The Lot Where the Trees Live

The only thing I did Saturday was wander fairly thoroughly over the lot with the trees in it, to notice what is growing there. Photos are hard; except as seen from my window I haven't gotten a communicative picture. And from my window it looks like a little piece of forest, which it is not. This is not just about this tree-y lot, it is damn near impossible anywhere to get a picture that says 'trees here' when you are standing among them. A frame full of trunks and litter doesn't do it. Plus Saturday I dawdled around until the sun had clouded over. What I found was lots of dismal trash and
   small madrones
   about five really large madrones
   douglas fir small and moderate, one moderately tall
   one cedar
   an amelanchier budding
   salal
   at least one alder, moderate size
   lots of scotch broom around the margins
   a broad-leaved evergreen shrub/small tree.

In California, madrone; in Washington, madrona; in Canada, arbutus (Click for larger image.)

Have entirely failed to identify Mr. Broadleaved Evergreen. It could of course be not native, and thus not in the books, as the several spring bulbs I saw scattered around are not. Crocuses, and a maybe a daffodil. A yellow something like that, are there yellow narcissuses?

I have also lately spent some time on the phone with the county and found out who owns the parcel facing me, though I now realize there are actually 3 undeveloped parcels, the other two facing across the larger street, together occupying half a block. This does not tell me what I need to know, which is, was there EVER a house there, or was it just logged over and unaccountably left empty in this long-settled neighborhood? When was it logged, or was it (saw no stumps), and how old are the really large madrones?? Are the crocuses evidence of some vanished house's vanished garden? Why are some of the un-housed lots in this neighborhood covered with trees and others all grass.

And what will Mill Creek Construction do with parcel #02-4556 if the economy ever allows, or do they just hope to flip it, and who did they buy it from, and why has nobody actually done any new construction in this old neighborhood for what appears to be several decades. My house dates from the 1950s, and the others all look older.

i.e., Arbutus menziesii (Click for larger image.)From across 8th Street (Click for larger image.)