Take a Walk at the Wildlife Refuge

Take a walk with me at Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, where I am training to become a 

volunteer naturalist and trail rover and just beginning to 

learn the common plants here.

Better wear your hat and gloves. 

The refuge provides space for wildlife 
to go about their seasonal activities.  

On my first visit, on the water there were hundreds, perhaps a thousand, pintail ducks, my favorites.

Trillium is an iconic spring wildflower 

in the Willamette Valley 

and they are now in full bloom at at the refuge.

Another sign of spring, the willows 
gearing up for reproduction.  
These are the pistillate or female flowers.

Pollinators are important to plant species reproduction; here, some little insect is busy 

in the red flowering current.

A violet means spring of course; this is 
wood violet, Viola glabella.  

Oaks toothwort, thank you friendly botanist. 

Above and below, two flowers with four petals, 

often meaning a member of the cresses, including wallflowers, mustards and toothwort.  

Who knew that ferns grew on tree trunks?  
Licorice fern, above, likes the deep woods. 

As does, this little cup fungus, below.  

     A cold day in March!

     Clouds rise above the bare trees--

     my heart feels at home.