New Map of Preserve 2026

This was a lot of work.

Had to convert it to picture to post it here.

 

Unusual Dried Flower

Unusual dried flowers on large trees on 36th and on the Loop.

 

More Persian Ironwood

These are all near the entrance to Blue Bell St.

No buds on any of them. 

Daffodils

There are many daffodils up in the Preserve.

 

Lupine

This is a lupine at the top of Bowthorpe by the Persian Ironwood tree.  

Parrotia persica Vanessa, Persian Ironwood

Noticed red buds on 8 trees on Engelmann and see they are going to be gorgeous.

Parrotia persica 'Vanessa' (Persian Ironwood) is an upright, narrow deciduous tree, ideal for tight spaces and street plantings, reaching 25-40 feet tall and 15-20 feet wide. It features year-round interest with reddish-purple spring foliage, lustrous green summer leaves, brilliant orange-red fall color, and exfoliating, colorful bark. Features: Small, red, petalless flowers in late winter/early spring.

Tag on one on Bowthorpe at the top. 

On Bowthorpe - starting to open. 

New Path in Division 6

From Coleville to 1acre Oaks.

Witch Hazel - Red

These trees are at the top of Bowthorpe.

Will go back and look again in a week.

They might open. 

Tag at base of tree - Persian Ironwood.

Persian Ironwood (Parrotia persica) and Witch Hazel (Hamamelis spp.) are closely related, both belonging to the Hamamelidaceae family, but differ in form, size, and use. Persian Ironwood is a small, deciduous tree prized for its dramatic autumn color (yellow, orange, red) and exfoliating, camouflage-like bark. In contrast, Witch Hazel is primarily a shrub or small tree known for its fragrant, yellow, spider-like flowers that bloom in late winter. 

Last August I found the leaves and the results said Witch Hazel.

I was skeptical but today I found some flowers.

Orange/gold around the Gym.

Red at Gym and Game room.

Deer in the Preserve.

They are always curious.

Five total.

Sweetgum Tree

Sweetgum Balls

No, you generally cannot eat the hard, spiky sweet gum balls (seed pods) directly; they are woody and can irritate the stomach, but the seeds inside can be processed and the tree's resin and sap have traditional medicinal uses, including making teas, though they aren't a common food. The small, edible seeds can be extracted from ripe pods and used as flour or eaten, while the plant's resin was historically used for chewing gum and in remedies for coughs, skin issues, and more, with some modern interest in its shikimic acid content, according to herbalists and foraging sites, though caution is advised. 

Found these tree balls on Huntington Loop in McAllister. 

The Sweetgum tree is native to the southeastern United States and a member of a genus made up of only six species. The others are found only in Asia. 

Like a salt shaker - little seeds. 

The first historical reference to the tree comes from the author and soldier, Don Bernal Diaz del Castillo, who accompanied Cortez in 1519 and was a witness to ceremonies between Cortez and Montezuma, who both partook of a liquid amber extracted from a sweetgum tree. The tree itself was first noticed and recorded by the historian Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca in 1542. Once commercially popular for soaps, adhesives and pharmaceuticals, today its wood is valuable for fine furniture and interior finishing.

 

Pond from Marvin Rd. Sidewalk.

Pond from Marvin Rd. sidewalk.

Mallards and Wood ducks. 

Face on Log - Tiny

I found this cute little twig on a log topped with some moss.

Near steps. 

Moved stick next to snowdrops. 

Black Trumpet Mushroom

Black mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) often refer to the delicious, edible Black Trumpet (Craterellus cornucopioides), a gourmet fungi related to chanterelles, found in damp coniferous forests and known for its smoky flavor. These mushrooms grow in mossy areas under Douglas firs, cedars, and oaks, often in late fall through spring, and blend in with forest duff, making them tricky to spot. can be 2"-4", this one could have been 2-3".

Other dark fungi like the Ebony Cap (Pseudoplectania nigrella) or dark Elfin Saddles (Helvella lacunosa) are smaller, up to 3/4", and are not edible. 

Two on this stick.

From the side, stem is visible. 

Location of the stick, at the base of tree by fallen fir.

Fallen tree on left, mushroom on right arrow. 

Trees - on Loop - Tags

By Sissy's house. "Jack Flowering Pear"

In several gardens along the loop. 

Delavay Tea Olive - evergreen shrub.

Oak Mazegill Polypore

Oak Mazegill Mushroom

Oak mazegill is a mushroom that grows in heartwood or already rotting wood. These types of stemless mushrooms are called conks. The top of the conk grows in various shades of brown. The underside starts off as porous, but forms slits that look like an elaborate maze as it ages. Fruiting bodies can grow to be 1-8 inches in diameter and 3 inches thick.

Upper side of end of log.

Underside of end fungus.

Fomitopsis quercina is a species of mushroom in the order Polyporales. Commonly known as the thick-walled maze polypore, maze-gill fungus, oak-loving maze polypore, or oak mazegill, the specific epithet refers to the oak genus Quercus, upon which it frequently grows, causing a brown rot. 

Cluster of mazegill fungus.

At least 8 mazegill fungus on this log.

Birds in the Preserve - Bushtit

This one was new on my life list today.

Saw on trail between blackberries on south side.

I also saw a robin pair on the grass by entrance.

 

Shelf Fungus

Shelf fungus on tree by chocolate lily corner.

On the other side of same tree as above, visible from trail. 

Found this rosy gilled polypore.

The "rosy gilled polypore" refers to Gloeophyllum sepiarium, also known as the Rusty Gilled Polypore, a common, leathery shelf fungus with distinctive rusty-orange to brown, maze-like gills (not true pores) on its underside, growing on dead conifers and lumber, and is inedible but recognized by its bright orange-banded cap and wood-decaying nature. 

From the other side of the branch.

Underside.

This one fell off the base.

Maybe it was too dry all summer. 

This was the fungus a year ago in January 2025.