LAB 2 TREES/BIRDS,INSECTS ID Flashcards
Western Red Cedar – TREE OF B.C.
Thuja plicata
- Establishes well on mineral substrate (Cedars & Douglas Firs)
- very flat, scale-like leaves with white ‘butterfly’ markings on the underside
- needs wet, rich soils; cool climates
- red bark looks like it can be peeled off
- 60 metres tall!
- egg-shaped cones – looks like wooden, little flowers
- Indigenous ppls used these cedars A LOT – ‘tree of life’ (bark, wood, leaves for medicine). They didn’t just fell entire trees – they removed strips off the bark or took off certain branches or used fallen trees for canoes, shelter, fires.
Western White Pine
Pinus monticola (means ‘inhabiting mtns’)
- Cones are very long, with prominent spikey edges on each seed
- Needles in GROUPS OF 5: W.H.I.T.E. (5 letters, 5 needles)
- very tall pine – 60 metres!
- lives in a variety of soil: peat bogs, rocky soil, sandy soil. Needs rich nutriets and well drained.
- Indigenous used to make medicine out of the boughs (still can do this!)
- wood is strong and has excellent tensile strength so great for carving. Good for furniture and construction of homes.
- susceptible to blister rust (difficult to control)
(Eastern: Pinus strobus)
Lodgepole Pine (or Shore Pine)
Pinus contorta
- Very tolerant of salt, so grows well with Sitka Spruces on the West Coast shorelines. In the interior (drier), generally groups with Picea glauca, Betula papyrifera, Populus tremula.
- needles in GROUPS OF 2
- Evergreen, coniferous
- compact, short, hard pinecones
- pollen cones are very prominent: long and orange-red
Douglas Fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii (“SU-do-SU-ga men-see-ZEE-eye”)
- leaves are flat needles with white stripes underneath, arranged in spiral pattern around the stem
- unique, ‘devil-tongued’ cones
- great, orangey christmas smell when the needles are crushed
Extremely tall, found codominantly with Hemlocks, establishes well on mineral substrate (Cedars & Firs).
Slightly acidic, poorly draining sandy soil, well-aerated though. Good as a xmas tree! Fast growing )1-3 “
Tsuga heterophylla (“SU-ga”)
Western Hemlock
(Eastern: Tsuga canadensis)
- To 60 metres (175-200’)!
- Hardy up to Zone 6.
- Canadian native
- cones are numerous and tiny
- leaves are flat, glossy, soft, with white stripes underneath and UNEQUAL in lengths.
On the wetter coast of Vancouver and down the valley, this tree codominates with Picea sitchensis (Sitka Spruce) due to establishing well on organic base.
In the drier parts in the Western Cascade range, it codominates in forests with Douglas Fir due to more minerals bases to establish saplings.
Since 2015, web rot (Rhizoctonia butinii) has affected hemlocks – and maybe douglas fir’s too – due to droughts and high temps in the summer
Oregon Grape
Mahonia aquifolium –
* has large balls of yellow flowers.
* Shiny leaves, (compound) pinnately arranged, with slight spine-tipped leaves, turns bronzey/reddish in Autumn
* Flowers are bright yellow, terminal racemes in Spring
* Blueberry-like fruit.
* Shade plant, moist soil, acidic soil
(Mahonia nervosa)
Broadleaf Maple
Acer macrophyllum
- 40-75 feet tall.
- Moist, slightly acidic soil.
- Along coast from Alaska down to BC.
- Prefers full sun to part shade, in cool, summer temperatures, NOT hot & humid.
- Shallow root system will crack driveways and sidewalks. Best in large, open spaces as a shading tree.
- largest maple in Canada
- clusters of greenish-yellowish flowers (spike)
Vine Maple
Acer circinatum (“sir-sin-NAT-um”)
- Closely related to Japanese Maple and considered a great landscaping tree. 2nd latin name = rounded.
- Great for moist conditions of coast.
- 10-25 tall x 20 ft wide.
- Showy red-green bark.
- Prefers cooler summer in part-shade
- Delicate cascading branches. Hardy down to Zone 4/5.
- Rich, fertile soil.
Douglas Maple (aka Rocky Mountain Maple)
Acer glabrum
Named after British botanist, David Douglas, which the Douglas Fir was also named after!
- Shady, moist acidic soil, little wind.
