You may recall that I started cuttings of my native shrubs about a month ago. I decided to check them today to see if any of them are rooted. The salmonberries and thimbleberries don’t look so great, but the red-flowered currants are looking excellent!
Based on appearances right now, I should end up with six new currant plants that can be given away this autumn!
I noticed the salal plants at Ingraham High School, just a block away, were full of over-ripe berries. I helped myself to a handful and threw them all over the new native garden in my yard. It will be interesting to see if any of them germinate and grow–a fun, free experiment.
One of the challenges I’m facing is coming up with a small or medium native tree to plant on the corner of our property in the new native garden. One contender is the Cascara, Rhamnus purshiana. I found one growing near Twin Ponds here and the leaves were impressive.
I found a good description of the tree and how to grow it HERE (also an excellent website resource and blog). It appears to be a great plant for fauna.
Other contenders are the black hawthorn, Crataegus douglasii. I think it prefers a wetter site than I can provide, though, but I may try it, anyway. Maybe drier conditions will keep it smaller than its ultimate thirty-foot height.
Acer glabrum, the Rocky Mountain maple is another option. I’m a big fan of maples and this one stays pretty small.
Malus fusca, the native crab apple is also a contender. I’ll probably decide this autumn and get a tree planted when the rains return.
While taking a mental health break from the home office, I walked over to Ingraham High School and happened to look up in time to see a large bird carrying an even larger stick. It was an osprey, a bird I’ve never seen so close to our house. I’ve heard that a pair nest near Haller Lake, which isn’t far at all from Haller Lake. The bird flew with its stick from one light pole to the next a few times. Eventually, the stick was dropped–luckily I wasn’t standing below the bird just yet! The bird stayed there for a while, though.
I posted this video to the Western Washington Birder Group on FaceBook and they suggested the osprey was looking to start a new nest. I hope it can find a better place to nest than that playfield! Forgive the low-resolution phone video, but it is fun to see, anyway, this amazing fishing raptor so close to Homegrown National Park!