Date: 07 September 2008
Time: 1412 to 1434 hours
Location: 44°25’N 123°04’W, NW of Parking Lot 3, Minto-Brown Island Park
Weather: Clear, 83°F
About 20 steps NNW of the Women's Restroom, at 1412, the paved trail (frequented by people biking and walking) was partially shadowed by a 200 feet tree with heart-shaped leaves. The tree forked into three separate trunks at the ground level. The bark was deeply furrowed and of a light brown tint. The leaves were arranged oppositely, with the branches ending in a brown bud that had a brown sappy substance seeping out. The branches were grey, speckled with white. According the Field Guide of the Pacific Northwest, the tree was most likely a Cottonwood.
Green lichen grew heavily on the trunk and fibrous, grey lichen hung from the limbs. I heard a low, intermittent buzzing sound to the NW of the path. Something that sounded similar to a drawn out buzzzz, followed by short "zit, zit, zit"s. However, the creature eluded me in the 4 feet tall grasses. The grasses, already brown and yellowing, sent up spikes of grains. A 6-foot tall plant tipped with brown cones stood behind the grasses. The spiny/thorny stalks, also dried, had a slight pale brown to them. The 6 inch serrated leaves were oppositely arranged, curling inwards toward the stem. The cones were 3 inches long, with hair-thin bristles and small diamond hollows. Slender 2-inch long spikes were arranged curling about the cone. Slightly further north were brown stalks sporting flowers that seemed of the compositae family, maybe tansy. Even further in to the NW, a plant of an intriguing arrowhead shape was withered and limb. Upon closer inspection, the plant was a vine that curled about the grasses and blackberry bushes. The leaves were staggered and opposite, smooth, un-serrated, and approximately 4 inches long, 2 inches wide. A few were tinged with red in anticipation of autumn, yet for the most part, they were of a purely green with a few lighter colored veins.
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