Here is a map for your reference.
Station 1: The Erratic boulder
This boulder is well known to most people who frequent Ravenna Park, mainly because it looks out of place. The Vashon lobe of the Cordilleran ice sheet moved the boulder almost 20,000 years ago. The boulder sits in the creek that runs through the bottom of the ravine. Since the boulder sits in water the surrounding area is damp, making it a perfect place for moss to grow. We see a lot of moss growing along one side of the boulder because of the amount of sunlight it would typically get. This is a great example of the importance of positioning in regards to the sun when it comes to the growth of plants. There is also a Pacific Yew (Taxus brevifolia) that has lots of moss growing all over it. The Yew is a tree that does well in moist areas, and usually have a handful of central trunks that branches grow from. Traditionally, the Native American tribes of the Pacific Northwest made paddles for canoes and bows for hunting with the wood from the Yew.
Station 2: Lichen and Fungi
While
walking along the main easterly trail in the park, north of the bridge, you
will come across an old looking snag with some step fungi growing out of the
trunk. This are is just south of the spot that I observed all quarter and is
rich with a wide variety of plants. There is also numerous nurse logs in the
area, one where I saw some orange lichen (Xanthoria) growing on top of one end
of a nurse log. It was a darker orange color and almost reminded me of the fish
eggs served at a Japanese restaurant. Probably the most visible lichen in the
area was a white dust lichen growing on the bark of many of the red alder trees
in the area. Other types of lichen seen at this spot were foliose lichen grow
along the forest floor or on fallen branches and twigs. Fungi and lichen are an extremely important
part of the ecosystem here in Ravenna, and in any natural area. They have a
mutualistic relationship with the surrounding plants, and are not parasitic to
the plants they grow on.
Station 3: East Trail Observation Spot
Just north
of the spot where we looked at lichens and fungi, is the spot where I observed
each of the past ten weeks. If you look to the east you can see the steep
hillside of the ravine, often looking like it was leaking water. This is due to
the tremendous amount of clay in the soil that it not permeable by the water.
One of the most prominent understory plants on the hillside is the sword fern.
These plants can do well on steep hillsides and are shade tolerant. Across the
way on the other side of the trail you will see an abundance of common horsetail
growing along the moist understory. They seem to completely take over extremely
wet areas. A third common understory plant is the salmon berry. It also lines
the hillside with their beautiful five petal purple flowers and when ripe their
bright red berries. Salmon berry is part of the rose family so another
identifying characteristic is its five leaflets, one large one and two smaller
ones on each side. It’s leaf structure has often been described to look like a
butterfly if you fold the larger leaflet down. You can often find bees, such as
the yellow-faced bumble bee pollinating then flowers of the salmon berry. Traditionally the berries have been an
important food source for humans and wildlife alike. If you happen to see a
bright red one ripe for the picking, you should go ahead and try it. You will
not be disappointed!
Station 4: The Top of Ravenna Park Bridge
The
top of the bridge that crosses the top of the park is a great place to go bird
watching because the viewpoint is up in the canopy of the trees of the park. At
first glance the park seems to be dominated by the American Crow, and you can
constantly hear their loud caawing
call. On my first visit to the top of the bridge I was able to observe a group
of crows trying to drive out a couple of larger adult Bald Eagles. The crows
feel threaten by the carnivorous bird’s presence, and want to protect their
offspring, so they’ll group together and mob larger birds of prey. Bald Eagles
typically are found near larger bodies of water, where they can take advantage
of large supplies of fish. In addition to the larger birds just described there
are an abundance of smaller songbirds. The American Robin is one that someone
is almost guaranteed to hear and see while walking through the park, especially
in the early morning hours. They are found all over North America and can be
identified by the mahogany red-brown color of its breast. They can often be
seen on the forest floor feeding on worms, insects, and other invertebrates. A
slightly more rare bird I was able to come across from the vantage point at the
top of the bridge was a Golden Crowned Kinglet. It was sitting there perched on
the branch of a tall spruce or fir.
Golden Crown Kinglet
American Robin (Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org)
Stations 5: Devils Club
Devils
club is an understory shrub that can be found mostly in old growth forests of
the North West. This spot in Ravenna Park is one of the only one can find
Devil’s club at in the entire park. It was not as tall as most of the Devil’s
club I came across with when visiting the more preserved old growth forest near
Crescent Lake, out on the Olympic Peninsula. The stems of the plant are of the
thicker variety when comparing it to other shrubs. It also has spines covering
most of the thick stems, with larger leaves extending out form the tops of the
stems. I walk past this spot a lot, and every now and then I will stop and see
how much they have grown over the course of the spring. It is truly amazing how
quickly a landscape will change throughout the year.
