Category Archives for Wildlife

Montlake flowering cherry trees: Know your sato zakura

Image: Montlaker

Image: Montlaker. All other images below by author, taken April 12th.

By Arthur Lee Jacobson

Montlake has many different kinds of Japanese flowering cherry trees. As of mid-April, most single-flowered kinds (such as Yoshino, in the image above) are finished blooming. Yet, many are reaching full bloom just now.
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The Japanese flowering cherries, collectively known as sato zakura (meaning domestic, village or cultivated cherry trees grown solely for ornament), have been extensively bred for hundreds of years, so there exists a multitude differing in form, flower, fragrance, and vigor. The cultivars bloom at different times from early March through late May, with large petals, pure white to creamy-yellow and all shades of pink, usually semi-double or double-flowered, and usually scentless. Compared to wild cherry trees, the twigs are stout, leaves large, and branches few. The young foliage is more often than not bronze rather than pure green in color.
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From most common to rare in Montlake, below are 10 of the sato zakura:
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 Kwanzan
Kwanzan or Sekiyama. Both the ‘Kwanzan’ and ‘Sekiyama’ names refer to the same sacred mountain in China. The most common of all sato zakura. Tree strong and massive (one in Seattle is 53 feet tall). Flowers large, double, with 20-30 (50) petals, dark rosy-pink, fading in time. Young foliage dark bronzy-red.
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Shirotae
Shirotae or Mt Fuji. Name means “snow white” or “snowflake.” Usually a vigorous, very strongly spreading tree, wide and low. It may be recognized any time of year by its flat-topped, horizontal growth. Flowers lightly fragrant, semi-double, 5-­11 petals, pure white (except for sometimes a faint pink blush when first opening), appearing earliest of all: early March. Young foliage green. Leaves edged by delicate long-fringed teeth.
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Shogetsu
Shogetsu. Name means “moonlight thru pine branches,” or “moon hanging low over a pine,” or “fairy queen.” Tree weak, delicately drooping, wide-spreading. Buds apple-pink. Flowers double (20-30 petals), large (to 2 and three-eighths inches wide), white. They are long-stemmed (to 2.75 inches) and dangle in clusters altogether about 6 inches long, blooming late in spring and long persisting, fading to pale pink near the end of their tenure. Young foliage green.
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Amanogawa
Amanogawa. White-Column cherry. Apple Blossom cherry. Name means “celestial river” or “milky way.” At least while young it is fastigiate: its stout knobby twigs and branches all grow straight upward after the fashion of Lombardy poplar. Flowers slightly fragrant, single or semi-double, of (5) 9 (15) petals, very pale pink or practically white. Young foliage slightly yellowish-bronze.
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shiro-fugen
Shiro-fugen. Name means “white god” or “white red.” The Japanese common name for this cultivar is Fugenzo. If ‘Shiro-fugen’ is, as attested by certain writers, really a synonym of ‘Fugenzo’ then I need to find out the proper name for the extremely few Seattle ‘Fugenzo’ specimens (none in Montlake). Tree broad and strong, with relatively slender twigs. Buds deep pink. Flowers large, double (20-36 petals), first soft pink, then white, then fading pink-cerise in age. Two (or as many as five) tiny leaflike carpels in the middle. Late-blooming compared to most sato zakura. It has a habit of blooming again, sparsely, in mid-June or early July. Young foliage coppery-red.
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Ukon
Ukon. Name means “yellowish.” Also called the green cherry. Tree tall, rounded and strong. Flowers semi-double, with 5-14 petals, at first creamy-white or pale yellow with green tones, fading to red in the center. Young foliage light bronzy-green.
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Horinji
Horinji. Name is of an ancient Buddhist temple in Kyoto. Buds mauvy-pink. Flowers 1.75 to 2 inches wide, pale pink, becoming noticeably darker in the middle when fading; semi-double (10) 15 (20) petals); in large drooping clusters of 2-6; sepals and calyx dark purplish-brown. Young foliage faint bronze.
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Kiku-shidare,jpg
Kiku-shidare-zakura. Name means “weeping chrysanthemum cherry.” A small tree, noted at most 13 feet tall, arching and more or less weeping from a top-graft. Tends to be gawky and thinly furnished. Flowers medium-sized, extremely double, with 50-70 (110) petals, dark pink. Young foliage faintly bronze, very soon green. Leaves dark, narrower than those of most sato zakura, and exceptionally glossy; prominently edged with incised teeth; stem rich red.
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Takasago
Takasago or Prunus Sieboldii. Naden cherry. Japanese: Naden or Musha Zakura. The Takasago name refers to a classical song that praises the cherry blossoms of Takasago Island (Taiwan). Others say Takasago means “Good health and long life.” Not invariably considered in the sato zakura group. Flowers medium sized, single or (usually) semi-double (9-15 petals), pale pink, borne in compact clusters like snowballs; fragrant. Occasionally the flowers and leaves develop at the same time, in which event the flowers are paler, almost white, and more nearly single, with longer common stalks (peduncles). Young foliage yellow-brown to reddish-bronze, coated on both sides with persistent, fine hairs. Growth very slow; congested and twiggy.
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Temari
Temari. Name means “ball,” referring to the flower clusters. Tree broadly rounded, of moderate strength. Buds deep red. Flowers double, (15) 20-25 (30) petals, pale pink, with some leafy carpels in the center; in compact, heavy balls. Young foliage tardy to appear, very faintly bronze, essentially green. Leaves often rounded at apex.
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Far more information is in the 2nd edition of my book Trees of Seattle; it lists many more. Likely, a few, such as Tai Haku and Royal Burgundy, are present in Montlake, but I did not see them in my hasty survey.
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Arthur Lee Jacobson is a Montlake resident, arborist and plant expert. Visit his website here.