- 3-lobed leaf with U-shaped seeds
- Semi-shade to shaded areas.
- Can do sandy, clay, loamy soils but needs to be well drained.
- Great colourful foliage in Autumn.
- lobed leaves, serrateddo
Obtuse shape, Pinnate veination
Red Alder
Alnus rubra
Red referring to inside of bark. Only found on West coast from Alaska down to California.
Red Alder grows rapidly and can reach 40-80 feet (15-25m). It is relatively short-lived and rarely lives past 100 years.
Thin grey bark can be confused with Paper birch – also has long catkins in the spring that produce a lot of pollen.
Moist woods & stream banks. Considered an advantage in ecological restoration b/c it grows quickly in disturbed landscapes AND can improve soil fertility because nitrogen-fixation bacteria grows on the roots (mycorrhizae). Many consider it a ‘weed tree’ though!
Black Cottonwood (or Balsam Poplar)
Populus balsamifera (pop-U-lus bal-sam-EE-fer-uh”)
- 80-130 feet (25-40 metres).
- Hardy down to Zone 1. Sun.
- 2nd name refers to ointment indigenous ppls used to make from the sticky buds and twigs.
- waxy, glossy, thick leaves
- fluffy seeds can be seen floating in May/June
- grows very fast! 200-300 yr lifespan.
- Not a good landscaping tree as it grows too fast and the sticky, orange buds are very sticky.
Trailing Blackberry
Rubus ursinus
Fruit is aggregation of drupes (fleshy fruit with a central stone, like peaches, cherries, apricots, nectarine, coconuts)
Very important food source for animals, as it’s low growing and can grow in disturbed landscapes. Used to treat diarrhea and dysentary by indigenous ppls and is even in some medicines today.
Will easily grown (invade) open areas, disturbed sites, roadsides, ditches, stream banks, etc.
Himalayan Blackberry
Rubus armeniacus
- invasive, from Armenia and Iran
- spreads by roots and stem fragments so can easily spread even when a cane simply touches the ground
- This blackberry and Rubus bifrons are both invasive blackberry bramble shrubs.
- thorns
- flowers, small and white/pink with 5 petals, berries are black
Salmonberry
Rubus spectabilis
Rubus for ‘red’ and spectabilis for the spectacular flowers and berries. Considered part of the bramble family of shrubs. Forms a dense thicket, 4 metres wide (12 ft).
400-750 varieties of this on all continents except Antarctica.
Red Huckleberry
Vaccinium parvifolium
- Small shrub, 4-10 ft (1-3 metres),
- Hardy down to Zone 5.
- Alaska down to California.
- Found on mossy, rotting logs or stumps.
- Vaccinium genus includes cranberries and blueberries, lingonberries.
- easily recognized with ripe red berries, leaves are tiny, oval, smooth,
- single urn-shaped pink flowers.
Red Elderberry
Sambucus racemosa
- ‘Racemosa’ comes from flowers which are elongated inflorescences, called racemes.
- Moist sites, open shady forests, a big shrub essentially
- has hollow stems
- Unpleasant odour when any part of the shrub is crushed!
- pinnately arranged leaves, lanceolate.
- tiny white flowers – red berries
Tolerant of bad soils, good for ecological restoration.
Dogwood
Cornus spp
Japanese dogwood variety
Quaking Aspen
Populus tremuloides
The name ‘trembling or quaking’ comes from the petioles being flat and this allows the leaves to shake. From a distance, this looks like the tree is trembling (sounds like a swishing sound too). Autumn brings brilliant yellow colour.
15-18 metres (50-60 ft). Bark is white with black horizontal marks.
Oak
Quercus
Elliptic leaf-shape
Arbutus Tree
Arbutus menziesii
- Unique tree on west coast of North America.
- Broadleafed Evergreen. Hardy to Zone 7.
- 6-20 metres (20-65 feet)
- Mature bark, reddish/brown, sheds frequently
- Named after Scottish physician and naturalist, Archibald Menzies.
Western Pacific Yew
Taxus brevifolia
- red berries
- despite soft leaves, the strong and hard wood was used for bows, canoes, harpoons, fish spears by indigenous
- Bark is a natural source of taxol, a drug used to treat breat, ovarian, and lung cancers.
(Ontario: Taxus baccata)
Cordate shaped leaves
False Lily-of-the-Valley
Maianthemum dilatatum
- Ground cover with cordate leaves, 20 cm tall
- Native to BC.