Station 6: The Creek Before the trail splits
This
area of the creek is located on the right hand side when walking through the
park from the baseball field. This larger creek bed is located just before the
trail splits off. It is located just across from where we observed the devils
club. This spot is a great place to look for invertebrates. One of the best places
to look for nymphs is under larger rocks in moving water because stoneflies
like highly oxygenated water. These nymphs eventually get taken by the current
and dragged along to a place where they can under go their metamorphosis.
Another commonly found invertebrate found in the stream is the fresh water
leach. A good place to look for the inverts is underneath rocks above the
moving water, where it is calmer. They feed on the blood of fish, frogs, and
other mammals, detecting potential prey by the vibrations in the water.
Finally, giant crane flies are probably one of the easiest invertebrates to
spot because of their abundance and size. They like to breed in damp places, so
the edges of the creek might be a good place to look for these guys. They have extremely
long legs as compared to the rest of their bodies. 
Station 7: Ecological disturbance
Ecological
disturbances are found throughout all of Ravenna Park. They can often be a
necessary part of the development of a complex ecosystem. They can be defined
as anything the deviates an ecosystem from the natural long-term path it would
normal take. It can be something as small as an insect outbreak taking over a
tree or a shrub, or as large as an entire forest fire. They can also be man
made as well. This picture shows some of the local trees haven been cut down to
help create the trail. We can only hope that whomever cut down these trees also
took the time and effort to plant knew ones to take the place of the ones that
are gone. Often times it can be harder to for species to over come ecological
disturbances created by man because they can be so large. But the conversation
efforts going on in Ravenna Park are an important reminder to all that frequent
its trails and gaze at its beauty, that falling in love with the natural world
can be the best way to help preserve it!
Station 8: Bridge down by Softball Field and Creek
When
walking from the softball field toward the center of the park you can turn
right as you approach an informational sign explaining much of the history,
natural and human, of Ravenna Park, over towards a bridge that crosses the
creek. This is an extremely interesting spot to spot and take inventory of the
many trees and shrubs in the park. It is also a peaceful place to enjoy the
sound of the running water, maybe hear some birds singing, and observe the
natural beauty that you are immersed in. Probably the most abundant tree in the
area is the red alder (alnus rubra). It is a nitrogen fixers that is often the
first tree to colonize an area. You can find many of them along the creek side
in this spot. The next most common tree in the area is probably the big leaf
maple (acer macrophyllum). You’ll see this tree all over the park with its
large five lobed leaves. Next here is a photo of a western red cedar (thuja
plicata). This was an important species to the Native American’s in the area,
as they used the bark to weave baskets and often carved canoes out of the
trunks. There were two trees in the area that are a part of the pinaceae
family: grand fir and lodgepole pine. Both are evergreen conifers, with the
lodge pole having two needles as part of one leaf structure and the fir having
flatter needles that were more white in color on the underside. It was really
cool to see such diversity in the tree species in this one spot in the
park.
Red Alder
Big Leaf Maple
Western Red Cedar
Lodgepole Pine
Grand Fir
Station 9: Picnic Area
The picnic
area playground is an example of an ecological disturbance caused by humans.
Much of Ravenna Park and the surrounding area was logged and clear-cut for
human consumption over the years. Over time conservationist have worked hard to
try and preserve the natural history of the park. On my walks through the park
this quarter I have come across countless instances of young native trees and
shrubs being planted in and efforts to further restore the natural ecosystem. There
has also been signs posted in areas where conversation efforts are taking
place, to let the general public know to take any extra precautions needed to
ensure that the restoration is successful. However, there often needs to be a
balance between conservation efforts and providing a recreational space for
people in the community. The park does an excellent job at appealing to all
people of the community, and I don’t know if there could be a person that could
deny the beauty of the natural history present in the park.
Station 10: The baseball field
The final station on our tour is the Ravenna
Park baseball diamond. When class was first slated to meet there, I knew
exactly where it was. Being that I am a resident of the surrounding
neighborhood and grew up playing baseball all my life, I would often take one
of my roommates down to the park to play catch. This was my first initial
experience with the park, and it wasn’t until one of my roommates who
frequently runs through the park decided to take me on a stroll through the
park to observe what ever we would stumble across. Going to the park and
playing some catch was always a great way to distress, as it reminded me of
home when I would walk to our local park and throw the baseball around with my
dad or younger brother. Dual function that Ravenna serves is truly one that is
unique, and the surrounding Seattleites are truly lucky to have such a
wonderful place for them to enjoy.
