Roadie: Tongass National Forest, Ketchikan

Canopy of Tongass National Forest. (6/30/2019)

Following Downtown Ketchikan, we headed on a guided tour of a trail in the Tongass National Forest, known by the U.S. Forest Service as the "crown jewel". The Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska is the largest national forest in the United States. Most of its area is part of the temperate rain forest WWF ecoregion, itself part of the larger Pacific temperate rain forest WWF ecoregion, and is remote enough to be home to many species of endangered and rare flora and fauna. The Tongass is managed by the United States Forest Service. (Wikipedia)

The hike we went on focused on the scenery of Tongass National Forest Park as part of an eco tour from Ketchikan. The entire excursion consisted of the hiking tour, a visit to the Raptor Rehabilitation Center and a conversation with a native American artist who still makes totem poles in the traditional manner. We were part of a small group of just 10 people (four of whom were part of our party) which meant we were afforded plenty of time to ask questions of our guide.

Popular among bears, the fruit of the Rubus Spectabilis is popularly referred to
as a “salmonberry” due to its resemblance to salmon eggs. (6/30/2019)

(6/30/2019)

Naturally felled trees would have of other seedlings taking root
on them resulting in a beautiful mix of seedlings coming from a
single stump. (6/30/2019)

Fungus among us. (6/30/2019)

At the base of some trees were small "caves" in which bears would
briefly hide from the elements. Contrary to what is depicted in
movies, bears like small enclosed spaces in which they can snuggle. (6/30/2019)

(6/30/2019)

Devil's club (Echinopanax horridum) is a large understory shrub common in
arboreal rainforests of the Pacific Northwest. The flowers are produced
in dense umbels, each flower small, with five greenish-white petals.
The matured fruit will be red (Wikipedia). The leaves are used by bears coming out
of hibernation as a diuretic. (6/30/2019)

Devil's club is covered with brittle yellow spines that break off easily if the
plants are handled or disturbed thus its common name. (6/30/2019)

Pine cones. (6/30/2019)

Yellow salmonberry. (6/30/2019)

Lichen the wide array of Alaskan lichen. (6/30/2019)

Snapped this pic of Mystery Bird after hearing it call a number of times;
as Alaska's only bird with ear tufts, going to guess it's a Great Horned Owl. (6/30/2019)

Bear Sign One: Scat used to mark territory. (6/30/2019)

Bear Sign Two: claws marks on tree to communicate size to other
bear thereby also marking territory. (6/30/2019)

Bear sign three: trampled trails among high grass from forest to creek. (6/30/2019)

August Backyard Wings & Things

Northern Flicker. (8/29/16)

Despite the loss this past spring of our American elm tree, one of the main attractions to the space for a variety of birds, the aviary action has continued these past few weeks. August's dog days are much more manageable with the entertainment created by birds and rabbits at play in the grass and gardens. Especially exciting to have the Northern Flickers drop in for a spell on a number of occasions throughout the month.

Fun Fact: Because they eat ants and beetles, flickers
are commonly found on the ground eating. (8/29/16)

Cottontail rabbit. (8/11/16)

Cottontail rabbit and young American Robin. (8/11/16)

Mystery bird? (8/7/16)

Female Northern Cardinal on a wire. (8/7/16)

Two well-camouflaged Northern Flickers. (8/1/16)

Northern Flicker. (8/1/16)

Northern Flicker doing his "wing-thing". (8/1/16)

Northern Flicker. (8/1/16)

Harvest of Stink 2014

Many very mature gingko fruit pile up at the base of the tree. (11/3/13)

Few things would make me happier than to be able to write that this fall has been different. But, sadly, the song (or the stink) remains the same.

It has been four autumns (2008) since I last posted about the stink that occasionally emanates in fall from the narrow strip of lawn between our house and our neighbors. After having determined the source of the smell (and happily realizing it was neither our neighbor nor the dog poo I religiously pick up and deposit into the garbage can): a large ginkgo tree. The ginkgo borders both yards and is in the area under which we park our vehicles each day and when it "blooms" it grows fruit. And when the fruit falls to the ground it lays there until being either stepped or run over by our cars... and then they STINK. The fruit releases its odor when it is bruised or crushed (triggering the decay process).

