Healing Gardens

DATE: February 3, 2007 TIME LOG: 8 hours

ACTIVITIES:

I met up with Loni and Kimberly in Olympia and we drove out to meet Tracy in Shelton. From there we drove up the olympic peninsula to Skokomish. We got out at Brown's creek campground and walked around in search of Pipsissewa for the Dry Hillside and Bear Grass for the South Puget Prairie area. Neither of the plants we were looking for were found here, but on the way out, we drove past a large patch of Bear Grass that can possibly be harvested on a later visit. On a tip from Marja, we stopped by Brockdale Road on the way back where we found a small patch of pipsissewa right off the roadside on the fringes of the forest.

Tracy had been to this site before, and we expected a dry prairie, but instead were confronted by a wetland...more Oregon Grape than you can imagine! Also discussed with an amateur mycologist about techniques for cultivation. found out there might be a spore bank on campus at the organic farm? might not have to wait for them in the mail after all...