Another Flower in Bloom on the Trail

Summertime on the Chehalis Western Trail in Olympia, Washington, is a delight. Not only is a great place to walk, bike, skate, jog and so forth, but also lush with native plants.

The Spirea - Hardhack has caught my attention the past few days.



Facts about Spirea - Hardhack:

Spirea is a thicket-forming native shrub that produces tiny pink flowers in dense clusters. The flowers are pink to deep rose and tiny, but grouped in large numbers in long, narrow clusters. This plant occurs in moist to wet habitats such as stream banks, swamps, and lake margins.

It is valuable as cover and nesting habitat for many birds. The seed heads provide food for small birds and mammals, while the twigs and leaves may be browsed by the larger herbivores. Due to its dense growth, it may hinder the survival of other wetland species. Its dense growth pattern also prevents intrusion into wetlands by humans or livestock.

The hard wood of this plant was used by early settlers for making fish-spreaders for wind-drying fish. It was also used for mat-making needles, spoons, and spears.

Mergansers at Woodard Bay

As we (Ebony, Ginger, and I) were coming back from our morning time on the Chehalis Western Trail, I saw my friends on the Woodard Bay Bridge. You cannot miss Barry because he always has a camera with a huge lens protruding from his head.......at least that is what it looks like from a distance.

Today his wife, Linda, was with him and I was very curious what they were viewing. I stopped (in the middle of the road which sometimes you can do if no one is around) and asked. Linda described how the Mama Mergansers would carry her babies on her back to move them. I thought about stopping to watch, but having skated 10 miles with the doggies my hunger won over watching ducks.

What a treat when Barry sent me an e-mail with photos! Now I wished I had stayed to watch. Barry is not only a great photographer but also a wildlife specialist who shares his knowledge about what you are looking at when you are with him. Even in his e-mails!

"Here are some of the birds we were watching today down by the bridge. The Mergansers nest upstream, then move downstream with their broods within a day of hatching. Once they head out, they don't return, but spend their early days growing up out in Chapman Bay or outer Woodard Bay beyond the trestle."


Barry Troutman
(reproduced with permission from the artist)

Cute, wouldn't you agree?