This month's field note comes from a little further afield. On Saturday, May 28th I went for an early-season hike up Perry Creek off the Mountain Loop Highway. While there was still too much snow to make it past the falls, the wildflowers and new spring growth in the lower valley were in full [...]
Departure. Transition. Moving on. Growth. Maturity. Gratitude. Thinking about how to write this last Director's note has me grasping for the right words, the best tone or emotion. Never one to be at a loss for words or expression, I'm struggling with the idea of leaving this place while simultaneously feeling excited about [...]
Catherine Creek National Scenic Area Lomatium nudicaule Lupine and Balsam Root under scrub oak Tree frog Little White Salmon River, Gifford Pinchot National Forest Castilleja hispida Lewisia rediviva Lupinus latifolius Balsamorhiza careyana Camassia quamish Lewisia rediviva [...]
Picea smithiana Morinda Spruce. This lovely Himalayan spruce is one of two spruces that feature pendant branches to give it a graceful look. The other is the Brewer spruce, another native to the Siskiyou mountains named in recognition of a Scottish gardener who was the first to grow this plant in Scotland in the [...]
Salix scouleri Scouler’s Willow A native that grows either as a shrubby tree or as a single-trunked specimen up to 50’. Dr. John Scouler, a Scottish physician and scientist, accompanied David Douglas (of Douglas fir fame) on the 1825 expedition to the PNW or as they called it – "The Oregon Country". [...]
Kalmiopsis leachiana Kalmiopsis is a rare member of the rhododendron family found only in isolated pockets in the Siskiyou Mts of southwestern Oregon. Discovered in 1930 by Lila Leach, who along with her husband, created and donated their garden to the City of Portland (Leach Botanic Garden) in 1972 which features other plants collected [...]
Pinus wallichiana Bhutan Pine, Himalayan White Pine. A distinctive five-needled pine with long, drooping needles. Needs to be out of windy sites to be shown to best effect. Nathaniel Wallich (1786-1854) was a Danish surgeon and botanist who worked in India for the Danish East India Company and later for the British East India [...]
Quercus sadleriana Sadler’s Oak. This is a small, shrubby evergreen oak found in the Siskiyou Mts. of southern Oregon and northern California. Named after British botanist John Sadler (1837-1882), Assistant Secretary of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh.
Rhododendron williamsiana A dwarf species that has been hybridized numerous times to pass on its overall small size and hardiness. Light pink blooms add to its charm. Introduced in 1908 by the famous plant explorer Ernest ‘Chinese’ Wilson who found it growing in Sichuan, China. Named in honor of the plant breeder J.C. Williams [...]
Philadelphus lewisii Lewis’s Mock Orange. A nice native of this old-time favorite group, it too has fragrant white flowers in early Summer. A native Mock Orange named in honor of Captain Meriwether Lewis as one of the explorers of Lewis and Clark fame. He collected it in 1806 on the return journey of the Corps [...]