UW Botanic Gardens Plant Profile On Rhododendrons

 UW Botanic Gardens Plant Profile On Hobbit Trees

 Each month the UW Botanic Gardens' Newsletter, E-Flora, posts in detail about a specific plant, among many other interesting posts about events and general information.

This month's feature is about rhododendrons. 

Rhododendrons

Foliage of Rhododendron praetans

The word “rhododendron” comes from the Greek rhódon for “rose” and déndron for “tree.” Certainly, rhododendrons have earned their reputation for their magnificent floral display, and one can be forgiven for thinking of these plants simply as “rose trees.”   However, with most rhododendrons blooming for one month or less, we are left with 11 months of the year looking at foliage alone. For a region in need of visual stimulation for much of the sun-starved year, gardens should be planned and planted more often with attractive and stimulating foliage in mind.

The Rhododendron subsection Grandia has oversized foliage that is not just handsome, but transporting. The sometimes shockingly large and lush leaves evoke other lands and latitudes.  I believe that this simple categorization of this spectacular and diverse genus (more than 1200 species) as a floral phenom results in the impoverishment of many a garden. According to Cox’s Guide to Choosing Rhododendrons, Rhododendron falconeri in subsection Falconera deserves the credit for the longest lasting flowers of the genus — up to a month or more. Though impressive, this still leaves us with 11 months of the year looking at foliage alone. For a region in need of visual stimulation for much of the sun-starved year, gardens should be planned and planted more often with attractive and stimulating foliage in mind. A quick disclaimer: before any rhododendron aficionados begin turning red in the face, I agree that relatively smaller-leafed species such as R. pachysanthum, R. bureavii, and R. mallotum are among the most handsome foliage plants available anywhere. However, it is some of the fine species from the subsection Grandia that I believe deserve more space in the garden as the foliage is not just handsome, but transporting. The sometimes shockingly large and lush leaves evoke other lands and latitudes. R. sinogrande Within the appropriately named subsection, Grandia, the species with the largest leaves are classified. The elephant in the garden is clearly Rhododendron sinogrande. With leaves that can reach 36 inches, no other Rhododendron can go toe to toe regarding awesome foliage. Spectacular new leaves unfurl grey and metallic, becoming a rich bottle-green with silver indumentum. The leaves are thick and leathery. Rhododendron sinogrande is native to the northeast of the Chinese province of Yunnan, upper Myanmar and southeast Tibet. It was introduced to the west by George Forrest in 1912 after he encountered it in Yunnan. The ding against this species for the Pacific Northwest is that the hardiness of R. sinogrande is right on the edge of damage. Plants do get more able to withstand drops in temperature as they age, but be prepared to wrap or otherwise protect your investment for years after planting during sudden cold snaps. R. sinogrande is listed as hardy to +10 degrees F, but that may with ideal siting, during an ideal winter. In the wild, plants may reach 40 feet in height, but in cultivation 10 feet is typical. A 3 foot tall specimen can be seen near the top of the creek in Rhododendron Glen (grid 13-7E). Family: Ericaceae Genus: Rhododendron Subgenus: Hymenanthes Section: Ponticum Subsection: Grandia or Falconera

Wednesday Summer Gardening Class At Center For Urban Horticulture

Nearby UW Botanic Gardens is having a class called  Gardening with the Seasons: Summer at the Center for Urban Horticulture (3501 NE 41st Street).  The cost is $28  The information says: Summer brings an abundance of growth and blooms...and sometimes garden problems. Managing weeds and irrigation are prime targets for attention at this time of year. Time-saving tips for proactive garden care will help gardeners have more time to enjoy their gardens. Key topics will include care of seasonal containers, watering practices, potential weed and pest problems to be aware of, and specialized pruning practices for the season.  Plants and gardens don't live by the written calendar, but by the seasonal cycles and cues of changes in daylight, temperature, and moisture.  When gardeners become acquainted with the seasonal rhythms and life cycles in the garden, and learn to work in sync with nature, caring for the garden becomes more of a process and less of a battle with potential garden enemies. This series will help beginning and seasoned gardeners learn how to capitalize on optimal timing and sustainable practices to have a great garden all year long. Register online, or by phone (206-685-8033) …

All About Cork Oak

Each month the UW Botanic Gardens' Newsletter, E-Flora, posts in detail about a specific plant, among many other interesting posts about events and general information.

