Otter Tales Part II:  More Otter Tales. (See May 4th blog for Part I)

Along the lakeshore, the Nodding Beggarticks (Bidens cernua) are about to bloom. The rushes and grasses above the waterline had been mowed in early summer and then were kept short by high water. Now their lush carpet of greenery, up to 35 feet from the water’s edge, reveals the outline of the summer’s high water. The inundation was no doubt caused by a downstream beaver dam and lasted most of the summer. That got me thinking about beavers. And otters. And the unhappy threesome I had fecklessly instigated (see my blogpost from May 4, 2023). How are those three characters who I encountered in early spring? When would mama otter have given birth? How big are the otter pups now?

Google and Wikipedia led to some more questions. How long do otters gestate? One quick answer said 58 days. Another source claimed 12 ½ months! What the hay?!

After thrashing through some incompetent-sounding websites, I found enough info to figure out the story. Although technically, gestation takes only two months, otters have the ability to delay implantation of the embryo into the uterine lining. Crazy! That implantation triggers the embryonic cells to resume dividing. This incredible reproductive strategy enables the pups to come into the world at an advantageous time (maybe after putting a down payment on a house in a cute cul-de-sac?). Apparently, and I know nothing more as yet, a lot of species do this. You learn something new every day!

SO, the pups might not have been born yet, and might not be born until April! Over a year after the dating/mating scene I (blush) witnessed. Nobody has reported seeing otters since that great date, but they (or their look-alikes) were seen yesterday morning! No babies, though!

What surprises do the water and the forest have in store for me next? Hmmm…it kinda feels like bear weather…

~~ 25 years! ~~

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This is Tadpole Haven’s 25^th year in business! How time flies when you are having fun. I haven’t thought about that milestone much, but last week Brian and I visited Chimacum Woods, a nursery on the west side of Hood Canal near Port Ludlow. It was a fun excursion to celebrate our 3^rd wedding anniversary.

Robert Zimmerman and his crew at Chimacum Woods grow and sell species Rhododendrons. At 81, Mr. Zimmerman would like to find someone to take over and continue this work of 47 years. 25 years fade in comparison!

Set in the lush woods (we were lucky enough to visit on a rainy day), several greenhouses abut the moss-lined lane that spirals up the hill. Across from the greenhouses, paths wind through an enchanted forest. Shaded by towering Western Red Cedars, Western Hemlocks and the California native, Coast Redwood (Sequoia Sempervirens), native groundcovers, huckleberries and Vine Maples share the limelight with many species of Rhododendron.

Mr. Zimmerman has explored and collected seeds from Rhododendron habitat during several trips to China, where many native species of Rhododendrons face extirpation as the juggernaut of Chinese industrial agriculture gobbles up land. He has witnessed the devastation of native forests, where bulldozers chase away the natives, be they human or other animal, and tear out the roots of trees and shrubs, including the beautiful Rhododendrons, many found only in one corner of the earth. He sees his work with these species especially as a mission to save some of these species from extinction. 

He is trying to recruit a successor who will carry on some of this work. Meanwhile, he is getting some help from volunteers who for a chance to live for a while on the premises rent-free, spend a few weeks or more caring for his plants. Check out the website: https://www.chimacumwoods.com

>>> Tadpole Haven Native currently has our state flower, the Pacific Rhododendron (Rhododendron Macrophyllum), in stock. <<<

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