Union Bay Watch: Spring blossoms bring out hungry Cooper’s Hawk

Images: unionbaywatch.com

Spring is here according to the cherry blossoms and lil’ ducklings putzing around in the Arboretum. But as Union Bay Watch notes, times are not “all sweetness and light.” This week’s reportage takes a long look at the Cooper’s Hawk — its identifying markings, stretching habits and favorite foods. Follow along on a lunchtime hunt, here, if you have the stomach for it. Rest assured, the other bird doesn’t.

This is also a good time to notice the relatively large claws…

Union Bay Watch: Elvis and The Red-Headed Relative

This week Elvis has been seen three times working in the park near the mouth of Arboretum Creek. Usually he is working away towards the top of one of the standing alders.ImageHowever on Monday he spent enough time working on this fallen log to allow a short video.

Near by a smaller relative with similar markings has been working as well.ImageThis bird is either a Downy or a Hairy Woodpecker. Do you know how to tell the difference?

Learn the difference and see the Elvis video on Union Bay Watch.

Union Bay Watch: The First Sign of Spring

These beautiful young owlets may very well be some of the first Washington birds hatched in 2013.

Image: unionbaywatch.com

Image: unionbaywatch.com

While this photo is not from our neighborhood there is a good chance that young Great Horned Owlets may be residing in the Arboretum. You may want to keep your eyes peeled if you go for a walk in the Arboretum around dusk. GHOs are primarily night time hunters and daytime tree potatoes. Learn more about what the young ones look like and how they behave at UBW. Owlets from the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge.

State of the Union Bay

20130212-122753.jpgUnion Bay Watch has fulfilled its constitutional duty by providing its annual State of the Union Bay address:

…There are three pairs of eagles nesting in the Union Bay area. There is a colony of Great Blue Herons that nest on the UW campus. Last year there were Pileated Woodpeckers and Barred Owls raising young in Interlaken Park and more in the Arboretum…

Read the rest, including a look around the bay at the state of animal life, here.

Union Bay Watch: Pileated Woodpecker stakes claim to Foster Island *UPDATE* Pecked branch in danger of collapse *UPDATE 2* Arborist plans controversial “natural fracture” prune

Elvis the Woodpecker. Images: unionbaywatch.com

Originally published January 27, 2013. See below for ongoing updates…

A young Pileated Woodpecker moved onto Foster Island this week, impressing passersby with his buzzsaw beak pecking away at a dead tree. Union Bay Watch has details on the woodpecker’s new housing project, complete with relative dimensions and the time it took to build. Hint? Not much.

Congrats to UBW for joining the Seattle Times Community (Nature) News Partnership!

**UPDATE** February 5, 9am:

Union Bay Watch reports young Elvis has pecked so many holes in a large tree branch in the Arboretum that it is now in danger of collapse. The branch apparently was first weakened by critters, and then by Elvis’ pecker beak, as he drills after the little critters — for him a tasty snack. Arboretum authorities have been notified, but in the meantime, keep an eye out for this tree branch overhanging the trail to Foster Island.

Image: unionbayatch.com

**UPDATE** February 7th, 10:15am:

UBW has posted a response from an arborist at UW Botanical Gardens regarding the precarious branch, with plans for a “natural branch fracture” prune just above the woodpeckers critter buffet:

Yes, we are well aware of the situation and have been monitoring for the past week.

Several factors go into a risk assessment regarding trees, wildlife and people. The health and vigor of the tree are taken into account. The potential for damage and the likelihood of that tree or branch failing are also taken into consideration. Lastly, the value of urban wildlife plays a large role in the management of the WPA. Mitigation options including pruning, cabling, or tree removal…or remove the target (trail and people).

In this case, the tree (Chinese empress tree) has been in decline for many years. The branch is probably more likely to fail due to the woodpecker, but I would still consider the risk to be moderate. In the past, closing and re-routing trails has limited effectiveness. Removing the entire branch removes the wildlife habitat (bad) and creates a large wound on the main trunk of the tree (also bad).

I prefer a pruning solution that retains the habitat, while minimizing risk to visitors. This type of pruning would attempt to mimic a natural branch fracture slightly above the woodpeckers feeding site. Pruning in this manner has been controversial as it does not represent a “correct” pruning cut in the traditional sense. However, I think it may be the best course of action in this incident.

There ya go. Danger averted. Meanwhile, commenters wonder who is at fault here — the woodpecker? the critters? the arborist? Or should we just sue the pants off Mother Nature herself?

Image: unionbaywatch.com

A Mystery Bird at Magnuson Park

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In the last month this type of bird has been seen a half a dozen times at Magnuson Park. It would not be surprising for it to visit the Union Bay Natural Area as well. Both areas are prime hunting grounds for this bird. Know what it is? Union Bay Watch has the scoop. Best read up, you never know when you might get the chance to SEO this beautiful bird. Here is the link.