Swainson’s Thrush (left image)
Catharus ustulatus
The beautiful call of the Swainson’s Thrush enlivens our summer mornings and evenings with their upwards-spiraling melodies. These masters of the serenade are heard in conifer forests during the spring and summer breeding months before they migrate to South America in the fall. While they don a rather drab tan appearance, their sweet song certainly makes up for any lack of plumage color!
Hear Swainson’s Thrush call through Macaulay Library here
Salmonberry (middle image)
Rubus spectabilis
If you like the taste of the sweet orange colored salmonberry - now is the time to pick the final berries of the season! This member of the rose family is endemic to the Pacific Northwest, it prefers moist coastal forests and stream sides but will also grow in disturbed areas and along roadsides. Since these berries are not cultivated, the fruit is gathered and used at home to make jellies, jams and cobblers. Fun fact: although the fruits are called berries, they are actually fleshy aggregated drupelets (just like raspberries and blackberries).
Check out OSU Extension Service’s guide to preserving wild berries here
Red Skimmer Dragonfly (right image)
Libellula saturata
During the summer months, ponds and wet riparian areas are abuzz with darting dragonflies in a wonderful array of bright colors. Pictured above is the Red Skimmer Dragonfly. Like other dragonflies, this insect cannot walk, but instead uses its legs to hold prey while it feeds. You can tell dragonflies from damselflies by the way they hold their wings; dragonflies cannot fold their wings like a damselfly, so their wings will be held out horizontally at all times. We like dragonflies for their whimsical appearance, fast zigzag flight patterns, and for their consumption of mosquito larva and adults!
Johnson Creek Watershed Council has a cool science page - click here to visit