Swamp Trail, Big Tree Ridge, Puget Power, Section Line Trail — May. 9, 2024

Issaquah Alps > Cougar Mountain

4 photos + video

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Outstanding Trip Reporter

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Wildflowers blooming

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Wild Ginger is blooming! One spot is just to the east of the giant Doug fir on the Big Tree trail, on the south/uphill side of the trail. Many of the blooms are in plain sight (I did use a light to get photo 1, these tend to grow in shaded places). Tiger Mt is exploding with plant growth, lots of shade from the canopy above and flowers every step of the way. There are lots of trailing blackberries in bloom which attract bees and bumblebees. There were lots of spring beauties out on this sunny day (photo 3), very pretty arctic stars (photo 4), and lots of other blooms (a few more flowers and pollinators in the slideshow, there are a few non natives in there, I can't shun them, especially when there's a pollinator on them).

I like the old road above Sunset Way that runs parallel to the Wetlands trail; you'll find baldhip roses (and other species of the rose family not yet blooming), western trumpet honeysuckle (photo 2), and lots of pollinators (albeit a lot of them on the many old-growth scotch brooms). By trying to identify the flowers on the open areas of Tiger, I am learning a lot of non-natives.

Seasonal progression on Tiger Mt

April 28-May 9 new blooms

Vanilla leaf

Plumed false Solomon’s seal

English plantain

Baldhip rose

Common chickweed

Foam flower

Creeping buttercup

Wild ginger

Trifolium subterranean

Small forget-me-not

Myosotis discolor, changing forget-me-not

Cornsalad, valeriana locusts

Bedstraw

Wood bittercress

Common Vetch

Western trumpet Honeysuckle

April 18-27

Pacific waterleaf

Stinky Bob

Mountain sweet cisely

Salal

Piggyback-plant

Arctic star

Maidenhair

large-leaf Avens

Ash

Bitter Cherry

Cultivated apple

Swamp currant

April 17

Hooker’s fairy bells

woodland strawberry

purple deadnettle

All started blooming between Mar 25 and April 13

Scotch broom

Western service berry

Pacific dogwood

Wild cherry

Big-leaf maple

Vine maple

Woodland forget-me-nots

Fragrant Fringe cup

Pacific Bleeding heart

Red flowering currant

Low Oregon grape

Red elderberry

Trillium

small-flowered nemophila

Siberian springbeauties

Common dandelion

annual water miner's-lettuce

Trailing blackberry

Shepherds cress

False Lily of the valley buds

Rhododendron

Bracken and sword ferns unfurling

Sitka willow, come and gone

3-15 evergreen violets in bloom (TMT and Hidden Forest intersection)

3-14 (60 and sunny) first butterfly (species unknown)

3-14 first pollinating moth (Puget power line)

3-14 willow on the Puget Power trail goes into bloom, working on the species

3-14 full flowers on mouse-ear cress or thalecress, gas line trail (Arabidopsis thaliana)

3-12 (upper 40's mostly sunny) first bee, tall Oregon grape above East Sunset

3-12 first pollinating beetle, tall Oregon grape above East Sunset

3-12 first bee, tall Oregon grape above East Sunset

3-11 first skunk cabbage bloom (gas line road, culvert near the big tree trail)

3-5 (sunny in the 40's) first hoverfly, first significantly sized fly family (midge or gnat)

3-2 first shoots, great or northern giant horsetail, swamp trail, water-covered portion (Equisetum telmateia)

3-2 flower buds, mouse-ear cress or thalecress, gas line trail (Arabidopsis thaliana)

3-1 flower buds, currant (probably red flowering) just above East Sunset Way trailhead

2-27 red huckleberry in bloom, multiple trails, (Vaccinium parvifolium) parvifolium means small-leafed

2-27 Pacific waterleaf shoots (Park Pointe)

2-27 sitka willow flower buds (gas line trail, end of Big Tree trail)

2-25 cherry plum blooming (Tradition Lake loop)

2-24 first moths (American idia, small, tan-orange, same species that came out first last year)

2-24 colt's foot in bloom, poo poo point trail

2-22 salmonberry flowers (Swamp trail)

2-22 tall Oregon grape flowers open (Power Line above Sunset Way)

2-17 stinging nettle shoots

2-14 colt's foot flower buds (Poo Poo Point trail)

2-13 colt's foot (Petasites frigidus) shoots appear (section line, they must have been many days earlier on the Poo Poo point trail)

2-13 red elderberry leaves (Sambucas racemosa)

2-8 tall Oregon grape flower buds (Mahonia aquifolium)

2-2 oso-berry flower (Oemleria cerasiformis)

2-1 male Pacific Wrens singing for mates and territory

Swamp Trail, Bonneville Trail, Puget Power — Apr. 14, 2024

Issaquah Alps > Tiger Mountain

4 photos

AlpsDayTripper

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Outstanding Trip Reporter

500

Wildflowers blooming

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It's one of my favorite times of the year on Tiger Mt, there's a massive explosion of plant growth. The tree blossoms are amazing, the wild cherries, big-leaf maples, and Pacific dogwood (photo 1) in particular. The reproductive shoots of the horsetails are producing spores (photo 2). They are yellow and tan in color, the non-reproductive are green. If you jostle them a bit, you'll see a cloud of spores. A new flower for me is the shepherd's cress (photo 3). You can find it in thick clumps in open areas on the plateau. The Pacific Bleeding heart is just coming out, the range of colors is beautiful (photo 4).

