False Azalea
Menziesia ferruginea
This plant has more than one common name. Others include Fool’s Huckleberry and Rusty Menziesia. Superficially, it does look like a huckleberry, but close inspection reveals several differences, including hairy leaves, different colored and shaped stems, and different looking flowers (though the bell shape is similar). This plant is a common shrub in the forests around Sitka.
Unidentified Ant:
Lasius sp.
There are only 19 species of ants known from Alaska, so I am guessing this is one of them. There were lots of these ants taking advantage of the blooming Cow Parsnip. Presumably it was food related, but I am not sure whether it was pollen or nectar that they were getting.
Unidentified Fly
Flies like this seem pretty common in the woods around here. They do not bite in my experience, but sometimes they will land on me by the dozens and just walk around tasting. At least that’s what it seems like, as I see a little probiscus(?) coming down from where their mouth should be. It just touches whatever the fly is walking on and then the fly moves on.
Three-leaf Foamflower
Tiarella trifoliata
This is a fairly common plant in the forests around Sitka. The flowers are fairly small, but apparently reminded someone of flecks of foam, given the common name.
Bird’s Eye Pearlwort
Sagina procumbens
I’m not positive about this identification, but it definitely looks to me like a Sagina, and it certainly is not Beach Pearlwort. It does not seem to fit the descriptions of the other native pearlworts in the region, so I’m left concluding it is this introduced species.
This species is fairly inconspicuous, though I have noticed it growing several places in hard-packed gravel (generally at the edge of a road).
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