This month's feature is about Cork Oak, found at the nearby Arboretum. 

Here is the posting:

June Plant Profile: Quercus suber

Cork oak (Quercus suber), the source of most of the cork harvested commercially in the world, is native to the Mediterranean region and grows abundantly in Portugal, Spain, southern France, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. It’s a medium sized evergreen reaching 65 feet tall. It has deeply fissured bark, weakly lobed leaves with a slight point, and acorns that are held loosely in their caps.   Cork is a versatile material. It’s lightweight, impermeable, elastic, and a great insulator. All that and it’s biodegradable, renewable, recyclable, and it comes from a tree! Cork oak (Quercus suber), the source of most of the cork harvested commercially in the world, is native to the Mediterranean region and grows abundantly in Portugal, Spain, southern France, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. It’s a medium sized evergreen reaching 65 feet tall. It has deeply fissured bark, weakly lobed leaves with a slight point, and acorns that are held loosely in their caps. The ‘cork’ of the cork oak is actually the bark of the tree. It’s harvested from living trees to create stoppers for wine bottles, flooring, bulletin boards, and more. The first harvest of cork occurs when the tree is 25 years old. The bark is carefully removed in sections from the tree to avoid damaging the underlying tissue. The bark is allowed to grow back and in another 12 years, the cork will be harvested again.  These first two harvests are of a lower quality and commonly used for composite cork products like flooring. Nine or 10 years after the second harvest the third harvest takes place. This produces a high quality cork that can be used for stoppers in wine bottles. High quality harvests will take place every 9 or 10 years after that for 16 or so cycles, about 200 years. Cork oaks are highly prized in Portugal where around 50% of the world’s cork harvest occurs. Cork trees have protected status there and cannot be cut down without special permission from the government. The Washington Park Arboretum is home to 5 cork oaks. The two largest were acquired from the UW Medicinal Herb Garden and were planted in the Arboretum in 1958. Another was received as seed from the Bordeaux Botanic Garden in France and planted in 1997. The youngest of the five trees were planted in 2015. Genus: Quercus Family: Fagaceae (Beech family) Location: All of the Arboretum's cork oaks are in the Mediterranean section along the east side of Arboretum Drive E, just south of the Fiddleheads Forest School (grids 20-3E through 22-4E). Origin: Mediterranean Basin Habit: Up to 65 feet high and wide.

Tomorrow Restoration Work Party at Union Bay Natural Area

Tomorrow from10-1pm, there is a Restoration Work Party at Union Bay Natural Area.

The information says:

Spring has caused an explosion of growth in the Union Bay Natural Area, and of course, that includes the invasive species at our restoration project sites! Come help to remove new sprouts and maintain our restoration efforts.   Everyone is welcome and no experience is needed. Gloves, and tools are provided for all volunteers! Remember to bring water and wear sturdy shoes and clothes that can get dirty. We will work, rain or shine.  Meet at the tool cage behind Merrill Hall at the Center for Urban Horticulture.  The Union Bay Natural Area is managed by UW Botanic Gardens to maintain and enhance plants, wildlife and landscape values while serving as an outdoor laboratory for research, teaching and public service.

UW Gardens May Plant Profile: Rhododendron

Each month the UW Botanic Gardens' Newsletter, E-Flora, posts in detail about a specific plant, among many other interesting posts about events and general information.

This month's feature is about the rhododendron, which can be found at nearby Center For Urban Horticulture. 
   