2024 events on Tiger Mt

All started blooming between Mar 25 and April 13

Scotch broom

Western service berry

Pacific dogwood

Wild cherry

Big-leaf maple

Vine maple

Woodland forget-me-nots

Fragrant Fringe cup

Pacific Bleeding heart

Red flowering currant

Low Oregon grape

Red elderberry

Trillium

small-flowered nemophila

Siberian springbeauties

Common dandelion

annual water miner's-lettuce

Trailing blackberry

Shepherds cress

False Lily of the valley buds

Rhododendron

Bracken and sword ferns unfurling

Sitka willow, come and gone

3-15 evergreen violets in bloom (TMT and Hidden Forest intersection)

3-14 (60 and sunny) first butterfly (species unknown)

3-14 first pollinating moth (Puget power line)

3-14 willow on the Puget Power trail goes into bloom, working on the species

3-14 full flowers on mouse-ear cress or thalecress, gas line trail (Arabidopsis thaliana)

3-12 (upper 40's mostly sunny) first bee, tall Oregon grape above East Sunset

3-12 first pollinating beetle, tall Oregon grape above East Sunset

3-12 first bee, tall Oregon grape above East Sunset

3-11 first skunk cabbage bloom (gas line road, culvert near the big tree trail)

3-5 (sunny in the 40's) first hoverfly, first significantly sized fly family (midge or gnat)

3-2 first shoots, great or northern giant horsetail, swamp trail, water-covered portion (Equisetum telmateia)

3-2 flower buds, mouse-ear cress or thalecress, gas line trail (Arabidopsis thaliana)

3-1 flower buds, currant (probably red flowering) just above East Sunset Way trailhead

2-27 red huckleberry in bloom, multiple trails, (Vaccinium parvifolium) parvifolium means small-leafed

2-27 Pacific waterleaf shoots (Park Pointe)

2-27 sitka willow flower buds (gas line trail, end of Big Tree trail)

2-25 cherry plum blooming (Tradition Lake loop)

2-24 first moths (American idia, small, tan-orange, same species that came out first last year)

2-24 colt's foot in bloom, poo poo point trail

2-22 salmonberry flowers (Swamp trail)

2-22 tall Oregon grape flowers open (Power Line above Sunset Way)

2-17 stinging nettle shoots

2-14 colt's foot flower buds (Poo Poo Point trail)

2-13 colt's foot (Petasites frigidus) shoots appear (section line, they must have been many days earlier on the Poo Poo point trail)

2-13 red elderberry leaves (Sambucas racemosa)

2-8 tall Oregon grape flower buds (Mahonia aquifolium)

2-2 oso-berry flower (Oemleria cerasiformis)

2-1 male Pacific Wrens singing for mates and territory

Swamp Trail, High School Trail, Puget Power — Mar. 5, 2024

Issaquah Alps > Tiger Mountain

4 photos + video

AlpsDayTripper

WTA Member

Outstanding Trip Reporter

500

Wildflowers blooming

13 people found this report helpful

There is no snow on Tradition plateau and only a few puddles and spots of mud. On this sunny day on Tiger Mt I saw the first non-tiny insects of the spring, a single hoverfly (photo 1, link to wiki below) and something in the fly family (a gnat or midge was google's guess, photo 2). As always there was a world of visual delights (photo 3 and more photos in the attached slideshow). The colder than average temperatures have slowed down some plant progression; I can for sure see that virtually no new salmon berries have been blooming.

Photo 4 is one of the fertile horsetail stems emerging on the swamp trail amongst the water-parsley. From wikipedia (link below) - (Horsetail) has separate green photosynthetic sterile stems, and pale yellowish non-photosynthetic spore-bearing fertile stems. The sterile stems, produced in late spring and dying down in late autumn, are 30–150 cm (rarely to 240 cm) tall (the tallest species of horsetail outside of tropical regions) and 1 cm diameter, heavily branched, with whorls of 14–40 branches, these up to 20 cm long, 1–2 mm diameter and unbranched, emerging from the axils of a ring of bracts. The fertile stems are produced in early spring before the sterile shoots, growing to 15–45 cm tall with an apical spore-bearing strobilus 4–10 cm long and 1–2 cm broad, and no side branches; the spores disperse in mid spring, with the fertile stems dying immediately after spore release. It also spreads by means of rhizomes that have been observed to penetrate 4 meters into wet clay soil, spreading laterally in multiple layers. Occasional plants produce stems that are both fertile and photosynthetic.

