On Rabbit Island
In mid-November I hiked over to and then around Rabbit Island. I waded through the river channel with a drysuit and changed on the far side. I followed the river shoreline around the island, but also hiked onto the island above the beaches.
The island has grassy meadows, cottonwoods, and few shrubs. Anything growing on the island has to deal with the alkali salts from the flood stages in spring and early summer. At the highest point on the island are a handful of evergreens and a few types of shrubs. By wetter areas are red ossier dogwoods. The cottonwoods are targets for beaver activity, especially on the south side of the island. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.
There were some mosses, lots of showy mikweed, clusters of European barberry and Oregon grape, and scouring rush near the high water shoreline. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.
A goal for the winter is to photograph and identify mosses, lichens, and grasses and then work to identify and know more about them. Some of the Ids are tentative and any comments are welcome.
Thanks a lot for sharing this. Having never visited the island, I was always so curious what grew there and what birds would utilize this unique habitat. A pair of Bald Eagles nested on the island years ago, in the middle and at the east end. This is my favorite habitat since I was a kid, dand, Cottonwoods, and grasses to hold it all together. Thank you, jan the birdman.
That should read sand, not dand? 🙄