Trust me when I tell you that despite
driving for days at high speeds
that rotten fruit will still be on
 the car hood! (11/8/14)

Upon first experiencing the phenomena of this "stink fruit," I was particularly surprised to learn that that trees can come in “genders,” being either male or female. Because it does bear fruit, it was not too much of a leap to surmise that our tree was female.

This conclusion was not confirmed by checking under its leaves. According to one website, “…female trees will bear yellowish plum-shaped fruit with a somewhat foul smelling meat (like rancid butter some say) whose outer skin is mildly toxic. Fallen fruits will usually burst open their fleshy coating, thus releasing the odor. In an outdoor setting, the smell is not too overpowering, but avoid planting near car ports or along roads as some people have reported paint damage from the fruits juices…” Stupendous!

The gingko in fall; note the fruits swept
 off the driveway to avoid bruising...
and smelling. (11/3/13)

Even after 10+ years living in our home, it does not surprise me is that the previous owners would plant such tree especially given its unique (albeit noxious) nature. When we first moved in, every room was a different shade of grey (including the exterior), and because they had been recreational bonsaists(?), shelves cobbled together with cinder blocks and boards were a central component of the garden. And guess what... the ginkgo tree is a favorite of Bonsai enthusiasts, but they usually know it as the Maidenhair Tree, as the small, bonsai trained leaves turn to a striking gold hue in the Fall.

FYI, even better squirrels and other (gulp)
rodents dig the nuts!

Because ginkgo's will take about 20 years of growth before they start to reproduce, we can deduce that the tree has been here for at least two decades, and being the first time in our four years here that the fruits have appeared, we had not previously noticed the scent. Where we go from here is unclear, and while the fruit can be harvested and the nuts removed from the pungent smelling meat of the fruit roasted for eating, given the height of the tree, and my cowardice in the face of scaling it, this is unlikely. In some ways it is neat to have such an usual tree (one landscaper we had come a few years ago to trim some other trees in our yard was very enthusiastic to find it in the city), as according to an online blog post I came across by a former "street tree program manager" (forester?), "Many cities no longer plant the female ginkgo."

So while we will not be collecting fruit, we will continue to harvest the stink and continue to make the best of it while attempting to come to terms with our smelly, unique ginkgo! On second thought, looking out the window this morning I realize that the majority of fruit HAVE NOT EVEN DROPPED YET (looks like a bottom to top up pattern of dropping)! Perhaps it's time to either put the ginkgo up for adoption or send it on to tree heaven.

Still MANY more left to fall! (11/8/14)

This really is kind of a bummer. (11/8/14)

"Fallen fruits usually burst open their fleshy coating releasing the odor"... uh-oh! (11/3/13)

Neophyte Urban Arborist: Harvest of Stink 2013

Many very mature gingko fruit pile up at the base of the tree. (11/3/13)

It has been four autumns (2008) since I last posted about the stink that occasionally emanates in fall from the narrow strip of lawn between our house and our neighbors. After having determined the source of the smell (and happily realizing it was neither our neighbor nor the dog poo I religiously pick up and deposit into the garbage can): a large ginkgo tree. The ginkgo borders both yards and is in the area under which we park our vehicles each day and when it "blooms" it grows fruit. And when the fruit falls to the ground it lays there until being either stepped or run over by our cars... and then they STINK. The fruit releases its odor when it is bruised or crushed (triggering the decay process).

The gingko in fall; note the fruits swept
 off the driveway to avoid bruising...
and smelling. (11/3/13)

Upon first experiencing the phenomena of this "stink fruit," I was particularly surprised to learn that that trees can come in “genders,” being either male or female. Because it does bear fruit, it was not too much of a leap to surmise that our tree was female.

