The east side of Upright Head on Lopez island is owned by the Washington State Department of Transportation. After checking out the conglomerate in the road cut down to the ferry (upright-head-conglomerate), a visit to the WDOT property to the east is a pleasant natural park setting with nice views, more conglomerate and mix of bedrock balds and unique forest.
Looking north to the ferry dock and Orcas Island with bald in the foreground
One of my favorite Juniperus maritima trees is located at this site.
Besides the relatively tall juniper on the WDOT property, there are patches of small young junipers as well as some very photogenic specimens.
There is also a patch of Querus garryana (Oregon white oak or Garry Oak) and a few Pinus contorta (lodgepole pine)
patch of low growing oaks
lodgepole foliage and cone
Towards the south is a very nice stand of Arbitus menziesii (Pacific madrone).
Madrone and Douglas fir with salal understory
Up the slope through the madrone/fir forest back towards the road is a engineered wall built of gabbion baskets supporting the long term parking area above.
2 comments:
in the spring and early summer, the balds of the San Juan islands group and Anacortes / North Whidbey hold some spectacular wildflower display
my favorite area is Washingtn Park, near the Anacortes dock. Fantastic wildflowers unlike many easy to reach areas of Puget Sound
I enjoyed this tree post. They look so full of character in that habitat.
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