Mary's Mystery Tree and More!

Having never been to the Pacific Northwest before, this very different tree attracted my attention.

So I took many pictures and looked for leaves it had dropped to take home for identification.  I only found a couple of leaves:  shiny deep green, leathery, no teeth; and very distinctive peeling orange-brown bark.  This would be easy to identify.

Well, maybe not.  Without my tree identification books, I "googled" it: "Washington State deciduous trees" and at least 10 other variations on leaves and bark and location.  Finally, I ended up on someone's blog talking about peeling bark, and the lights went on for me.  This is NOT a deciduous tree!  It is an evergreen!

Pacific madrona (Arbutus menziesii)

Pacific madrona or madrone Arbutus menziesii.  I don't come across a broad leaf evergreen in my daily comings and goings, so hadn't even thought in that vein!  No wonder I couldn't find many of its leaves on the ground.


Rainforest find number 2.  Am I in Florida?  No, I can see my breath!

  I am on Whidbey Island in Washington State.  And this is "Witch's Hair."

Probably Alectoria sarmentosa, though maybe a different species.

Amazingly different!

We played on the beaches for a long while, inspecting driftwood, seaweed, and rocks.  I loved the variations of granite I found.

I was also getting good help!

A wonderful day and unbelievably NO RAIN!!!!!