This conclusion was not confirmed by checking under its leaves. According to one website, “…female trees will bear yellowish plum-shaped fruit with a somewhat foul smelling meat (like rancid butter some say) whose outer skin is mildly toxic. Fallen fruits will usually burst open their fleshy coating, thus releasing the odor. In an outdoor setting, the smell is not too overpowering, but avoid planting near car ports or along roads as some people have reported paint damage from the fruits juices…” Stupendous!

Even after 10+ years living in our home, it does not surprise me is that the previous owners would plant such tree especially given its unique (albeit noxious) nature. When we first moved in, every room was a different shade of grey (including the exterior), and because they had been recreational bonsaists(?), shelves cobbled together with cinder blocks and boards were a central component of the garden. And guess what... the ginkgo tree is a favorite of Bonsai enthusiasts, but they usually know it as the Maidenhair Tree, as the small, bonsai trained leaves turn to a striking gold hue in the Fall.

Because ginkgo's will take about 20 years of growth before they start to reproduce, we can deduce that the tree has been here for at least two decades, and being the first time in our four years here that the fruits have appeared, we had not previously noticed the scent. Where we go from here is unclear, and while the fruit can be harvested and the nuts removed from the pungent smelling meat of the fruit roasted for eating, given the height of the tree, and my cowardice in the face of scaling it, this is unlikely. In some ways it is neat to have such an ususal tree (one landscaper we had come a few years ago to trim some other trees in our yard was very enthusiastic to find it in the city), as according to an online blog post I came across by a former "street tree program manager" (forester?), "Many cities no longer plant the female ginkgo."

So while we will not be collecting fruit, we will continue to harvest the stink and continue to make the best of it while attempting to come to terms with our smelly, unique ginkgo!

"Fallen fruits usually burst open their fleshy coating releasing the odor"... uh-oh! (11/3/13)

Females Stink!

Well, not females of the human variety, necessarily, but I can assure you that the fruit of female(!) ginkgo trees sure does!

For a few weeks now, there has been an odor of what seemed to be dog poo permeating our side and back yards. Anne and I had assumed it was simply a scent drifting from our neighbor's yard, as she has a dog that is not nearly as sophisticated as our pup, Gracie. We came to discover, however, that while the neighbor's mutt is a yippy pain, it is not the source of the smell.

Tired of checking her shoes or searching the car mats for transferred canine excrement, Anne did some quick on-line research and discovered the cause of the stink: the ginkgo tree (pictured above right)which border our two houses and under which we park our vehicles each day (below left).

I was particularly surprised to learn that that trees can come in “genders,” being either male or female. Our tree is of course of the smellier floral sex: a female.

We did not come to this conclusion by checking under its leaves. According to one website, “…female trees will bear yellowish plum-shaped fruit with a somewhat foul smelling meat (like rancid butter some say) whose outer skin is mildly toxic. Fallen fruits will usually burst open their fleshy coating, thus releasing the odor. In an outdoor setting, the smell is not too overpowering, but avoid planting near car ports or along roads as some people have reported paint damage from the fruits juices…”

Great.

It does not surprise me is that the previous owners would plant such a noxious tree. When we first moved in, every room was a different shade of grey (including the exterior), and because they had been recreational bonsaists(?), there were shelves in the gardens cobbled together with cinder blocks and boards. And guess what... the ginkgo tree is a favorite of Bonsai enthusiasts, but they usually will know it as the Maidenhair Tree, as the small, bonsai trained leaves turn to a striking gold hue in the Fall.

Because Ginkgos will take about 20 years of growth before they start to reproduce, we can deduce that the tree has been here for almost two decades, and being the first time in our four years here that the fruits have appeared, we had not previously noticed the scent. Where we go from here is unclear, and while the fruit can be picked (while wearing latex gloves) and the nuts removed from the pungent smelling meat of the fruit, given the height of the tree, and my cowardice in the face of scaling it, this is unlikely.

At least we can take comfort in knowing that someones dog isn't pooping all over our yards... it's just nature.

Breathe in, breathe out... YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!