Let's take an Up and Down Walk

Wow, how do you like the rising and falling temperatures this winter? One day it feels like Seattle. The next day it feels like Minnesota. So I think we should take an Up and Down Walk. You don't need any hills for this.

Step into your backyard and see how many things you can find that go up and down. Start with the obvious. Are there any birds in your backyard? How does a squirrel move when it crosses your yard? If there’s a breeze, what does it cause to go up and down? Do any plants grow upright and then droop over a little?

Does the sun go up and down? Hmmm. You might want to think about that one. But when you have sunshine, you have shadows. Have you ever watched a shadow creep up or down a tree trunk? And what’s going on in that tree trunk, inside the bark? If it’s not sunny, is it raining? Rain soaks into the ground or flows into a creek or storm drain. But what if there’s a puddle and the sun comes out? What happens to that water? Oh, and what about the ground? Did you know there are kazillions of microorganisms living in the soil? Do you think the soil just sits there, or is there constant movement going on in that soil, up and down movement on a really tiny scale?

Lots of things are going up and down all around us. Send a comment below, and let us know what else you thought of!

(Okay, who’s thinking “Economy”? Yeah, well, we’re all feeling the up and down of that, which is why I’ve added a shiny new Donate button to the right. Consider giving it a test run. You’ll enable Homewaters Project to continue providing free science inquiry programs in Seattle and Shoreline schools, and you’ll help students’ grades go up -- and up and up!)

Hey buddy, check out those buds!

We’re surrounded by leaves all winter in the Pacific Northwest, because so many of our trees are conifers that hold onto their needles. But have you ever looked at what’s going on with those those quiet, unassuming, deciduous trees in the winter? They’re getting ready to leaf out when the time is right, and all that action is packed into those tiny buds.

Buds and twigs on different kinds of trees have different characteristics, so eventually you might be able to identify trees by their buds and twigs. How do you get started? Take a walk, or just check out the trees and shrubs in your own backyard. Bring a magnifying glass if you have one. Here are some things to look for:

• Are the twigs red, green or brown?
  
• Are the twigs smooth, bumpy or hairy?
  
• Do the twigs have stripes,dots or little lines?
• Are the twigs straight or zigzaggy?
  

And about the buds:

• Are the buds pointed, or rounded?
• How big are the buds?
• Do the buds stay close to the stem or stick out?
  
• How many scales do the buds have?
  
• Are they opposite, or alternate?

Sometimes it’s easy to knock buds right off, and then no leaves will grow there. So it’s a good idea to touch them gently.

What else do you notice about the buds and twigs you find on your walk? Let us know by adding a comment below!

Thornton Creek stories

It’s been great to receive your suggestions for Thornton Creek park names (see November 5 post), and I’ve been passing them along to those involved in the naming process. Here are some of the people and ideas you’d like to see represented:

• Nishitani family
  
• Ole Blindheim and LaVilla Dairy
  
• Seattle human rights activist Alice Franklin Bryant
  
• Slo'q'qed or hLooQWqeed (Bald Head or Peeled Head), Northgate area wetlands
  
• dxWXoobud (Silenced or Quieted Place), Thornton Creek’s mouth
  
• glacial history, glimpsed in Park #2
  
• Kingfisher Park for Park #2 (including Secret Beach) 
  
• Homewaters Park (!)

Each of these names tells a story, and stories strengthen our connection to our home places and to each other. Ten, fifty, or two hundred years from now, what stories would you like our descendants to remember? 

Take a photo tour of Thornton Creek on Google Maps!

Too cold for you outside? Not to worry! Here's a fun, new way to tour Thornton Creek without getting cold or wet. You can even do it in your PJs!

• In the righthand column under Links, click on "Homewaters Project photos on Google Maps."
• Click on any one of our four photos to see its title and its precise location on a map.
• Then click on "HomewatersProject" below the photo to see the rest of our Thornton Creek images.

Creek Peek for Families

Google Maps shows the precise locations where you'll find these views. Now take it to the next level. Go out and find them!

Go on a hunt for change!

We're not talking pennies here. Seasonal changes are taking place all around us. Other types of change happen in a day, or over a period of decades or centuries.

Creek Peek for Families

Take a walk in your neighborhood, along a creek, or in your own backyard. Use all of your senses to discover what is changing around you. Before you go, brainstorm types of change to look for, or listen for, or even sniff around for. Here are some ideas. Add your own to the list!

• Can you find something that is getting bigger or smaller very slowly?
• How about something that changes in size or shape very quickly?
• Can you feel something (maybe with your hand, maybe with your upturned face) that will change in a day?
• Can you feel a texture with your fingertips that will change slowly over time?
• Can you hear something that changes in volume?
• Can you find something that smells stronger or different when you crush it?
  
• Can you find something that is changing something else?
• How about something that is changing into something else?
• What change is produced by natural causes?
• What change is created by people?
• What changes are you causing while taking your walk?
• What is something you can't change?
• How have you changed while taking your walk?
  

Black cottonwood trees are telling you something

Another source of fall color is black cottonwood, one of our tallest native trees. Black cottonwood trees grow in moist or saturated soils. Beavers use black cottonwood as food and as a building material in their lodges and dams. It works out well that these trees grow quickly, and that new trees can sprout from stumps or from the shallow, spreading roots. Look for black cottonwood at Meadowbrook Pond or Thornton Creek Park #6 (near NE 105th and 8th Ave. NE), two places in Seattle where beavers currently make their home.

Creek Peek for Kids

Hey kids, beavers like to build their homes near black cottonwood trees. But how about you? Would you like to build your home near black cottonwood? These water-loving trees gives you a hint that the ground might be damp, and that the area may even flood sometimes. It might be hard to keep your basement dry and your house free of mildew. So what do you think? Would you build near black cottonwood or look for drier ground?

See a fish-friendly culvert

Impervious surfaces (roads, parking lots, buildings) cover about 60% of Thornton Creek's watershed. That makes for large areas where rain can't soak into the ground, so greater quantities of water rush down Thornton Creek all at once. Last winter, more culverts sustained storm damage in Thornton Creek than in any other Seattle watershed. The culvert at NE 105th and 27th Ave was subsequently replaced with a 16-foot-diameter, fish-friendly design approved by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. It's shorter in length and larger in diameter than the old one, and it has a natural streambed inside it. Check it out when you're out that way.

Creek Peek for Kids

Hey kids, can you figure out what a culvert is from the paragraph above? Answer: Pipes or tunnels that carry streams underneath roadways and railroad beds are called culverts.