Le Détroit

Mongold Boat Ramp

Even out here in the west, nearly everyone has heard of Detroit, Michigan - probably because at one point in your life you drove a car that was made there. Detroit is named after the French translation of "the strait" of Lake Erie, which happens to be the Detroit River. With that in mind, it does not seem quite as strange to have a tiny town in the Cascade foothills of Oregon also named Detroit. It is, after all, situated along the Santiam River. And it was indeed named by settlers from Michigan in the 1890's.

Not to sound like a city slicker snob, but Detroit, Oregon is one of those towns (population 210) you don't really have a reason to go to, unless: a) You are going to camp and boat at the nearby Detroit Lake Recreation Area; or b) you are passing though on your way to Central Oregon and you need coffee. The man made lake and park are indeed very popular with motor boaters and are typically busy all summer. The lake is 9 miles long and one mile wide; it has hundreds of campsites as well as a marina and fishing areas. That said, if you are a "seek the solitude" kayak paddler looking for a quiet retreat to enjoy nature this is NOT the spot for you!

Kyle at Spring high water mark

So why am I yammering on about Detroit Lake in this post? Well not to sound like a broken record, but as I stated in the last post, our dry conditions this year are taking a toll on water resources all over the state and Detroit Lake is another prime example. We recently stopped at the lake on our way back from the Bend area. The state park is a nice rest stop this time of year where we can have lunch and admire the scenery. However, this year, the lake's water level is so low, several hundred feet of lakebottom is now exposed all the way around the lake. It's a curious sight to see: the boat docks are on the ground, the boat ramps lead to dirt instead of water, and hundreds of tree stumps are visible, resembling a ghost town of sorts.

Stumped!

But the really interesting part for me was the action on the ground, so to speak. As I walked out to see the stumps I began to notice things growing out of the newly exposed dirt. It shouldn't have surprised me, since that is what seeds are supposed to do! But it was a remarkable sight nevertheless. I covered several acres in my walkabout and captured the fine plants shown below.  The two most prevalent plants I saw were Fireweed and Pearly Everlasting. There were also numerous unidentified shrubs and broadleaf trees, about a foot tall or so. Presumably these will all be underwater in a few months, but we'll need to return next year to check it out!

And finally, you get bonus points if you find the hidden critter in one of the photos!

     

     

     

     

     

Pearly Everlasting showing its stuff

Detroit Lake Wiki

Detroit Lake State Recreation Area

Dry Lands

As our very dry summer continues to keep our local meteorologists busy tabulating data, the rest of us try to spend as much time outdoors as possible. But even to the casual nature lover, the dry state of our local parks and trails is obvious. In particular, we visit Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve on a regular basis all year because it is nearby and offers good walking trails. This time of year in mid-September it is normally fairly dry at the preserve, but this year takes the proverbial cake in terms of dryness. The ponds are usually just starting to dry out now, but this year they are long since dried out.

     

The Pintail pond shown above on the left looks like the Dead Sea and the Bobcat Marsh pond on the right, had a good weed crop going at this point. Only the North pond still has a bit of water, and that's where I saw the egret and geese.

North Pond and Nodding Beggarticks

That said, on a recent outing at the preserve (9/08/2015), we were amazed at both the dryness of the marshy areas as well as some of the remaining plant life. It was no surprise that we did not spot any waterfowl to speak of except for a stray Great Egret and a couple of geese.

On the other hand, nearly every step along the trail released dozens of crickets from their resting places. I mean, we are talking a cricket big bang here folks, with possibly millions of the little musicians hanging out here. There were a few songbirds moving through the areas with trees, and no doubt picking off a few of the crickets.

Also surprising was the number of plants still hanging in there with blooms. The most widespread blooming plant at this time was the native Nodding Beggarticks, which seems to be taking over a large swath near the north pond. Next in line, by general observation, was the Willamette Valley Gumweed, another native that prefers wet meadows.

The rest of the blooms shown below were growing here and there, and were still attracting insects. So was I for that matter, but nothing was biting me! Mouse over or tap the thumbnails below for plant identification; the * means the plant is not native to our area.

     

     

     

     

     

     

And finally, for a chuckle, get on Google and search for "How dry is it? jokes."  :-)

Living Fossils?

No, I am not talking about my older relatives, although it is tempting; then again I'm no spring chicken either, so that might lead to a heavy "relativity" discussion. But I digress...

More to the point, imagine taking a walk through Forest Park and being surrounded by giant ferns and 100 ft. tall horsetail trees! Well you may have done this 350 million years ago.... if you were a dinosaur of course. Those horsetail trees were the ancestors of today's much shorter, but unique, horsetail plants we see almost everywhere in western Oregon. And because of that, I wanted to post about them, even though this primitive plant has no actual flowers, proving that this is a very inclusive blog.

