Habitat Types

The 522 acres of that comprise the historic Greenbank Farm and its surrounding natural area offer a variety of different wild, and human-managed ecosystems for the public to explore.

The 151 acres owned by the Port and currently managed by the Farm are primarily open grassland habitat, the majority of which was used for loganberry production for over 50 years. Like most farms on the south island, the land was originally coniferous forest, cleared away for agriculture over 100 years ago. Today, the open space has a variety of human uses, including dog-walking trails, horse pastures, community garden patches, solar panal installations, loganberry vines as well as a 5-acre organic vegetable field that serves as the home for the Greenbank Agriculture Training Center. The entire 151 are Certified Organic through  USDA, meaning that the public can wander the fields without risk of exposure to synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. While the farm’s fields have clearly been altered from their historic form, and continue to be managed for human use, they still boast a number of important habitat components that are actively utilized by insects and wildlife.

Along the trails in the open grassland, walkers are likely to encounter a number of songbirds including Western Meadowlarks, White-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos and American Goldfinch.. The hedgerows of native Snowberry, Nootka Rose and Tall Oregon Grape which line the field edges provide additional habitat for Spotted Tohees, Rufous Hummingbirds, House Finches, Orange Crowned Warblers, Golden-crowned Kinglets and countless other species.  While the dominant vegetation in the fields consists of non-native grasses and Himalayan Blackberry, there still exist a number of native shrubs and wildflowers, includingFireweed,CanadaGoldenrod and Pearly Everlasting that provide nectar, pollen and shelter to a diverse host of beneficial insects. Great Blue Herons stealthily stalk the fields for frogs, mice and voles while several species of raptors, including Red-tailed Hawks and Northern Harriers patrol the skies. Black-tailed Deer, rabbits, garter Snakes, Pacific Treefrogs and even coyote, are just a few of the other species of wildlife that live in, or frequently pass through,  Greenbank’s fields.

Two trailheads, one located along highway 525 and the other on the north edge of the farm property, provide access to additional acres of forest habitat. This non-strenuous woodland trail takes the hiker through a mix of second and third-growth coniferous forest. While the forest doesn’t retain the same impressive old growth features and large trees as South Whidbey State park, it does offer a healthy diversity of plants, animals and fungi that you would hope to see from a forest in recovery. Dominant tree species include Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock, Western Red Cedar, Red Alder and Big Leaf Maple as well as a few scattered Pacific Madrone and Bitter Cherry. The trail winds the hiker through an interesting mix of microhabitats, including moist alder groves, seasonal wetland, open blow-downs, and dense stands of young firs. Underneath the canopy exists a diversity of large shrubs including Oceanspray, Red Huckleberry, Cascara, Salmonberry, Thimbleberry, Wood Rose and Salal as well as a host of ferns, mosses and lichens. And while Northwest coniferous forests generally aren’t hailed for their wildflower displays, hikers will be delighted to find a great number of shade-loving flowers along the trail including Fringecup, False Lily-of-the-Valley, Bleeding Heart and Miner’s Lettuce, to name just a few. It’s best to stay on the trail so as not to harm the recovering vegetation and to avoid encounters with Stinging Nettle, which is prolific throughout the forest.

Its relatively large size and diversity allows Greenbank’s forest to harbor a wide array of wildlife, fromDouglas squirrel to Black-tailed Deer. Some of the year-round bird species present include Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, Black-capped Chickadee, Bushtit, Varied Thrush and Winter Wren. The forest also welcomes many neotropical migrants including red-breasted sapsuckers.

A large wetland boarders the Greenbank Farm to the east.

Finally, one of the most prized ecological features of Greenbank Farm is the 23-acre palustrine wetland, located along the eastern edge of the property. A Paulstrine wetland is any non-tidal wetland that is predominantly covered by emergent vegetation – trees, shrubs, grasses, etc – as well as small areas of open water. Such wetlands play vital roles on the landscape level by recharging groundwater, preventing flooding, maintaining water quality, managing stormwater and providing critical wildlife habitat. The wetland is bordered to the north and west by a healthy hedge of red alder, various willows, red osier dogwood, swamp rose and other wet-loving shrubs. The wetland itself houses a diverse mix of native grasses, sedges, rushes and most-notably, cattails, as well as host of exotic invasive species including reed-canary grass, Himalayan blackberry, sweet pea and purple loosestrife. In 2004, the Native Plant Stewards, in partnership with Washington State Univeristy released a exotic foliage beetle to control the purple loosestrife and have since seen the plant’s population decrease significantly.

The wetland provides habitat to a number of residential songbirds and waterfowl as well as a diversity of migrants. Some of the songbirds in and around the wetland include Marsh Wren, Red Winged Blackbird, and Song Sparrow.  Waterfowl include mallards, bufflehead, wood ducks, and widgeons.  While no official trails exist around the wetland, birdwatchers can still enjoy this area by strolling along North Bluff Road to the east,Shoreline Drive to the north, or the driveway behind Greenbank barns to the west. There also exists a bird viewing station just outside the Whidbey Pies shop.

For more information on wetlands, visit the Island County Government’s Wetlands page.