Plant Hunters: David Douglas

 Plant hunting, or plant collecting, refers to the acquisition of plant specimens for research, cultivation, or as a hobby. Chinese botanists collected roses over 5000 years ago, Egyptian botanists collected incense trees from Somalia 3500 years ago, and Europeans scoured the globe in colonial times to collect plants for research and gardens. During our Plants on the Move theme (2014), we learned about several Carl Linnaeus Apostles who explored the world in the 1700s, collecting botanical specimens, and categorizing and naming them using the binomial system. This year I'm interested in learning about several plant hunters that collected, or are collecting, in the Western United States.

David Douglas (1799 - 1834) - Plant Hunter

David Douglas (1799-1834) was a Scottish botanist who collected in the Pacific Northwest, Northern California, and Hawaii. He started as a gardener apprentice in Scotland and was recommended to accompany a local expedition to gather plants. Though a shy and quiet person, he was found to be an ardent and skilled plant collector. For this he was recommended for several expeditions to North America: 1823, 1824-1827, and 1829-1833. The documentary, Finding David Douglas tells the story of his life, and tragic death at age 35.

Douglas' second excursion to the Pacific Northwest was his most successful (1829-1833). He introduced 240 species of plants to England, including many coniferous trees that changed the British landscape and timber industry. He is the namesake for Douglas Fir, the common name for Pseudotsuga menziesii. Plant names (and a few animal names) that include douglasii or a variation honor Douglas, such as Artemisia douglasii, Iris douglasiana, Lotus douglasii, Phlox douglasii, Quercus douglasii, and Viola douglasii.

Unfortunately his plant collection and journals from his time in Northern California were lost to a river accident, but some information was preserved by way of letters he wrote to his brother. The Death Valley Day's episode, The Grass Man (available through IMDB, with log on) may capture the flavor of his life during this period. I also appreciated reading through his journals, plant lists, and papers for a first-hand glimpse into the man, his work, and the times (you can download his papers in PDF format). He faced many hardships in his quest for plants but remained steadfast and enthusiastic for his mission.

Learn More:

• David Douglas (Botanist) - an overview of Douglas' life.

• Journal Kept By David Douglas (1823 - 1827) - a collection of journals, a memoir, papers, plants, and an account of his death. 

• Finding David Douglas - documentary film that tells the story of his life and achievements (embedded above).

Finches

Join me in the landscape to watch the wildlife in our urban yard. Occasionally we are visited by finches that stop by for a quick drink and a bath at the water dishes. Initially I only noticed the males, with their vibrant red or yellow coloring. Later, I realized that some of the little brown birds were probably the females (or a variety of brown finches).

I’m still learning, but with the help of the Merlin Bird ID  app, from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, I think I’ve identified these finch types in our backyard, here in the San Francisco Bay Area:

• House Finches (Haemorhous mexicanus) - males are red, females are brown
• Lesser Goldfinches (Spinus psaltria) - males are yellow, females are brown (sometimes with a hint of yellow)

A pair of red male finches at the water dish

The range for House Finches includes the Eastern and Western United States, and into Mexico. The range for Lesser Goldfinches includes the Western United States coast, Baja, Mexico, and areas in Central and South America. We don't see them often, so they migrate from place to place.

A yellow Lesser Goldfinch takes a rest

Learn More:

• Finches - learn about all the varieties of finches that populate the world.
• House Finches - the males exhibit shades of red.
• Lesser Goldfinches - the males are decorated in yellow.

Birthday Flowers: Dafodills

This year we're celebrating life in the roaring twenties! Part of that celebration includes birthday flowers, which are those flowers that have become associated with the month in which a person was born. Birthday flowers have symbolic meanings attached to them (Floriography is the art of communicating a message through the flowers given to another person).

March - Daffodils

For March, birthday flowers are daffodils, which symbolize rebirth, new beginnings, and prosperity. Less commonly they communicate creativity, energy, resilience, forgiveness and vitality. Daffodils are also used to celebrate the tenth wedding anniversary. They are an early bloomer and their cheerful appearance can lift your spirits after months of rain or snow or gray skies. The colors of daffodils do not seem to have different meanings as other birthday flowers, such as carnations and violets. However, in general, yellow flowers symbolize joy and white flowers convey purity or innocence.

