February 5, 2011

Weather: Partly sunny with very light wind, temperatures in the upper 40s. The ground was fairly wet and soggy in places. Evidently the snow cover had melted off recently.

This was an event sponsored by the Columbia Land Trust with the intention of monitoring the western gray squirrel (Washington State listed as rare) on their Bowman Creek property. In over 4 hours of monitoring work, we counted close to 230 nests or platforms on about one-half of the forested portion of the property.

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii

Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana

Aspen/Cottonwood: Populus sp.

Elk Sedge: Carex geyeri

Rush: Juncus (effusus ?)

Woodrush: Luzula sp.

Idaho Fescue: Festuca idahoensis

Idaho Fescue: Pseudoroegneria spicata

Medusahead Wildrye: Taeniatherum caput-medusae

Alaska Rein Orchid: Piperia unalascensis ?

Douglas' Knotweed: Polygonum douglasii

Curly Dock: Rumex crispus ?

Annual Water Miner's-lettuce: Montia fontana ?

Shining Oregon Grape: Berberis aquifolium ?

Creeping Oregon Grape: Berberis repens

American Wintergreen: Barbarea orthoceras

Annual Burnet: Poteridium occidentale (Sanguisorba occidentalis)

Hood River Milkvetch: Astragalus hoodianus ?

Deer Brush: Ceanothus integerrimus

Mahala Mat: Ceanothus prostratus

Common Clarkia: Clarkia (rhomboidea ?)

Tall Annual Willowherb: Epilobium brachycarpum

Willowherb: Epilobium sp. (old Boisduvalia sp.)

Prickly Navarrtia: Navarretia intertexta (ssp. ?)

English Plantain: Plantago lanceolata

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium

Pussytoes: Antennaria sp.

Chicory: Cichorum intybus

Blanketflower: Gaillardia aristata ?

Scouler's Hawkweed: Hieracium scouleri ? or (White-flowered Hawkweed: Hieracium albiflorum?)

Common Dandelion: Taraxacum officinale

Mule Deer tracks

Elk tracks

Western Gray Squirrel

Ravens

Kestrel

Stellers jay

Dark-eyed juncos

Black and red ants (fairly active on their twig nest)