- Fruit is poisonous, after small white flowers on upright stem in middle.
- Prefers to moist, shady spots, rich, but well-drained.
- Can be found commonly under trees, especially around Sitka Spruce.
Common Snowberry
Symphoricarpos albus
In honeysuckle family.
Sympori “bear together”
carpos “ fruits”
albus “white’
- Only 1-3 metres tall.
- Dry - moist open, forests, clearings & rocky slopes.
- !Leaves can be lobed like a mulberry tree or simply oval (ovate)
- Fruit are white berry-like drupes with 2
Blooms: May - August.
Fruits: Sept-October (largely poisonous)
Thimbleberry
Rubus parviflorus
parviflorus “small flowered” (but it actually has the largest flowers of all the Rubus plants
Growth: 0.5 - 3metres only
Flowers: May onwards
Fruits: red berries, aggregates of drupes, like a thimble (looks like raspberry)
Leaves : pubescent on both sides, deeply lobed
Habitat : found in moist to dry open woods, edges, open fields, and along shorelines.
Just like Rubus spectabilis (Salmonberry), this is within the bramble family and there are about 400-750 species.
Sitka Mountain Ash
Sorbus sitchensis
(True Ashes belong to the unrelated Fraxinus genus)
Alaska down to Oregon, only on West coast. Occurrence increases with precipitation and elevation.
- 1-4 metres (3-12 feet) only.
- Blooms in June/July and fruits in September. Flowers in flat-topped cymes.
- Berries eaten by bears, birds and small animals. Twigs and leaves eaten by elk, moose, & deer.
- pinnately compound leaves (central stem with a many leaves coming off that central stem)
Indian Plum
Oemleria cerasiformis ‘name of naturalist’ + ‘cherry-shaped’.
Native to Vancouver and Victoria, and down the coast to California
* lance shaped leaves
* smells like cucumber when crushed
* before leaves generally, clusters of 5-lobed flowers bloom out which turn into peachy coloured fruit, then deep purpled colour.
*
Growth : 1.5 - 7 metres
Twinberry honeysuckle
Lonicera involucrata
- ‘involucrata’ refers to bracts that are around the actual little flowers and eventually, fruits
- flowers: sweetly scented, kids generally will suck on the base of the flowers as a treat,
- 0.5 m-3 metres
Salal
Gaultheria shallon (named after Canadian botanist and physician)
- evergreen shrub
- grows slowly, but can grow up to 6 ft in SHADY conditions
- Oval shaped leaves, flowers white to pink
- berries are edible
Scotch Broom
Cytisus scoparius
- Invasive from Western and central Europe (In Scotland and Ireland, simply called Broom)
- Yellow flowers in spring/summer
- Reminds me of the Forsythia plant, which is one of the earliest blooming shrubs in Canada:)
Horse Chestnut tree
Aesculus hippocastanum
* leaves in palmate pattern
* blooms in May, white flowers in upright terminal panicles (which is a stem with many branching racemes)
* each panicle turns into 1-5 fruit (brown nut-like)
Japanese Knotweed
Fallopia japonica
- Invasive species from Eastern Asia.
Damages concrete, bricks, asphalt. - Hollow, smooth, green to red stems.
- Aggressive bamboo-like growth that outcompetes local flora.
- Grows in a variety of landscapes including wetlands and ditches and open fields.
- Grows by rhizomes.
- Small, white flowers in compact branching panicles.
Sword Fern
Lady Fern
Bracken Fern
Deer Fern
Canada Goose
* nest on the ground
* habitat: marshes
* signature white chinstrap marking
* flies in V-formation
Gadwall
* will snatch food from other ducks emerging from the water
* males are patterns of brown with just the white patch on the rear part of the wing
* females will lay 1 egg a day for 7-12 days.
American Widgeon
* males have white blaze on forhead with green stripe behind eyes
Mallard
* green iridescent head (purple rare head is the rare variant)
* nests on the ground, near lakes/ponds
* yellow beak
* strong fliers @ 88 km/hr!
Northern Shoveler
* scooped, long beak!
* marshes
* omnivore, too!
* rusty on the side, green head, black tail
* Female has orange beak
Northern Pintail
* marshes, ground
* signature white stripe down it’s brown head
* as soon as ice melts, they start mating - as in as soon as the ice starts to thaw in N.W.T., they start.
