What sparked the richest diversity of plants on earth?

Richard G. Olmstead with Citharexylum
argutidentaum in cloud forests of southern Peru.

By Richard Olmstead
Burke Museum Herbarium Curator

I recently visited San Jose, Costa Rica, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Organization for Tropical Studies, founded by the UW and six other universities, but also to collect plants for my studies of Neotropical plant diversity.

The New World tropics, or Neotropics, extend from central Mexico and the Caribbean islands to northern-most Argentina and Chile, and contain more than 100,000 species of flowering plants, or one-third of all plants on earth.

From Amazonian jungles to high Andean paramo, from Argentina to Mexico, the diversity of these ecosystems is unrivaled. It is home to the greatest mosaic of biodiversity on earth.

Mt. Rainier Wildflowers

It looks like the summer has finally arrived in western Washington! Heading outdoors and basking in the sun is on all of our minds lately, and the Burke has been getting asked:

When is the best time to view wildflowers on Mt. Rainier and what kinds of flowers could I see?

This chilly summer has delayed the breathtaking wildflower blooms on Mt. Rainier. Usually blooming during July and August, snow still covers much of Mt. Rainier National Park’s Paradise area and the snow is starting to melt at Sunrise. As the sun returns to the Pacific Northwest, wildflowers will make a belated appearance that should stretch from early to late-August.

Once these amazing flowers bloom, the sight is breathtaking. To help hikers and other nature-lovers identify the blossoms, the Burke Museum’s Herbarium has just published Alpine Flowers of Mt. Rainier, a color-coded identification guide with photos and descriptions of 90 common wildflower species found above the tree line at Mt. Rainier National Park. Here are a couple of the many flowers you may see.

One of the unique wildflowers found on Mt. Rainier is the Mt. Rainier Lousewort, Pedicularis rainierensis. This flower is endemic to the park and can grow up to 16 inches high.

In naturally disturbed areas like streamsides and burned areas, you may see Fireweed, Chamerion angustifolium. This colony-forming plant has a striking pink bloom with four petals.

For those interested in wildflower excursions on Mt. Rainier, Alpine Flowers of Mt. Rainier is available at the Burke Museum shop, Mt. Rainier National Park gift shops, Seattle Audobon, Discover Your Northwest, Metsker Maps, and Third Place Books. Proceeds from the guide will support the Burke Museum Herbarium’s educational outreach and field research activities. 

Photos courtesy of Donovan Tracy, co-author and photographer of Alpine Flowers of Mt. Rainier guide.

How to Preserve Marine Algae

During a recent behind-the-scenes tour of the Burke Museum Herbarium, the museum’s curator of botany Richard Olmstead and herbarium collections manager David Giblin told me about the collections, research and scientific contributions from their collection. One thing that stood out to me is that preservation of plant specimens is a delicate art. In the video below, Richard discusses the methods used to preserve marine algae. The process results in beautiful scientific specimens that can be studied for countless years to come.



Find more behind-the-scenes videos and get insider access to the Burke Museum on our Youtube page!

Posted By: Andrea Barber, Communications

A Visit to the Herbarium

If you follow the Burke Museum’s blog regularly, you probably read the recent blog about my trip to the Burke’s Fisheries collection. Last week, I went on another behind the scenes tour to the Burke’s Herbarium.

The Herbarium has approximately 625,000 specimens that range from vascular plants, lichen, algae, mosses and fungi. The Burke Museum’s Herbarium has a primary focus of the flora of the Pacific Northwest. An average of 700 people from all over the world visit the Herbarium each year to access its unique collections, and the research involving these specimens can help answer important questions that affect us all.

Botany Curator Richard Olmstead holding algae specimens

What are a few of the many ways we can learn from herbia specimens? Burke Curator of Botany Richard Olmstead and Herbarium Collections Manager David Giblin analyze specimens collected over time to compare changes in floral life from natural disasters, human impact and climate change. From 2005 – 2009, David led a series of botanical surveys (i.e. collecting trips) in the San Juan Islands to create a baseline understanding of the plant diversity found on small islands throughout the archipelago. Plant life in coastal areas may be severely impacted under various climate change scenarios, and the findings from these trips can serve as a benchmark against which future changes can be compared.

