Wednesday, May 7, 2014

A Chicken Stitch & A River Walk

Since this month's theme is birds and cats, and my header is all about chickens, I thought this Lizzie Kate stitch would fit right in!  

Speaking of cats...
My cousin got married on Saturday and I am house sitting / cat sitting.
This is Pickles the Cat. He is beginning to tolerate me.

We can explore somewhere new on our walk today.

Let's take a small walk along part of the Ruth Bascom Riverbank Path System.

The Osoberries (Oemleria cerasiformis) bloomed clear back in March.  They've already set fruit. 

Our native Nootka Rose (Rosa Nutkana) has come into bloom.

We are being observed!

There are nice patches of Pacific Bleeding Heart.

I was surprised to find large patches of Menzie's Larkspur (Delphinium menziesii).

But I wasn't surprised to see fishermen enjoying a nice afternoon.

Isn't the Willamette River lovely?  
We are fortunate that while the river flows through town, most of the river banks remain undeveloped.

A large stand of Sweet Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) blooms happily right along the edge of the river.

This close to the river, the wetland-loving Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea) thrives.

Sprawling vines of Coast Manroot (Marah oreganus) scramble helter-skelter along the edges of the riverbank.

The earliest of the Cow's Parsnip (Heracleum maximum) is blooming.

Look who's having a late dinner!  
A nutria. Nutrias are native to south America.  They were brought to Oregon in the 1930s for fur farmers.  When the market for their pelts collapsed, many animals were released into the wild.  They thrive here and are considered a pest.  I think they are kinda' cute.  Some people think they are just Big Old River Rats!


10 comments:

Vickie said...

I have never seen a Nutria before. Looks just like our guinea pig, Gracie, that we used to have. Except bigger!

linda said...

Very pretty walk. I have not heard of nutria before either. Are they similar to otters? I think they are cute as well.

cucki said...

Very pretty walk
So beautiful x

Barb said...

What a lovely walk! I just love seeing the wild flowers. The nutria is strange! We have mountain beaver up here. They do lots of damage if you have them near your garden.

Margaret said...

How do you know so much about plants and birds? You are amazing! Loved seeing all the plant life on your walk. And that animal too -- I'd never heard of it or its history. Very interesting! Nice stitching too!

Pam in IL said...

Nice walk today! Is the Cow's Parsnip poisonous like our Wild Parsnip is? I thought the Nutrias looked like a beaver.

Annette-California said...

Seeing your photo of a Nutria is a first for me. Didn't even knew they existed. I guessed they are related to Beavers? Beautiful walk.
Darling new stitching start.
love Annette

Chris said...

Lovely river walk. Hi Pickles!!

Athena at Minervas Garden said...

What a lovely place to walk, Beth. You certainly know a lot of plants--really great pictures of them, and I enjoyed seeing Pickles and the nutria--never seen one before. We have a wonderful plant sale this weekend that I look forward to all year--hopefully it will come through without too much rain!

Andrea said...

A lovely walk. I have never heard of a nutria before. I have learned something new today.