Drosera and Utricularia Fen, Mt. Hood National Forest, OR
Aug 30, 2020 22:59:24 GMT -5
kiwiearl, almightydolla, and 10 more like this
Post by calen on Aug 30, 2020 22:59:24 GMT -5
This weekend I decided to check out a large fen near Mt. Hood about 90 minutes from my house. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but the place is huge: perhaps 3/4 of a mile long and maybe 1/3 mile wide. Multiple seep heads and creeks intermix with small treelines, all on a gentle slope. The habitat is at between 3000 and 4000 feet, and sees heavy snow in winter. Most wildflowers had finished up for the season, but I still caught some interesting things. When I visited it was 75 degrees and cloudless, the snowy volcano presiding over the scene.
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
Sedges (Carex spp.) dominate the open seepage areas and there is no Sphagnum to be found in these areas.
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
The top layer of soil is a reddish brown peat muck, and there are scads of Drosera rotundifolia everywhere.
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
In much of the fen there is a shallow layer of flowing water sheeting across the ground. In some places the Drosera were growing floating in several inches of water as well.
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
Also quite ubiquitous was a species of Utricularia - if anyone has an ID on this guy, please chime in!
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
The bladderwort favored the areas with the most water, being found in pretty much all the rivulets, small pools, and flowing water sheets. The dreadlock-looking things in this shot are goop-covered Utricularia rhizoids (they are loaded with traps under the sediment, but I didn't get any good shots...)
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
In some areas the water table was a bit lower and trees were still able to (barely) hang on.
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
To my surprise, the second I got in amongst the stunted trees, Sphagnum appeared. Here the sundews were if anything more dense even though the light was much dimmer.
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
Even noticed some sporulating Sphagnum!
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
Out in the sedge fen a Spiranthes orchid species was quite common, and in perfect flower since they are late summer bloomers.
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
There were two species of Platanthera orchid found here, a large green species that was completely out of flower, and this lovely white species (probably P. dilatata) that was juuuust barely still in flower.
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
If you look carefully you can see the drosera have already formed their dormant resting buds and are no longer growing new carnivorous leaves. It won't be long before the first frost at this habitat.
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
Some of the creeks were kinda deep! There is some serious bog iron forming under the ground here, with oily-looking rusty ooze seeping out in places and the entire soil layer having a distinctly iron oxide hue to it.
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
Sedges (Carex spp.) dominate the open seepage areas and there is no Sphagnum to be found in these areas.
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
The top layer of soil is a reddish brown peat muck, and there are scads of Drosera rotundifolia everywhere.
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
In much of the fen there is a shallow layer of flowing water sheeting across the ground. In some places the Drosera were growing floating in several inches of water as well.
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
Also quite ubiquitous was a species of Utricularia - if anyone has an ID on this guy, please chime in!
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
The bladderwort favored the areas with the most water, being found in pretty much all the rivulets, small pools, and flowing water sheets. The dreadlock-looking things in this shot are goop-covered Utricularia rhizoids (they are loaded with traps under the sediment, but I didn't get any good shots...)
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
In some areas the water table was a bit lower and trees were still able to (barely) hang on.
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
To my surprise, the second I got in amongst the stunted trees, Sphagnum appeared. Here the sundews were if anything more dense even though the light was much dimmer.
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
Even noticed some sporulating Sphagnum!
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
Out in the sedge fen a Spiranthes orchid species was quite common, and in perfect flower since they are late summer bloomers.
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
There were two species of Platanthera orchid found here, a large green species that was completely out of flower, and this lovely white species (probably P. dilatata) that was juuuust barely still in flower.
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
If you look carefully you can see the drosera have already formed their dormant resting buds and are no longer growing new carnivorous leaves. It won't be long before the first frost at this habitat.
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr
Some of the creeks were kinda deep! There is some serious bog iron forming under the ground here, with oily-looking rusty ooze seeping out in places and the entire soil layer having a distinctly iron oxide hue to it.
Untitled by Calen Hall, on Flickr