Celebrating Spring

I decided to celebrate Spring by stitching Shepherd Bush's "Little Eggs Pincushion". The kit has some interesting beads - it should be fun.

We can celebrate and appreciate Spring in all its glory by going outside. Let's stroll around and enjoy the many shades of green and the new wildflowers.

So much can change in a week this time of year. 

As I promised on our last walk, we are now awash in a sea of bluey / purple native Iris (Iris tenax).

More of the shade loving wildflowers are now at their peak including Wester Meadowrue (Thalictrum occidentale).

In the deep shade along side a rivulet, the native Pacific Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa) is also in bloom.

I took a look at my original Secret Patch of Lady Slippers (Calypso bulbosa). They grow along the edge of a driveway, and I was dismayed to that most of their growing area was covered with 3"-4" of gravel - so no flowers.  I expect this happened during our bad Winter weather when the property owners needed extra traction to navigate their driveway. It's just too bad that the extra gravel was dumped along their prime growing spot.    

Prairie Star, Lambs Tongues, Shooting Stars, Lady Slippers, Honeysuckle, Dogwood, Bleeding Hearts, Strawberries, Larkspur, Forget-Me-Nots, Miner's Lettuce, and Buttercups.

Isn't it interesting just now many of our wildflowers have evocative names?

This is Hooker's Fairybells (Disporum hookeri) another aptly named wildflower.  It is named after U.K. botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817-1911) for 20 years Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew .

Everywhere there is damp shade, there is Large False Solomon's Seal (Maianthemum racemosum). The Star-flowered False Solomon's Seal is also in bloom.

Here's a shrub / tree blooming its heart out.

What is it? I need to look some more - maybe the answer is in last April's posts! 

Western Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) is another of our early blooming shrubs. As it grows up to 20' tall I tend to think of it as a mini-tree. 

Oh the Dogwoods!  

How did they get into full bloom with me even noticing?

Like most of the plants on our walk today, it is a native - Pacific Dogwood (Cornus nuttallii)

  

Here's another white flower blooming.

Miner's Lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata).

The leaves can be eaten cooked or raw - and no, I've never tried them!

A pop of purple this time of year is provided by Menzie's Larkspur (Delphinium menziesii).  We have several of these small plants (8" tall) growing in our sunny meadows as it likes spring wet grasslands.

April in Oregon is a Green Month!

Dewdrops on grass - a Brown Bunny Feast! 

Vine Maple, Salal, Manzanita, Cascara, Oak, Horsetails, Indian Plum, Oregon Grape, Spirea, Columbine, Sword Ferns, and Lupine. 

Look at all the shades of green!

In this part of western Oregon, it is fitting to end our walk by admiring the vibrant green leaves and bright red flowers of the Vine Maple (Acer circinatum).