Nature on Trail: Yellow Warbler and Salmonberry

By Ashley Gossens

Washington's wild places are teeming with life. Learn a bit more about two local species, the yellow warbler and salmonberry, and where you can find them.

Yellow borb on a branch. Photo by Kelly Colgan Azar.

Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)

If you catch a golden flash through the brush in the springtime, there’s a good chance it’s a yellow warbler. The bright little songbirds return north from its wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America every spring for the breeding season. You can tell it’s a yellow warbler by its solid yellow crown, belly and tail and the dark gray striped feathers on its wings. When you see one, be sure to give it a “thanks” for chowing down on the pesky insects that also tend to reappear this time of year.

Where to see them: Yellow warblers can be found nesting and foraging in hardwood forests of cottonwood, alder and willow throughout the state of Washington.

The bright pink flowers of a salmonberry. Photo by Tony Teague.

Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis)

Another harbinger of spring on the west side of the Cascades is the deep-pink, five-petal blooms of the salmonberry bush. The vibrant flowers not only brighten up the riparian lowland forests where they are found, but also provide much-needed snacks for hummingbirds and other foragers. The leaves grow in sets of three. The set of two lower leaves make the shape of a butterfly. The berries ripen in May or June and provide snacks for foraging animals, including hikers. Salmonberry have long been a food source for the native people of the Northwest.

Where to see them: Salmonberry bushes grow on the west side of the Cascades, usually in wet areas.