Exploring and Observing Herbaceous Plants

Although when you hear “herbaceous” you may first think of culinary herbs like rosemary and oregano, we’re actually referring to the often leafy green plants we see all around us. In the Herbaceous Plants Virtual Nature Tour, naturalists Dana Echelberger and Coco Sanchez take us on a fact-filled field trip to introduce us to some of our common local herbaceous plants, including hardy grasses, spectacular flowering plants like trillium and lupine, and even some of the less showy but no less important plants that fill our region from shoreline to mountain top.

The word, “herbaceous” refers to a plant whose stems are green and soft and do not have much wood in them. These plants grow fast and produce flowers and many seeds in a short period of time.

Exploring Herbaceous Plants Virtual Nature Walk with Lead Naturalists Dana Echelberger and Coco Sanchez

Exploring Herbaceous Plants Resource Recommendations from Dana Echelberger and Coco Sanchez:

Books:

• Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast by Jim Pojar and Andy Mackinnon
• Natural History of the Pacific Northwest Mountains by Daniel Mathews
• Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest: a Timber Press Field Guide by Mark Turner and Phyllis Gustafson
• Botany in a Day by Thomas Elpel
• Plant Identification Terminology, an Illustrated Glossary by James Harris and Melinda Woolf Harris
• Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples by Nancy J Turner
• A Field Guides to Pacific States Wildflowers by Theodore F. Niehaus & Charles L. Ripper
• The Mountaineers Books: Field Guide to the Cascades and Olympics by Stephen R. Whitney & Rob Sandelin (for higher altitude wildflower adventures)

Pamphlets:

• Wildflowers of Washington’s Cascades & Olympic Mountains: A Guide to Common Native Species by Daniel Mathews
• A Field Guide to Coastal Flowers of the Pacific Northwest by Phillipa Hudson
• Alpine Flowers of the Olympic Mountains by Douglas Houck and University of WA Herbarium
• Wild Flowers of the Quimper Peninsula; Forests, Forest Margins, and Wetlands by the Washington Native Plant Society. The brochure was prepared by chapter members and is available for $3.00 by contacting Ann Weinmann at 360.379.0986 or aweinmann@cablespeed.com. The brochure is also available at the Friends of Fort Worden gift shop at the state park. This brochure is a fundraiser for the Native Plant Society and all proceeds will be donated to the Olympic Peninsula Chapter.

Websites:

• iNaturalist.org is a powerful resource for information and local sighting histories for shrubs and all aspects of natural history. If you need help with it, check out our iNaturalist Tutorial.
• Burke Herbarium – great resource for plant ID with lots of great images and descriptions
• My Wildflowers – an easy to use online plant identification tool
• Washington Native Plant Society Olympic Chapter website
• Native Plants PNW website – good for plant ID and descriptions

Software/Apps:

• Flora ID – an illustrated, interactive plant key for both native and naturalized plants in the PNW. The tool costs $100 to get a CD that you then put on your computer. They also have a wildflower app for android devices only.
• Washington Wildflowers Smartphone App – includes shrubs! A very helpful field tool with extensive information and good search tools, available for iPhones and Android.

Exploring Herbaceous Plants Activities from Dana Echelberger and Coco Sanchez:

• Check out the Olympic Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society. Become a member, if you can, and get their newsletter. They host hikes, informative talks and all kinds of other great activities and resources.
• Sign up for Washington Native Plant Society Olympic Chapter’s eNewsletter and blog in the lower right corner of their website.
• Visit your sit spot and see how many different kinds of native herbaceous plants you can find. Look closely at the branches, flowers, and/or berries. Do you see any critters on the shrub that might be taking shelter there, eating the leaves and fruits, or pollinating the flowers?
• Choose a focal species plant to study more deeply. After you have chosen a focal species to study, begin these activities:
  • Identify your species using the resource suggestions listed above.
  • Sketch your plant and label it with its common and scientific names (with correct use of capital letters!), size, and main identifying features. These Sketching Tips and Resources may be helpful.
  • Use the resource suggestions listed above to learn about your species and write down three things about it that you find particularly interesting.
  • Rinse and repeat. Want more to do? Choose another plant and start again!
• Create a nature journal and record your plant discoveries.
• Visit some or all of these locations in the Quimper Peninsula area:
  • Coastal beaches, dunes and salt-water marshes:
    • Coastal beaches, dunes and salt-water marshes:
    • Lagoon Beach & Fort Flagler on Marrowstone Island
    • North Beach
    • Kala Point (private but you can get a Visitor Permit)
    • Fort Townsend Beach
    • Pt. Wilson
  • Prairie:
    • Kala Point (private but you can get a Visitor Permit)
    • Kah Tai Prairie at the Port Townsend Golf Course
  • Lowland and Old Growth Forest:
    • Illahee Preserve