A perfect day for epiphytes! The dogs and I walked in the rain, and saw only one other person in the park. I had my boots and floppy hat on, and my iPhone was comfortably encased in its Otterbox, so we were prepared to enjoy the rain. Also enjoying the rain were the epiphytes, organisms that grow on other plants, like licorice fern. In 1849, before colonization, licorice fern was common in all the forests of the Puget Sound basin, according to a report by Ray Larson of the UW. It is much more abundant in Seahurst Park, a mile to the north. Eagle Landing Park has small patches here and there on the maple trees. Until recently, ELP had a serious ivy problem, covering most of the trees, and displacing epiphytes like licorice fern. Now that most of the vertical ivy has been killed, licorice fern should be able to spread and florish. Growing on the rough bark of maples, this fern relies on rainfall for moisture and minerals. It is lush and green in winter, and often dies back in the dry days of summer. It is called licorice fern because the roots taste like licorice.

The witch’s butter that we saw yesterday tends to “bloom” in winter during the heavy rains. The mosses and lichens that cover madrone trunks and cherry branches also flourish during this wet season. Today I discovered a lichen that I had not seen in ELP before: Lobaria pulmonaria. This is an exciting discovery because Lobaria is thought to be an indicator of forest age and health. Old growth forests that are not subject to pollution or logging are covered with this lichen in their canopies. A constant rain of fragments of Lobaria is a significant source of nitrogen in the soil and helps the giant trees of the old growth forests grow fast, large, and strong. If I found Lobaria at eye level, hopefully that means there is much more growing in the canopy, out of sight, contributing to the health of the forest. A good book to learn about Lobaria’s contribution to forest health is Jon Luoma’s Hidden Forest: Biography of an Ecosystem. It is an excellent book that I recommend to anyone. Obviously, the book had an impact on me because I unconsciously borrowed from the title of his book in naming this blog. I will probably refer to Luoma’s excellent book many times in the coming 361 days.

The Washington Native Plant Society will host a talk about lichens:

Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012, at 7 PM. The program will be held at the Main Hall, Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 NE 41st St., Seattle, WA 98195. Lichens of Western Washington – Their Contributions to Ecosystems by Katherine Glew, PhD, UW Herbarium Curatorial Associate, Lichen Collection

I collected stone 4 and a strand of ivy, and we walked about two miles in the rain, for 10 miles on the year. Coming back home, Kelsy and Komu enjoyed being dried off with warm, dry towels. Porter enjoyed sleeping on the couch, warm and dry, while we walked in the rain. 

Lobaria

Licorice fern

Stone #4 on top of the cairn.