by Joy Stewart | Dec 8, 2017 | Native plants
We are fortunate to live in an area abundant with evergreens. Winter especially highlights the western hemlock, as its broadleaved companions shed their leaves. When mentioning hemlock, most people think of the poisonous variety, but the western hemlock is not...
by Joy Stewart | Nov 9, 2017 | Native plants
Snowberry – Symphoricarpos albus By: Guest Writer Michael Teton During the fall and winter seasons at Shadow Lake Bog you may have noticed that all the berries have disappeared except for one very distinctive white berry. This berry, known as the...
by Joy Stewart | Nov 9, 2017 | Goings on at SHADOW, Local environmentalism, Native animals, Native plants, News
If you have been for a walk on the grounds of the Nature Preserve or any Pacific Northwest forest in the last month, chances are you have spotted some mushrooms. Fall rain in this region brings about a generous crop and wide variety of mushrooms, which seem to pop up...
by Joy Stewart | Oct 12, 2017 | Native plants
If you’ve ever hiked beneath a living arch that bends over the trail, odds are you have spotted one of the most beautiful Washington shrub species – the vine maple. This relative of the big leaved maple happily grows in the dense, shady understory of coniferous...
by Joy Stewart | Oct 12, 2017 | Local environmentalism, Native plants
Have you ever wondered why the leaves change color? In order to understand this process, we have to think about what leaves do for the plant. Leaves are the site of photosynthesis – the chemical process that allows plants to create sugar (which is their energy...
by Joy Stewart | Aug 31, 2017 | Native plants
Polystichum munitum Sword ferns are one of the Pacific Northwest’s most iconic species. They are native to the west coast and infamously difficult to grow outside of their natural range. Huge fronds radiate from a central base and each leaflet has a tiny hilt...
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