Professor Emeritus Karl Holte

Early spring (March) Marvin and I applied for a three day class on “Wildflowers of the Great Basin” offered by the Malheur Field Station (MFS) and taught by professor emeritus Karl Holte.

No acknowledgment was received from MFS but our check cleared the bank so we assumed we were in the class. Eventually Karl called and told us what to expect and what to bring so we were ready. We would be on our own for meals as a lack of staffing at the Field Station no longer allowed for providing meals.

We arrived a day early and Lyla (field office) checked us in. Duncan (field office) suggested we stay at Pelican dormitory (newly air conditioned) instead of a trailer which we appreciated. He gave us the grand tour and we settled in for the night.

July 3, help 2008: Class didn’t start until evening so we had the day free for exploring. We drove to the Steens Mountain but found the north entrance gate closed and locked… we headed for Diamond Craters and visited the Round Barn built by Peter French. That evening we met with instructor Karl Holte, his aide Dick Anderson and the rest of the class (six of us).

After class we discovered how dark night could be in the desert, no moon, far from city lights, and wished we had included a flashlight with our camera gear.

That night we discovered we had company at Pelican but met Ellen and Jef (with one “f”) the next morning. They were passing through on vacation. Ellen was celebrating a birthday milestone and husband Jef was treating her to some unusual Oregon places. They thought they might be sharing the kitchen with some college kids based on the botany books laying about, beer in the fridge along with a box of ding-dongs (actually holding something else more wholesome and nutritious).

July 4, 2008: Our first day in the field: The van provided for the class wasn’t large enough for all of us so we drove our own rig. My Dodge 4WD pickup was suitable for the worst of roads but was limited for passengers. Karl provided us with a walky-talky so we didn’t miss out on any of his comments enroute. We checked out the desert flora at Saddle Butte on the way to Frenchglen, then headed for the Steens.

Mariposa Lily
Calochortus macrocarpus near Steens Mountain north gate

The north gate opened that morning at 08:00 although spring had not yet made it to the top of the hill. There were plenty of wildflowers to see and the mountain scenery was magnificent.

On return we stopped at the Frenchglen Hotel for a cup of coffee (and a huge, sinful, chocolate chip cookie)… just in time to hear the dinner group sing happy birthday to Ellen.

Karl hosted the evening class at his trailer… providing refreshments… the rest of us brought what munchies we had for a pot luck. The conversation was far ranging and boisterous, no doubt fueled by the refreshments.

July 5, 2008: Karl wanted us to see Roaring Springs Ranch… an oasis in the desert where a hillside of springs provides for some unusual flora and fauna.

We then headed for Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge with numerous stops along the way to examine typical desert vegetation. Resident staff opened the store for us so we could buy the obligatory T-shirt and coffee cup.

Back at MFS that night we spent time with the microscopes and working with keys to identify the plants we had collected for that purpose.

July 6, 2008: This morning we found our truck and a flat tire… running the gravel roads had taken its toll. The group was a bit smaller this morning so we squeezed into the van for a half day tour of the marsh around the Field Station. Karl had an air pump so we pumped the tire and hoped for the best.

July 7, 2008: We were packed and ready to go but alas, the tire was nearly flat again. We pumped it up one more time and then headed for Les Schwab’s Tire Store at Burns about thirty miles distant… the tire held air sufficiently and we bought two new tires to replace our two worst tires… and, we headed for home after taking a side trip through the mountains between Burns and Prineville.

Synopsis: We had a great time… Professor Emeritus Karl Holte is a national treasure… Dick was an able assistant. The group was compatible and each member added essential elements to the experience. The class is highly recommended. We’ll be back.

byLarry

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Traveling With Marvin

Fishing at Chickahominy Reservoir

May 21, 2008: We were planning to go fishing at Chickahominy Reservoir, tucked into the high desert country in the northwest corner of Harney County, OR, about 30 miles west of Burns, just off highway 20. The terrain is mostly volcanic rocks with sagebrush and juniper for greenery. The lake is not visible from the highway but you might notice a small city of RV’s using the fee campground managed by the United States Department of the Interior (USDI-BLM).

Traffic on highway 20 rolls along well above the posted limit of 55 mph so check your mirrors before you slow down for the exit to the campground and use your turn signals early. For safety’s sake, if we are meeting traffic, we usually go past the access road heading east then return west bound so we can make the turn off the highway to the right instead of parking on the highway waiting for oncoming traffic to clear so we can make the left turn.

Campsites are the “pull-through” type allowing for easy RV entrance and departure. Picnic tables and fire pits are provided although there is no firewood. Vault toilets are scattered throughout the camping area.

It is not unusual for the wind to blow from sunup to sunset. The good news is that the mosquitoes won’t bother you while the wind is blowing. It’s hot when the summer sun shines so fishing seems to be more popular early spring or late fall.

