Pictures of the Week 12.6.13

Somewhere in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, summer 2010. Day one of a two day trip, several hours in. 

Somewhere in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, summer 2010. Day one of a two day trip. 

Somewhere in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, summer 2010. Day one of a two day trip. 

Somewhere in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, summer 2010. 

Somewhere in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, summer 2010. 

Somewhere in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, summer 2010. 

Somewhere in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, summer 2010.

Somewhere in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, summer 2010.

Close up of a slime mold, species unknown to me. Slime molds have some characteristics of fungi and some characteristics of Protists like amebas. They form masses that are capable of moving by themselves during some stages of their life history. At other stages they are more sedentary with limited movement like fungi. This is a close up of what might be a fruiting body of a slime mold. Slime molds can also be yellow or pink to red and probably other colors as well.   

Columbian monk's hood (Aconitum columbianum). I found this particular plant on a mountainside on the south side of the Suiattle River. From my observations there is a large hole in this specie's distribution in the North Cascades. I have run into it somewhat frequently south of the south side of the Suiattle River but not north of it, except for some near Rainy Pass. This doesn't mean that it doesn't occur where I haven't seen it, it just means that, for any number of reasons,  I haven't seen it north of the Suiattle. This plant is a member of the Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae). 

Marsh marigold (Caltha biflora). This plant is a member of the Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae). It grows in large clumps on ground where water is very close to, or at, the surface of the ground and quite commonly on sloping wet meadows. Many of the areas I can think of where I have seen this species are at around 3000 to 4000 feet in elevation where the forest has more openings. This plant will often almost completely overgrow wet meadows. Its roots are edible if they are cooked (usually boiled). The interesting thing about this photo is that the flowers of this species are usually white with yellow stamens. Sometimes the petals of plants with white flowers will age to a pink color, Trilliums are a good example of this phenomenon. This is not the case in the photo above. I observed many plants near the one pictured, with flowers in various stages of opening and all had pink petals. I have probably walked through miles of these plants and I have only seen pink flowers twice.