Here is the posting:

Rhododendron edgeworthii

Rhododendron edgeworthii is a showstopper year round. The blooms are borne on trusses of three to four flowers. The flowers are large, funnel shaped, and delightfully fragrant. Flowers range from white to white tinged red to white tinged pink. The mature bark is smooth, glossy, and peeling. The underside of the leaves and young stems have a tawny colored woolly indumentum making them feel very soft. For UW Botanic Gardens Horticulturist Annie Bilotta, the indumentum and dark green puckered leaves are what set this species apart from many rhododendrons.   This species was discovered by J.D. Hooker in the Himalayas in 1849. It was named for M.P. Edgeworth who was a commissioner with the Bengal Civil Service. It is native to NE India, Tibet, Bhutan, Myanmar, and SW China. It grows in a wide range of habitats including cliffs, rocky fields, deciduous and mixed forests and is typically found at elevations of 6000 to 13,000 feet.  Rhododendron edgeworthii is also an epiphyte, which means that it is a plant that grows on another plant without taking any nutrients from that plant. The thing that blows my mind is that these rhodies are often found growing at the tops of tall trees or in snags! I have personally never seen anything like that. R. edgeworthii is a good candidate for the Pacific Northwest garden. It prefers a partially shaded site as it can get leggy in full shade and burn in full sun. In its native habitat it can grow to 12 feet but in cultivation it is typically three to four feet tall. It also works well as a container plant. Come by in the early weeks of May to see this lovely gem in bloom! Three plants are located at the Center for Urban Horticulture in the Fragrance Garden, next to the little stone fountain. Family: Ericaceae Genus: Rhododendron Species: edgeworthii Origin: Himalayas, NE India, Bhutan, Myanmar, SW China Height and spread: 3-4 feet Bloom time: Mid spring Location: Seattle Garden Club Fragrance Garden at the Center for Urban Horticulture

April 2019 Plant Profile: Japanese Plum At Center For Urban Horticulture

Each month the UW Botanic Gardens' Newsletter, E-Flora, posts in detail about a specific plant, among many other interesting posts about events and general information.

This month's feature is about the Japanese Plum, which can be found at nearby Center For Urban Horticulture. 
   

Here is the posting:

Prunus salicina ‘Beauty’

The stunning, white-blossomed Beauty Japanese plum is in full bloom at the Center for Urban Horticulture's UW Farm site this month, with its showy display of sweet-smelling delicate flowers. It was planted in 2012 as part of a student project on what was then the perimeter of the farm. Since the farm’s expansion to the east, it now sits nearly dead center, is easily viewed from all sides and is a focal point.  The species is native to China, Taiwan and the northern parts of Laos, Burma and Vietnam. Prunus salicina cultivars were originally imported to the United States from Japan by Luther Burbank in 1885. ‘Beauty’ was selected and introduced by him in 1911. It is self-fertile and grows to 12 feet. The bright red, medium sized fruit ripens in mid-July-August. Students pick pints of these over the summer quarter and pack them for shareholders in the farm’s CSA program.  Plum is the common name for various trees and shrubs with smooth-skinned stone fruit in the genus Prunus of the rose family (Rosaceae). Plums are characterized by shoots with a single terminal bud and solitary side buds that are not clustered. The fruit (drupe) has an edible, fleshy skin and a groove on one side. Within the fruit is a smooth shell (stone) that encloses a seed.

All About Recent Barred Owl Sightings

Here is a recent post from the Union Bay Watch Blog published by Larry Hubbell, long-time local photographer and birder.

Here also is an in-depth article about Larry and his work.



A Quizzical Look 

The crisp, cold chill of the morning air cleared the cobwebs from my mind. When I am out and about, I imagine myself fully alert to the wildlife around me. However, I suspect that even at my best, I still miss more than I see. For example, while walking south through the Arboretum, during the early morning, I had no idea there was an owl hunting among the bushes in front of me. I was certainly surprised by the silent flurry of wings when the Barred Owl rose up from the ground and landed on a small branch.

The owl glanced at me and then resumed searching the surrounding trees. The owl's lack of interest in me seemed to imply that I was, 'Too big to eat and too noisy to be dangerous.'

My own thoughts were equal parts - excitement and relief. For many winters, I have been able to check-in on one of the Barred Owls on a daily basis. At some point, I had become aware of one of the resident owls' winter roost. A shaded, horizontal branch deep within a stand of Western Red Cedars was a consistently used spot where the owl silently snoozed through the daylight hours. 

Sadly for me, for the last two winters, the owl has apparently found a new resting location. I no longer have a clue where the owl takes its siestas. 

