Mid-May Walk

We have had a nice day or two, but mostly we've had gray skies and much-needed rain. So much of the outdoor world is a vibrant green.  Let's take a look.

New growth on a young Douglas fir

This year's crop of Douglas fir cones

Bright green fir new growth

Bracken Fern

This is commonly called Buck Brush, Oregon Tea Tree or Redstem Ceanothus (Ceanothus sanguineus).

Cascara

Almost in bloom

The Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), along the Big Creek has rebounded and that is great. Here's a list of critters that eat the fruit: Robins, thrushes, grosbeaks, woodpeckers, jays, bluebirds, catbirds, kingbirds, and grouse eat chokecherries, and so do mice, voles, chipmunks, squirrels, skunks, foxes, deer, bear, and moose!

Sword Fern - our most common forest fern

Willows and Ash at the edge of the Big Creek 

Oregon White Oak

Hawthorne