As you start the trail, on your left you will see some native Salmonberry bushes. Depending on the season these will have bright pink flowers or orange to red berries. These are the first berries of the season in these forests. The birds love them so much, it is sometimes hard to find ripe ones! On your right you will see thimbleberry bushes. Feel their leaves - some people call them nature’s toilet paper! The berries are deep red, sweet and velvety in texture. These are one of the most delectable of the native edible berries. You will see several small alder trees at the edge of the meadow. They are easily identified by their smooth, mottled white bark and broad, oval, deciduous (dropped in winter) leaves. Alders need lots of sunlight and frequently are the first trees to appear in any disturbed area as they are an important nitrogen-fixing species, preparing the soil for plants and trees to come. As you enter the forest, notice how the vegetation changes. The plants tend to be shorter and not as crowded. Mosses are more prolific under the sheltering evergreen canopy.
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Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis)
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Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus) |
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Star
Flowered Solomon Seal (Smilacina stellata) is a very common plant under
old growth canopies since it requires very little light. Its beautiful star-shaped flowers turn into rich golden
berries mottled with brilliant red. This
plant was an important medicinal for the Native Americans in this area.
However, since this property is a wilderness preserve, we ask that you not
pick any plants.|
Five Leafed Dwarf Bramble (Rubus pedatus): Commonly associated with ancient forests, this plant looks a lot like wild strawberry. It grows in extensive carpets along the forest floor, usually amongst the mosses. Dwarf brambleberry production seems to be sporadic and several seasons of sparseness will go by before the berries grow in abundance.
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Deer Fern (Blechnum spicant): This common fern grows better in shady places than the ferns we saw in the meadow. This fern is the only fern with male (low-lying) fronds and female (sporebearing, upright) fronds. The other native ferns produce spores on all their fronds. Notice how fern fronds unfurl. The curled tip is called a fiddlehead. The commercially available “fiddleheads” are not harvested from any of the Northwest native species.