As a matter of fact, until I heard a Barred Owl calling just last week, the only owl I had seen in the Arboretum this year was this Great Horned Owl. Since Great Horned Owls are quite capable of eating smaller owls, seeing one always makes me a bit concerned for our resident Barred Owls. 

It was certainly a warm feeling of relief to see this healthy-looking Barred Owl going about its business. It reassured me that we still have a good chance of seeing young owlets later this year.

At this point, the owl seemed to be evaluating my daughter's dog, Ginger. The owl's apparent conclusion was, 'Smaller than the human, but still too big to catch and carry.'

Later, while looking at this photo, I was struck by the subtle asymmetry in the owl's facial disk. The disk is the area outlined by the dark brown stripe which surrounds the eyes and beak. This concave, saucer-shape helps Barred Owls to funnel sounds to their ears. Their specialized hearing complements their night vision and their exceptionally silent flight to make them superb nocturnal hunters.

I enjoy trying to identify the individual creatures which live and reside around Union Bay. I have not had much luck with the Barred Owls. So, as I looked at this photo I wondered, Could the elevated dark brown 'eyebrow' above the bird's right eye enable consistent identification? Is this quizzical look unique to this individual?

I began searching my database for Barred Owl photos. A found this 2014 photo which shows the brown stripe on the right side of this owl's face was also higher than the stripe on the left.

Among the 2015 photos, I found a picture of a hatch-year bird with the same facial arrangement.

When I looked closely at an adult photo, in the same year, the pattern repeated.

In 2016 I found the same quizzical look. Potentially, all of these adult photos could be of the same bird, since the pictures were taken in the Arboretum. However, it does seem unlikely that I might have repeatedly photographed only one of a pair of reproducing adults.

Plus, I know that in the case of hatch-year birds the comparison from one year to the next must be of different individuals. So, this 2016 hatch-year photo represents at least the third Barred Owl with the same type of asymmetry.

In addition, this photo shows two different young in that year, so that increases my tally to at least four different individuals.

I also found a 2017 photograph which displayed a Barred Owl with a similar pattern. 

Finally, here is a Barred Owl photographed last year in Interlaken Park which shows a similar facial arrangement. This repetitive pattern implies to me that, as a species, Barred Owls have asymmetrical facial disks. Not only am I unable to use this feature to identify an individual adult, but I find it incredibly humorous and humbling that I have photographed these birds for years without being conscious of this consistently quizzical look.

The obvious next question was, Why are their faces asymmetrical? I remember Dennis Paulson teaching us, in our Master Birder Class, that some owls have asymmetrical ear alignments. With ears at different heights, owls can determine more precisely both the vertical and horizontal location of their prey. 

I did not remember whether the ears of Barred Owls ears were aligned symmetrically or not. Looking online, I found the following posting regarding:

Owl Ears

from The International Owl Center, in Minnesota, which confirmed some asymmetry in Barred Owl ear locations. (If you follow the link above, you can then scroll down to the third photo to read about the Barred Owl ears.) My best guess is that Barred Owl's asymmetrical faces are a functional reflection of and correlation with their ears being at different heights.

After another internet search, I found a post which gives even more details about owls and their specialized hearing. Plus, the commentary gives me the impression that the author shares my belief that the asymmetrical shape of Barred Owl faces is related to the location of their ears. 

https://infinitespider.com/how-an-owl-hears/

I doubt that I will ever look at a Barred Owl again, without smiling at their oddly quizzical look.

Wood Duck Update:

In a perfect follow up to last week's post, my friend David G Olsen, sent in his photo of female Wood Duck inspecting Box #9 on the south side of Union Bay. This March 2nd photo is our first recorded box inspection by a Wood Duck in 2019. The hen is clearly intent on kicking off the 2019 breeding season. Way to go, David! Thank you!

Additional signs of Spring, seen this week, include Mallards mating and Bald Eagles and Crows gathering sticks for their respective nests. 

What type of tree produces this cone? Is the tree native to Union Bay?

Western Red Cedar: Yes. It is native to Union Bay and the western side of the Cascades.