Ring-necked Duck
* distinctive peaked head
* does have extremely dark brown ring on neck that can only be seen close up
* dives for food underwater
* gleaming grey and black and white
Green-winged Teal
*male has cinnamon coloured head with green stripe.
* males and females have a green stripe on the rear wing
* smallest dabbler duck
Pied-billed Grebe
* eats aquatic fish/crustaceans/invertebrates/insects/amphibians!
* part-bird, part-submarine, small duck!
* bills turn silver/black in the summer
* marshes, lakes, estuaries, sluggish rivers
American Coot
* surface dives for food
* tiny head, bigger body
* red eyes
* white beak/dark body
*
- Great Blue Heron
- tall, majestic flying bird
- eats fish
- generally founds in waterways, ponds
- Despite height, only weight 5-6 lbs due to hollow bones
- nests in a tree!
Western sandpiper
- Food: aquatic invertebrates
- found on shorelines, nests on the ground
- long, black beak
Killdeer
- feed on insects
- grasslands
- jolting run, in spurts, very graceful
- dry habitats
- uses ‘broken wing’ act to lure predators away
Glaucous-winged Gull
- yellow beak
- grey wings
- yellow legs
- breeds readily with other gulls
- ominivores
Ring-Billed Gull
- black ring around yellow beak
- black tipped tail
Double-Crested Cormorant
- solid, heavy-boned birds are experts at diving for fish
- matte black feathers
- red/orange beak area
Osprey
- diver of fish
- nests in trees
- success rate of their fishing is about every 12 min or 1/4 times they dive!
- Go feet first when diving and can reverse their toe so they have 2 in front and 1 in back to hold fish. Bottoms of feet have barbs to hold onto fish and they face the fish head-first when flying to reduce wind resistance
- extremely long endurance when migrating (4300 km in 12 days!)
Northern Harrier
- eats mammals, like mice
- nests on the ground
- grasslands
- aerial diver
- notice white marking on very long tail
Anna’s Hummingbird
*
Rufous Hummingbird
Northern Flicker
- ground eaters: beetles, ants
- a type of woodpecker
- red flash on the wings
Barn Swallow
- grasslands
- insects
- barns/other buildings
- cup-shaped nests made of mud
- forked tail
Tree Swallow
- insects
- aerial diver
- lakes and ponds
- white fronts/ blue backs
Purple Martin
- iridescent blue on backs with black tails and wings
- smaller than Robin, but bigger than Tree Swallow
- eat dragonflies and other insects in mid-air
European Starling
- all descended from a group of 100 released in New York by a group of Shakespeare enthusiasts who wanted to have the same birds in North America that was mentioned in his books
Yellow Warbler
- nest in shrubs in open woodlands
- eats insects (no birdfeeders)
- Brown-Headed Cowbird parasitizes this bird’s nests (along with Marsh Wren & Common Yellowthroat)
- very bright yellow with brown streaks
Yellow-rumped Warbler
- nests in trees in forests
- eats insects
- very versatile foragers
- distinct yellow on throat AND rump
Common Yellowthroat
- nests in shrubs
- eats insects
- raccoon mask on face, with streak of white at back
- skulks through shrubs, generally at marshes/wetlands
- Brown-Headed Cowbirds often parisitize this bird’s nest (and does it to the little Marsh Wren, too)
Savannah Sparrow
- nests on the ground in grasslands
- insects
- high thin songs
- tell-tale yellow spot on head
*
White-crowned Sparrow
- nests on ground
- prefers to scrounge seeds from ground
- incredible flying endurance
- songs are particular to each area (there are dialects)
Song Sparrow
* nests in shrubs in open woodlands, or by ponds
* huge songster!
*
American Goldfinch
* nests in shrubs in open woodlands
* eats seeds (sunflower/nyjer)
* short, yellow conical bill
* mainly bright yellow with some black and tiny bit of white
House Finch
* likes sunflowers at birdfeeders and may just bring 50 of his mates with him next time!
* babies are exclusively fed vegetarian even though most birds feed their young protein together with plants when quickly growing
* red colour dependent on amount of colour in food (during molting)
*
Black-headed Grosbeak
* black, white, cinnamon
* big song!
* eats insects (& sunflower seeds!)
* nests in forests in trees
* winters in Mexico and eats the Monarch’s but since they are toxic, they eat them in 8 day cycles
