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.

A Bit of the Ocean on the Trail

Summertime on the Chehalis Western Trail not only brings out swarms of people, but also an array of blooming native plants.

Oceanspray has plumes of white flowers that cover the foliage reminiscent of the spray from an ocean wave.




Interesting facts about Oceanspray:

Insects feed and find shelter in this shrub attracting insect-eating birds such as chickadees and bushtits.

The Oceanspray foliage is important food for the larvae of swallowtail, brown elfin, admiral, and spring azure butterflies.

Thickets provide cover for nesting birds.

The long straight branches were historically used for arrows, cooking tongs, mat-making needles, and other tools.


Now I am thinking about taking a trip to the ocean :)

Saskatoon Berries

Today my friend showed me a HUGE Saskatoon tree growing along side of the Chehalis Western Trail in Olympia, Washington.

Also called Juneberry or Serviceberry, they are native to Canada and northern United States. The name Saskatoon - what a fun name - is derived from the Cree word misâskwatômina. The city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan is named after these berries.

The saskatoon (Amelanchier alnifolia) is a small to large shrub, or small tree (the one on the Trail is NOT small!), which belongs to the Rose family. It is closely related to the apple, hawthorn and mountain ash. The saskatoon is a perennial, woody, fruit bearing shrub which is capable to adapting to a wide range of soils and climatic conditions. It is native to the Canadian Prairies, the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, Alaska, British Columbia and the northwestern and north central United States. The saskatoon flowers in early May to early June.

The saskatoon was an important food source for both indigenous peoples and the early pioneers. It is an important food source for wildlife during the winter season. The saskatoon was also used as a source wood and as a medicinal plant. Today saskatoons are used in a wide variety of ways from pies, jams, jellies, syrups ice cream toppings, wine, liqueurs and flavour concentrates to components of baked goods. They may be used fresh or frozen and can be dried to yield "raisins" or fruit leathers.

Look for dark red or purple round berries that have crowns. These berries taste similar to blueberries, but with slightly crunchy tiny almond-flavoured seeds inside. It is best to pick the berries that are most purple. These are the ripest and sweetest. The branches bend down allowing one to reach higher berries.



Guess who will be out there gathering berries?

Now Blooming on the Trail......

As spring has been progressing, I have been posting what is currently in bloom on the Chehalis Western Trail in Olympia, Washington.

You can call me the trail eye-witness reporter!

The Red Elderberry is currently the star bloomer with its lacy foliage, large white flower clusters.


The Red Elderberry is a showy large deciduous shrub or small tree of the Honeysuckle family that grows 10-20 feet tall with a broad arching form. Older specimens have large, multiple trunks with coarse bark. Red elderberry begins growth early in spring and produces abundant, small, creamy white flowers in large, conical or pyramidal shaped clusters between April and July. Large clusters of small, bright red, fleshy berries appear in summer.

This deciduous shrub is very common west of the Cascades. Large attractive clusters of red berries are very popular with the birds, but may be toxic to humans when eaten raw. When ripe however they can be cooked and made into processed products, or fermented into wine. The rest of the plant (flowers, leaves, seeds, roots) is toxic as it contains cyanide-producing glycosides.

The flowers have a rather unpleasant, skunk smell. Butterflies enjoy the nectar of the flowers, while birds will feast on the ripe berries.

More Spring Sightings

Indian Plum also called osoberry, is an early blooming deciduous shrub native to the entire West Coast.

It is a member of the rose family, and thrives in low land habitats near forested areas. Typically it is found west of the Cascades in the Pacific Northwest and west of the Sierra Nevada in California.

In the Pacific Northwest, blooms of white bells begin appearing on the branches as early as February. The flowers turn into clusters of small, seeded fruits, that attract birds, including hummingbirds.

There is a history of Native American use of the shrub for food and medicinal purposes, however very little commercial harvesting of the fruit is undertaken today.

I have had several sightings of Indian Plum while walking my dog on the Chehalis Western Trail in Olympia, Washington.





I have had several sightings of Indian Plum while walking my dog on the Chehalis Western Trail in Olympia, Washington.

Spring is coming!