2024 spring milestones on Tiger Mt:

3-5 (sunny in the 40's) first hoverfly, first significantly sized fly family (midge or gnat)

3-2 first shoots, great or northern giant horsetail, swamp trail, water-covered portion (Equisetum telmateia)

3-2 flower buds, mouse-ear cress or thalecress, gas line trail (Arabidopsis thaliana)

3-1 flower buds, currant (probably red flowering) just above East Sunset Way trailhead

2-27 red huckleberry in bloom, multiple trails, (Vaccinium parvifolium) parvifolium means small-leafed

2-27 Pacific waterleaf shoots (Park Pointe)

2-27 sitka willow flower buds (gas line trail, end of Big Tree trail)

2-25 cherry plum blooming (Tradition Lake loop)

2-24 first moths (small, tan-orange, same species that came out first last year)

2-24 colt's foot in bloom, poo poo point trail

2-22 salmonberry flowers (Swamp trail)

2-22 tall Oregon grape flowers open (Power Line above Sunset Way)

2-17 stinging nettle shoots

2-14 colt's foot flower buds (Poo Poo Point trail)

2-13 colt's foot (Petasites frigidus) shoots appear (section line, they must have been many days earlier on the Poo Poo point trail)

2-13 red elderberry leaves (Sambucas racemosa)

2-8 tall Oregon grape flower buds (Mahonia aquifolium)

2-2 oso-berry flower (Oemleria cerasiformis)

2-1 male Pacific Wrens singing for mates and territory

Swamp Trail, Puget Power, Tradition Lake Loop — Mar. 3, 2024

Issaquah Alps > Tiger Mountain

4 photos

AlpsDayTripper

WTA Member

Outstanding Trip Reporter

500

Wildflowers blooming

9 people found this report helpful

The trails on Tradition plateau are not too muddy and are all snow-free. Even though it has been cool, from day to day there are noticeably more plants coming up, lots of bed straw, bleeding heart, large-leaf avens, Pacific waterleaf, youth-on-age, and more I can't identify. I saw my first horsetail shoots coming out of the water on the swamp trail and the first flower buds on a mouse-ear cress (photo 2). The cutleaf or evergreen blackberry (photo 1) takes on beautiful colors in the fall and winter. Sun breaks on a wet day make for fun water drop photos (3 & 4).

2024 spring milestones on Tiger Mt:

3-2 first shoots, great or northern giant horsetail, swamp trail, water-covered portion (Equisetum telmateia)

3-2 flower buds, mouse-ear cress or thalecress, gas line trail (Arabidopsis thaliana)

3-1 flower buds, currant (probably red flowering) just above East Sunset Way trailhead

2-27 red huckleberry in bloom, multiple trails, (Vaccinium parvifolium) parvifolium means small-leafed

2-27 Pacific waterleaf shoots (Park Pointe)

2-27 sitka willow flower buds (gas line trail, end of Big Tree trail)

2-25 cherry plum blooming (Tradition Lake loop)

2-24 first moths (small, tan-orange, same species that came out first last year)

2-24 colt's foot in bloom, poo poo point trail

2-22 salmonberry flowers (Swamp trail)

2-22 tall Oregon grape flowers open (Power Line above Sunset Way)

2-17 stinging nettle shoots

2-14 colt's foot flower buds (Poo Poo Point trail)

2-13 colt's foot (Petasites frigidus) shoots appear (section line, they must have been many days earlier on the Poo Poo point trail)

2-13 red elderberry leaves (Sambucas racemosa)

2-8 tall Oregon grape flower buds (Mahonia aquifolium)

2-2 oso-berry flower (Oemleria cerasiformis)

2-1 male Pacific Wrens singing for mates and territory

Swamp Trail, Section Line Trail, Nook Trail, Tradition Lake Loop — Feb. 27, 2024

Issaquah Alps > Tiger Mountain

4 photos + video

AlpsDayTripper

WTA Member

Outstanding Trip Reporter

500

Wildflowers blooming

8 people found this report helpful

All of the snow has melted on the trails below 1100'. There were a few muddy spots, but nothing too bad. I found my first red huckleberry flowers (photo 3), sitka willow buds (photo 2), and cherry plum flowers (photo 1). Colt's foot (photo 4) is now blooming on the Section Line trail). There are some thick areas of oso-berry blooms. Lots of nettles are coming up and I saw the first Pacific waterleaf shoots.

2024 spring milestones on Tiger Mt:

2-27 red huckleberry in bloom (multiple trails)

2-27 Pacific waterleaf shoots (Park Pointe)

2-27 sitka willow flower buds (gas line clearing, end of Big Tree trail)

2-25 cherry plums blooming (multiple trails on Tradition plateau)

2-24 first moths (small, tan-orange, same species that came out first last year)

2-24 colt's foot in bloom, poo poo point trail

2-22 salmonberry flowers (Swamp trail)

2-22 tall Oregon grape flowers open (Power Line above Sunset Way)

2-17 stinging nettle shoots

2-14 colt's foot flower buds (Poo Poo Point trail)

2-13 colt's foot (Petasites frigidus) shoots appear (section line, they must have been many days earlier on the Poo Poo point trail)

2-13 red elderberry leaves (Sambucas racemosa)

2-8 tall Oregon grape flower buds (Mahonia aquifolium)

2-2 oso-berry flower (Oemleria cerasiformis)

2-1 male Pacific Wrens singing for mates and territory