David’s team of students, volunteers and fellow scientists visited approximately 90 islands in the San Juans, and one of the highlights was the discovering a previously undescribed species of paintbrush. The years of hard work from Burke Museum staff and community members can help future generations address the world’s changing environments."

Photo 2: a map of forays that the Burke Museum Herbarium has conducted since Herbarium staff started the forays in 1996. The Burke Museum partners with many different organizations to conduct these collecting trips. Here is a key to the different colors of thumbtack that represent these different types of forays:
-Red: University of Washington forays
-White: National Park Service forays
-Blue: Cedar River Watershed forays
-Green: General collecting trips

Posted By: Andrea Barber, Communications

Burke collections enhanced by community support

Posted by: Karin Hoffman, Communications

Are you a lover of Washington plants and lichens? Do you love to take pictures? Do you love taking pictures of plants? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then check out this fabulous Burke herbarium Web site where you can contribute your own photos and share botanical knowledge with the world!

The Burke Museum’s WTU Image Collection Web site is truly a resource that has been built by the community. According to Richard Olmstead, curator of botany at the Burke Museum, “this kind of access enhances the value of our collections and gets the public involved in a way that is different from most of our other outreach efforts.”

Thanks to all who have contributed to the Web-based herbarium collection at the Burke! And a special thanks to David Giblin, herbarium collections manager and Ben Legler for creating an open forum for community participation.

Lilium columbianum, Columbian lily. Photo taken by Tim Hagan, 2004.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Posted by: Karin Hoffman, Communications

Spring is seen as a time of renewal and growth. Robins singing at dawn, the green tips of tulips emerging from the soil, and apple blossoms are just a few of my favorite indicators of spring. As is usually the case in the Pacific Northwest, this week spring made a brief appearance before hiding behind the gray skies and April showers we are more accustomed to. I made sure to take advantage of this weather treat (and absorb some much needed vitamin D) and headed outside to see spring in action.

I immediately wished I had brought a plant guide book with me. I found myself wanting to know the names of plants with beautiful drooping magenta flowers and delicate yellow flowers. Although one plant that I was able to identify, thanks to its’ distinctive smell, was skunk cabbage. So everyone get out there and enjoy spring and don’t forget your favorite plant guide book. You never know what you’ll run into!

Also, over the next few weeks make sure to check out the cherry tree blossoms located in the Quad of UW’s Seattle campus. AMAZING!

There are a number of helpful guides out there (I find Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast very useful) and make sure to check out the Burke’s Herbarium division which has a number of great resources.

A new view of the Olympic Sculpture Park

Posted by: May Evans


Sculpture Park also showcases natural beauty of the Northwest…

If you've visited the newly-opened Olympic Sculpture Park, did you notice the "land art"? Besides the eye-popping sculptures, landscape designers have created a display of the Northwest's natural flora and fauna within the Park. To display different ecosystems, the Park was divided into four zones: valley, meadow, grove, and shore. Each zone contains the plants which naturally grow in these areas in the Northwest.

The valley zone was designed to represent the lowland coastal regions. It was planted with trees such as fir, hemlock, cedar, ginkgo, and redwood, with flowering perrenials, ferns, and other groundcovers.

The meadow zone includes three large meadows which together form a kind of natural "fenceless" park. This area was planted with wildflowers and grasses that will only be cut once a year. In this zone you will find crimson columbine, pearly everlasting, and camas lily flowers.

The grove is a forest of over 180 aspens with a meandering walking trail. This zone defines the transition from city to shore, and also features the flowering currant, wood rose, and Oregon iris.

The shore, of course, runs along the waterfront, and features common Puget Sound coastal plants, including dune grass, and nootka rose. However, the landscapers didn't stop at the shoreline. SAM wanted to restore the shoreline to its original state, and that meant extending their efforts into Puget Sound, creating a habitat bench of rocks and native underwater plants. This habitat restoration aims to bring salmon to the Sculpture Park and to highlight the uniqueness of Puget Sound's coastline. SAM is also partnering with Seattle Public Utilities in a five year beach-restoration monitoring program on this site.

So the next time you visit the Olympic Sculpture Park, notice the natural beauty beneath your feet, over your head, and below the water. Artists aren't the only ones who can create a large work of beauty.

P.S. If you’re interested in more information about native plants of Washington, check out the Burke Museum’s Herbarium Washington Flora Checklist resource.

- May