We came for the fishing. The limit is five per day and ten in possession. We catch and release anything under 14 inches. The ones we kept averaged about 17 inches.

When we arrived late afternoon on the 21st the wind was blasting about 40 mph with the outside air temperature at 40 degrees. Wind chill put the equivalent temperature about 10 degrees above zero, not fun for tent camping, but fortunately for us our friend, Richard, had a comfortable trailer that he was willing to share.

With the wind forming whitecaps on the lake fishing was out of the question. We opened a bottle of Burgundy and contemplated dinner.
byLarry

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Diary

Upper Table Rock

April 25, 2008: Upper Table Rock, near Medford, OR, is a nature preserve maintained in a cooperative effort between the BLM and the Nature Conservancy. Before the summer sun withdraws life sustaining moisture from the soil and vegetation a triumphant succession of wildflowers will bloom here. On any given day during the spring bloom you may find the parking lot serving the trail head full of cars.

Marvin and I were in the parking lot for Upper Table Rock. It was after one o’clock and we had a hill to climb.

Two empty school buses were waiting in the parking lot and as we readied our camera gear we could hear the children coming down the trail from the mountain. The noise they generated met the definition of cacophony. If you can imagine a combination of a gaggle of geese and a flock of turkeys in full cry the resultant sound would be close to what we heard. Within a few minutes about 60 children were lined up at the two vault toilets at the trailhead.

As the children traded goodbyes to each other we headed up the trail. An elevation gain of 800 feet in a little over a mile puts the trail in the steep category. We took our time going up the hill, looking for blooms, stopping often to take pictures and catch our breath.

Two of our favorite flowers (Erythronium hendersonii and Calochortus tolmiei) bloom under the oaks found below the Table Rock rim but their season was very nearly past. Our least favorite plant, Poison oak (Rhus diversiloba), is very abundant on these hillsides and provides ample punishment for those foolish enough to leave the trail.

Scarlet Fritillaria
flower Scarlet Fritillaria Table Rocks 4/25/2008 Jackson County

Near the summit we found a dandy display of Scarlet Fritillary (Fritillaria recurva). As we were photographing the blooms another hiker stopped to chat. It was Dr. Susan Mackinnon who climbs Table Rock often and plans to publish a wildflower book later this summer. We asked to be the first in our neighborhood to receive a copy.

As we sauntered across the meadow on the summit a butterfly challenged me for the right of way. It would fly out in front of me about ten feet, land, and then turn to face me. I was determined to get a closeup picture and finally did… it was a Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui).

Vanessa cardui
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) butterfly Upper Table Rock Jackson County

Because we were running out of allotted time we headed back to the parking lot. While we were loading our gear into the car we noticed a young woman come down the trail carrying an armful bouquet of Scarlet Fritillary!

Incomprehensible! The reader board at trail head clearly states not to pick the flowers. Anyone who visits this type of preserve should know not to pick the flowers. We drove five hours to be able to see these flowers and she managed to spoil the opportunity for all others to follow within a few thoughtless, inconsiderate, selfish moments. It occurred to me that I should take her picture and publish it on the internet. May she be forever cursed with poison oak rash for her efforts.

 

byLarry

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Catherine Creek

February 11, 2008: The day promised clear skies, temperature above 50 degrees and no wind so we elected to take the first field trip of the new year and drive to Catherine Creek located off Highway 14 near Lyle, WA. The promise delivered.

On the trails below the highway we found Grass Widows in bloom, the beginning of what will become with a few more warm days a carpet of magenta blossoms. We found three species of lomatium blooming, the tiny salt and pepper ‘Lomatium piperi”, the purple flowered “Lomatium columbianum” and the yellow flowered “Lomatium macrocarpum”. We also found one lonely saxifrage in bloom “Saxifraga integrifolia”. It was a delightful day.

Spring is here.

byLarry

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Diary

Inocybe fastigiata

November 13, 2007: Hamilton Mountain trail: Skamania County, WA: Inocybe fastigiata … am I sure of the species name? No. Most authors declare a microscope will be needed to positively identify all but a few species in this genus and I didn’t go to that extreme. But, it does look exactly like the picture in my copy of the Audubon Field Guide to North American Mushrooms. And, if it takes a microscope to separate the species I think I could call it what I wanted and no one would know the difference.

David Arora (Mushrooms Demystified) refers to the Inocybe genus as “a large, listless, and lackluster assemblage of mundane, malodorous brown mushrooms that are of little interest to the average mushroom hunter except that many are poisonous.”

Field characteristics easily place this mushroom in the genus Inocybe so perhaps I should identify it only as “Inocybe sp.” and let the experts worry about the species.

Ino = fiber; Cybe = head; Inocybe literally means “fiber head”. Fastigiat means “pointed”. Thus the name is descriptive of the mushroom.

As the mushroom matures the spores add brown to the color. These were found under Douglas fir trees along the Hamilton Mountain trail.

byLarry

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Mushrooms