Back in the Field

As you know from the previous post, the staff here at Wildflower Blog Central was out of town for half of Native Plant month (April) here in Oregon. Many of our local parks and nature organizations were hosting plant information booths and sponsoring native plant sales. Hopefully you were able to visit one of these events during the month.

Now that we have returned to our home base, we wanted to get right back into the field; and when we did, we quickly realized that the grass pollen was in full power as the sneezing and honking began! But not to worry, we took precautions and got over to Cooper Mountain Nature Park to do a quick survey of what's blooming. This park is nice for us wildflower nuts because it has both mature forest and south-facing oak savanna habitats - and a really steep trail to get your cardio workout in the process! Also to like about Cooper Mountain: part of the park's mission is to restore native habitat and its plants.

Here's a quick overview of what's on tap in the area this week (5/20/2016) - and they are all native to the Northwest!

If you like cluster lilies, this is the place for you. We spotted many Ball-head Cluster Lily (a.k.a Fortooth Ookow) growing on the sunny exposed areas. Their purple blue blooms are easy to spot poking out of the grass. (Dichelostemma congestum)

     

There were also a few Hyacinth Cluster Lily plants near the low end of the Cougar trail. Also called Fools Onion, these showy white blossoms have green stripes. (Triteleia hyacinthina)

You know summer can't be too far off when we start to see the Oregon Sunshine opening up. Not much sunshine on this day though. (Eriophyllum lanatum)

And continuing with the state named flowers, at the upper end of the trail we spotted a dozen or so, Oregon Checker Mallows carving out a space in the partial shade of some old white oaks. Their elegant pink blossoms were just starting to open. (Sidalcea oregana)

     

Of course because it's an election year, we have to give equal time to shrubs as well! We spotted three Northwest favorites on this day: Lewis's Mock Orange (Philadelphus lewisii), named after Meriwether Lewis who collected it on their expedition; the Common Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) - you've probably seen those white berry clusters in the fall and winter; and the Pacific Ninebark (Physocarpus capitatus), which was just starting to open up.

     

To close out the native portion of this post, we are happy to report that we found several dozen of the endangered White Rock Larkspur, a.k.a. Pale Larkspur (Delphinium leucophaeum or D. nuttallii ssp. ochroleucum). Only two years ago, we spotted a single plant growing off trail in this park.

In the non-native department, you'll see the Oxeye Daisy, Woolly Vetch (not pictured), and the easy to identify Bachelor Button growing throughout the sunny areas of the park.

     

Links:

Cooper Mountain Nature Park - Metro

Oregon Information Sheet on White Rock Larkspur

Washington Information Sheet on White Rock Larkspur

Urban Nature

The first "public park" in the U.S. was the venerable Boston Common. Its land was purchased in 1634 for military training and cattle grazing. Thankfully, by 1640 the 50 acre Common was promoted to an actual park and has been used for public enjoyment since then. Although it has had a colorful past, it now a top destination for locals and visitors alike.

Near Columbus Circle

Likewise, New York city's Central Park is a park with a rich history. On a recent trip to the city, I had the pleasure of enjoying a bike ride around Central Park. It was a great way to explore the 840 acre spread and we were there at a good time for flowers, both wild and not so wild! I rented a well-used "comfort" bike at Columbus Circle and spent a couple of hours exploring the miles of roads and trails. There were many others out and about on foot and on bikes but it was not crowded. The park has so many distinct areas and is so large, one could spend days getting to really know it.

The park has a fascinating history of ups and downs since 1857 when it was first set aside. With the exception of the large granite rock formations, none of the park's many areas are native lands; it was designed and built entirely by humans - but it has been around for so long, portions of it have become naturalized. Locals love the park and I can see why: it has something or someplace for just about everyone. 

As with many nature spaces these days, Central Park is operated and maintained by a non-profit conservancy in partnership with the city. According to their website, this has led to greater funding and a long term approach to the health of the park. And rightly so - it is the most visited park in the U.S, with 40 million visitors in 2013.

In addition, the trend for public nature parks as another "menu option" to traditional city parks continues to evolve. It is encouraging that our civic leaders are recognizing the need for both formal, structured multi-use parks as well as true nature parks, with native plants and animals and minimal human impact. Central Park has an "embedded" four acre nature park called the Hallett Nature Sanctuary. It was restored in 2001 by removing invasives and adding trails. Since then it has evolved into a limited use example of natural restoration. Unfortunately for me, it was closed at the time of my visit, so a return trip is in order.

You can read more about Central Park from the links below. Here are a few photos from our brief stay in New York city in late April of this year.

These native Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginana) were blooming all over the park:

     

It is unlikely a cougar ever roamed this area, but this one keeps

a close eye on wayward visitors...

In one area you can enjoy carefully landscaped tulips,

while these native violets are growing here and there along foot paths.

     

The North Woods section resembles a typical northeastern forest and is

largely naturalized. The hybrid cherries were blooming throughout the

grassy areas.

     

Honesty (Lunaria annua) was showing its stuff along the trails, but there is only 

one obelisk in the park. You'll have to visit London to see the other.*

     

The Lake is one of several water features in the park. On this warm

April day, visitors were enjoying lunch hour.

Native shrubs bloom in the North Woods, while ornamental

crabapples please humans, canines, and bees alike!

     

Links:

Central Park Wikipedia Article

Park Official Site

* Obelisk Wikipedia Article