Amphibians are the canary in the mineshaft, warning-systems for deteriorating ecosystems and yet this species was found in the former-landfill, Union Bay Natural Area, in January 2013.  Nestled beneath woody debris and in hibernation mode, it was accidentally discovered by a volunteer during a work party to remove Himalayan blackberry.  Why isn’t this one “red-backed”, you ask?  That’s because although most commonly having an orangey-red dorsal stripe, this species occasionally presents a yellow one instead. 

Greetings! I’m excited and grateful to be the 2013 UBNA graduate student manager for winter and spring quarters. I will be leading volunteer groups maintaining restoration sites throughout the natural area and this season we have begun an internship program with students from Edmonds Community College!
The interns and I are working every Tuesday and Thursday through early June, so if you have any interest in getting dirty, releasing some pent up aggression on the proper objects (weeds!), and basking in the beauty of urban nature, we’re happy to have individual folks join us.   

Say goodbye to the “ramps to nowhere.” As part of the new 520 bridge construction project, the ramps will be coming down. As announced in a recent press conference, WSDOT will pay Seattle Parks and Recreation  $7.8 million for mitigation projects in the Arboretum.  These projects include the design and construction of a 1-mile multi-use trail, as well as improvements to Azalea Way Pond, parts of Arboretum Creek, and Foster Island. 

There are several species of Witch Hazel, genus Hamamelis, featured in the Witt Winter Garden, which is in all its glory this month.

Who says there isn’t much color in the landscape during the winter time? The month of February is peak bloom for one of the most delicate, yet tough plants in the winter garden.

“Scratch and Sniff”
1)  Abies amabilis (Pacific Silver Fir)

Pacific Northwestern native growing up to 250 feet tall in the wild, but is often short-lived in gardens.
Its crushed needles smell like orange peel.
The easiest of the Arboretum specimens to find is on the Upper Trail below the Peony bed.

2)  Cupressus goveniana var. pygmaea (Mendocino Cypress)

The “pygmy” stature occurs in this tree’s native habitat: infertile ancient sand dunes above the Pacific Ocean near Mendocino. 

“Judge a Plant by Its Cover”:  Twigs and Bark
1)   Acer buergerianum (Trident Maple) – photo of trunk (to the right)

Move over Stewartia pseudocamellia, at least for the time being.
Exceptional mottled flakey, lighter gray-brown bark on this young Asian maple.
Makes a good street tree in Seattle, tolerant of a wide-range of stress factors.

2)   Acer caesium ssp. giraldii

Maple featuring young branches covered with a whitish bloom (DO NOT TOUCH)
Native to the Himalaya region of China (Shaanxi and Yunnan provinces)
Specimen located along Arboretum Drive in the Peonies

3)   Betula albo-sinensis var. 

A much sought after and once exceedingly rare garden plant, this evergreen fern from the mountains and valleys of Chile came to us from the Miller Garden courtesy of Elisabeth C. Miller herself.

Graduate student Lauren “Ivy” Clark has been knee deep in seeds ever since
she started her Master’s work at UW.

What do the pre-school kids do while attending the Fiddleheads Forest School at the Arboretum? UW student Mackenzie Urquhart reports on this exciting new education program.