Saddle Up!

The saddle from below.

We know summer must be winding down when our resident jays get active. About a dozen Stellar's Jays and Scrub Jays begin their annual ritual of gathering nuts and acorns and then hiding them around the property. I have to admire their tenacity and work ethic; they come and go all day long, as if it was a contest. Their curious behavior is not random - a couple of years ago a PBS show described how these jays are really smart in this way and they can recall where a good portion of the nuts are hidden! That puts my geezer memory to shame!

Another sure sign of summer's end is the waning flower blooms out in the field. This summer gave us another long dry spell in western Oregon. Add to that a terrible wildfire season in nearly all corners of the state kept us mostly local and hiking in the shade of our coastal mountains. As we have posted before, the Saddle Mountain State Natural Area is a favorite place to visit; both for a good hardy hike and for checking out plant life.

This year we sent our most senior staffer up to the natural area on September 6. It was a good day to get out of town with temperatures in the 90's and hazy skies from fires. We did not expect to find much of anything blooming up on the mountain, but were surprised to find a few over achievers. Our trail logs included several colorful plant berries not seen before.

The trail is steep, at first going through a mature red alder forest, giving way to a Douglas Fir forest, and finally emerging on the treeless saddle, a grassy, rocky protrusion about 20 miles from the ocean. The high point is about 3,300 feet, making it a botanical oddity in this area. It is common to reach the top and be in the clouds and fog. On this day, there was some fog and smoke but the wind was steady at about 25 mph from the south, making for a fairly good view of the ocean and Astoria.

The natural area is surrounded by private timber lands; the views of the clear-cuts from the trail serve as a constant reminder of this.



Here's an overview of the notable blooms seen and some of the seedy berries waiting for something to transport them. Click or tap the photo to see the full size version.

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At left, the Great Hedge Nettle (Stachys chamisonis var. cooleyae) offers some final color for the year. Common on most woodland trails, the mint family member does not sting! At right, the native White Hawkweed (Hieracium albiflorum) was a new one for us.

     

In the center of the saddle, just off the trail, about a dozen small Scotch Bluebells (Campanula rotundifolia) were hanging in there, blowing around in the wind. These delicate-looking but tough plants are native, despite the common name.

     

Also, in the exposed saddle, these Asters seemed to be defiant about the long dry summer and harsh conditions on the mountain. They appear to be Mountain Asters (Canadanthus modestus) or perhaps Douglas Asters.

     

What's a summer hike without the unique and colorful Coastal Goldenrod (Solidago spathulata) and the prolific Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea).

     

Meanwhile, in the berry department, several familiar understory woodland plants were strutting their colorful seed pods. All are in the Maianthemum genus, meaning "May flowering."  The False Solomon Seal (Maianthemum racemosum) berries jump right out, even in the shade.

     

The Star-Flowered Solomon Seal (Maianthemum stellatum) berries are about the size of a shelled hazelnut. The colors are exotic looking, as if painted by humans.

    

Not to be out-classed, the False Lily of the Valley (Maianthemum dilatatum) berries also put on quite a display. At just a bit smaller than the ones above, they are rounder and have a more splattered design.

     

And last, but not least, if you were an early native person with a toothache, you could grind up these Cow Parsnip (Heracleum maximum) seeds and apply for relief!