Typically seen growing near damp, somewhat sunny areas, they are Common Horsetail - Equisetum arvense. World wide, there are about 20 species of horsetail plants, some growing up to 6 feet tall. These vascular plants do not seem to have any natural predators and they are highly resistant to bacteria and other plant woes, which explains their durability over the centuries.

Because horsetail has no flowers or seeds, they rely on spores and rhizomes for spreading. And as you have probably observed while out walking, this works very well. Horsetail colonies are common throughout our area and are considered invasive in some places.

To me, the horsetail plant does not really resemble a horse's tail; that is, unless the horse has just been electrocuted. It is also called snake grass and scouring rush in other areas for that matter. But the curious plant actually has two forms. An early spring, spore-bearing form that looks like an asparagus stalk comes up first and then dies off. Later, the green stalky form with brush-like green bristles emerges. The bristles are actually mutated leaves of a sort, but still very primitive.

Strobilius form, with spores on 3/24/2015 at Orchard Park

Sterile, photo-synthetic form on 8/26/2015

Twine-like leaves on silica stalk.

Horsetail colony near the Metolius River.

In the herbal medicine world, there are many references to the benefits of horsetail. It is considered an astringent, a diuretic, and can theoretically help with bone health due to the silica content. As with many such claims, there is little actual scientific evidence to support these benefits so don't go on a harvesting trip just yet.

Other "living fossil" plants you may see in Oregon are the Ginkgo tree, the Monkey Puzzle tree, the Dawn Redwood tree, and the Cycad plant, which would be an indoor resident around here. Note that some experts take issue with the "living fossil" term. See link below for a short discussion.

Dawn Redwood at Rood Bridge Park

Living Fossil Insights

Dawn Redwood Information

Top image courtesy of the Royal Ontario Museum

Mazama Musings

One of the places I had on my wildflower radar for this summer, was Crater Lake National Park. Most sources seemed to agree that in a typical year, the third week of July is the best time to see the most variety of blooming flowers at the park. This is also when the Castle Crest wildflower trail should look its best. However, this summer was not typical, so the Crater Lake snow melted earlier and peak bloom was sooner than usual. In addition, trying to get rooms in the park is an exercise in futility, unless you book about a year in advance. We did finally manage to get some rooms at the Mazama Cabins for mid August, which we were glad to land - even though it was past the peak bloom!


After our incredibly relaxing stay at Camp Sherman, we drove south to the park, which is an interesting trip through high desert volcanic geology, ponderosa pines, lodgepole pines, juniper, and miles of dry conditions. We knew there was a fire burning near the north end of the park, so were not surprised to find smoke as we approached the entrance. The sky was kind of yellow-orange all along highway 138. Fortunately, near the rim, we got beyond most of the thick smoke, so the views of the lake were enjoyable.

On the East Rim, 8-15-2015

We did not see ANY snow at the park on this visit, which is the first time having that experience! And we were also surprised to find a few blooming flowers on some of the trails, mostly around moist creek areas. Having only one night of lodging at the park limited our explorations, but we were able to get in some good hikes, including the Castle Crest wildflower trail, which is a short walk through a mini-oasis of dry and moist terrain near the main visitor center.

Staying at the Mazama Village cabins was kind of a cross between camping and a 1950's era motel. No frills rooms, but nicely remodeled and with good showers! And you get a free bag of ice when you check in for your cooler (no fridge!). The beds were quite comfy and we would have enjoyed them more if our neighbors had not risen at 6 AM to pack up to head out...

Here's a quick overview of our flower findings, including a look at two rabbit-named plants. For the rest of the trip photos, see the link below.

Lewis Monkeyflower (Mimulus lewisii)

Common Monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus)

Possible White Monkeyflower? - ID TBD

Mountain Blue Penstomon (Penstemon laetus)
Likely ID, but not certain.

Scarlet Gilia (Gilia aggregata)

When we first visited the high desert in central Oregon years ago, we saw acres of a weedy looking shrub with yellow flowers. We asked various locals what it was; some said Rabbit Bush, and others said Rabbit Brush; and some even said Yellow sage, which is understandable, but incorrect. Here's what we now know about these plants:

Rabbitbush (Ericameria bloomeri). These plants were growing and blooming
 along highway 138 for several miles, going into the park, as well as in
the park, in sunny, open spaces. Most were less than one foot tall.

      

Rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa). We only saw a few of these in the
park. Last September, near Sunriver, acres of them were blooming in the open
areas of the forest. Note how the blooms do actually look like a brush.
They can grow over four feet tall.

Alpine Buckwheat (Eriogonum pyrolifolium)

Columbia Monkshood (Aconitum columbianum)

     

Rosy Spiraea (Spiraea splendens). 

Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea)

Links:

More Crater Lake photos