Cheerful daffodils brighten the kitchen in March 

One caveat is that all parts of daffodils are toxic to humans, dogs, cats, and horses. When daffodil stems are cut they release a sap that blocks other plants from taking up water, making them difficult to include in a mixed bouquet. They also release sugars that induce mold and bacterial growth. However, you can deter this by cutting and soaking daffodils separately for six hours before adding them to a bouquet. Daffodils have been used medicinally to induce vomiting and cause numbness, and the alkaloid it produces (galantamine) may slow the progression of Alzheimer's. I'm enjoying a few daffodils in the kitchen, and thinking of all the people I know who were born in March!

Counting Birds

In late February I joined the annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), hosted by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, and Birds Canada. Over a long weekend, citizen birdwatchers count the birds they see and hear from wherever they are (not just the backyard), and send in the count. Birders of all abilities are encouraged to participate, from novices to experts. This was originally a United States-based activity, but it has grown to include birders from around the world.

The Merlin Bird ID app helps you identify birds
(use the key to the right to select a category)

To prepare for the big weekend, I attended a Webinar about how to participate. It was fun to learn how schools use the event as part of their science curriculum (sometimes with a little healthy competition between schools); families and clubs use it as an outing activity; and travelers use it as a way to explore a new area. The Webinar presenters were very helpful and informative, and the Chat was filled with tips and tricks, links to more tools, questions from newbies, and wisdom from the experienced.

I used Merlin to distinguish between a crow and a raven

Two free apps were recommended for the event: Merlin Bird ID helps you discover which birds you see or hear, and eBird Mobile enables you to submit your observations. You can download lists of birds from Merlin for your area or around the globe, and use them to identify the birds you see. Alternative ways to participate are available, such as accessing lists and tools through a laptop computer, and reporting your results by telephone or mail. Lack of a smart phone is not a barrier!

I used the eBird app to submit my observations
(couldn't find a way to delete the crow, after deciding I had seen a raven, but found a way later)

The Great Backyard Bird Count weekend was a lot of fun. I participated from the comfort of our backyard here in the East Bay, in view of the water dishes and the hummingbird feeder; and in San Ramon, during a walk around Bishop Lake. The tools are so useful. I especially like the Sound ID feature in Merlin (it helped me distinguish and identify some of the bird calls from the shrubs that surround the yard). You can see the results of the 2023 GBBC survey, and filter by regions or the world (they are still crunching the numbers, so the final results will be available in early April).

The Merlin Sound ID tool helped me distinguish several bird calls from the shrubs

I'm looking forward to participating in the GBBC event next year, and hope you'll join me from the comfort of your own backyard!

Portraits in Lichen

The lichens in our yard are doing really well this season with all the extra moisture and dank days. From Wikipedia, "A lichen is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship." According to scientists at Purdue University, yeast may be a third partner that helps defend the colony. Lichens are slow-growing and just need a structure to support them. They make their own food, are not parasites, and do not carry disease.

A saxicolous lichen (grows on rocks),
visible from the kitchen window

Oakmoss lichen (Evernia prunastri),
found in the side yard

I've made an attempt to identify a few species in our yard, using Lichens of the SF Bay Area by iNaturalist. Some forms are very distinctive, and easy to identify. Others are very complex and difficult to distinguish for the beginner. They are colonies, afterall, so may grow in various combinations.

Green rock shield ? (Xanthoparmelia spp.)

Common greenshield lichen (Flavoparmelia caperata)

I found a few descriptive phrases that are handy to know while getting started. Saxicolous lichen grows on rocks; corticolous lichen grows on bark; lignicolous lichen grows on wood that is stripped of bark; and terricolous lichen grows on soil or the ground. Freshwater and marine lichens can occur submerged or in varying water levels. Foliose lichens produce leaf-like flattened, lobed thallus; fruticose lichens grow erect with visible fruiting bodies; and crustose lichens form a crust over their host. With those terms you can at least start describing what you see!

A saxicolous lichen (grows on rocks)

A lignicolous lichen (grows on wood stripped of bark)

I plan to protect these beautiful specimens as much as I can during our landscaping project. They add a lot of character to the yard, and are interesting to observe over time. I also have plans to use some specimens in future dye projects, to see if they yield any interesting colors. Hope you've enjoyed these portraits in lichen.