these rows were LOADED with berries. If you are local...this is the last week U-Pick is open...

Black River Blues Blueberry Farm 17132 Moon Road S.W., Rochester, WA 98579. Phone: 360-273-3489. Open: Monday through Saturday 10am to 6pm Payment: Cash, Check. Historic 102 acre farm, 17 varieties of blueberries, riverside picnic area.

Hiking Club - Field Bags

What do you take when you go for a hike?


I found some really great examples of field bags out there -

http://www.heywoodsmeadow.com/blog/show-and-tell-field-bags-1.html
(on these one click on a photo and it will take you to Flickr where
you can see what they put in their bags)
http://www.whiteoakschool.com/camp-creek-blog/2008/4/12/make-a-field-bag-from-recycled-clothing.html
http://blog.betzwhite.com/2009/03/field-guys.html

We are currently using some messenger-style kids bags that are working well. I loved the ideas above that encourage experiencing the hike in different ways, like sketching.

In their bags, the boys take -

• a spoon for digging
• a pencil
• a notebook - for journalling, it is a popular activity to stop along the way and make a sketch (love REI's Adventure Passports)
  
• two specimen jars - actually clear plastic salt and pepper shakers I found at the dollar store - they so far have housed tadpoles, bugs of all kinds and currently there is a cocooning woolly bear caterpillar in one. The best part they are light-weight and not easy to break.
• a magnifying glass
• The bag has plenty of room for other finds like pine cones and rocks.

In my bag, I take -

my cell phone/wallet
first aid
camera
water/snacks
a bird guide
my field journal + coloured pencils
handkerchief

All this is to experience the hike and build some memories. Most of these things are for convenience and fun. Really for the best hiking you need nothing but to open yourself to your surroundings. What do you notice as you hike? What do you hear, see, smell, feel? We always try to look for something new. I love seeing things from my boys perspective. What they think is interesting and what they notice re-opens my eyes to a beautiful world.

Hiking Club - Tumwater Falls, Olympia, WA

This is a great hiking loop, with lots of "side climbs" and "explores" as my kids call them. The main trail passes beautiful waterfalls, on the Dechutes Rivers, and hillside. There are a lot of picturesque bridges, pools of water, and trees. A lot of the trail is shaded, which is nice in the hot sun.

"Tumwater Falls are thought to be one of the earliest known waterfalls in the Puget Sound area. Originally called Chutes River Falls, it was later renamed, in the early 1900s, to its present name, which was derived from the word “Tumtum”, the Chinook word for rushing water, which itself stems from the perceived throbbing sound of pounding water."

FYI - if your local, this is a great place to watch the Salmon run, end of September to Mid-October.

Hiking Club - Schafer State Park, WA

Today we had a forest-y trail at Schafer State Park near Satsop, WA. It was cloudy and lightly raining on and off. Being in the Northwest it's rain or shine for hiking plans. Fortunately, this trail has a large canopy, often we could hear the rain but not feel it though the leaves. Unfortunately, with all the leafy trees we also got up close and personal with some biting insects (I think deer flies). Many hikers, including E had painful, bleeding bites. This is our least favourite creature encounter. C found at least 7 snails, which were not very shy and peaked out of their shells.

Hiking Club 1st Meeting of the Summer

Our first hiking club meeting of the summer was a big success - the weather was on our side with clear sunny skies and no wind, We choose a great, foresty trail around Lake Sylvia, WA. My kids and I have hiked this trail many times, but each time there are new things to see, hear and experience. The letter of the day seemed to be S with Salmonberries (tart and yummy), a salamander, a spider, snails, steps for sitting, shade and sunshine, swimming, all at Lake Silvia.

We are recording our hikes in an "adventure journal" This is something you could make yourself, but REI gives them out as part of their Passport to Adventure program. They are great little journals and after your first hike you can send in a postcard (included) for a prize!

Happy hiking!

Rock Hounds

So we got to visit my sister and she got out some of her personal collection of rocks and fossils, it was like a private museum with a knowledgable tour guide.

Some plant fossils...

A Trilobite! "A remarkable, hard-shelled, segmented creature that existed over 300 million years ago in the Earth's ancient seas. They went extinct before dinosaurs even came into existence." Read more here.

Ancient worm tracks...

A fossilized bone from the dinosaur era...

Pelecypods - a mollusk having two shells (like a clam)