Here in Portland I am fortunate to have many options to get outside. Tryon Creek is one such place and is a state park close enough to where I live that I am able to go most any day after work, or work it in to a busy weekend. We go there in most all weathers, enjoy the seasonal changes of flora and fauna, and though the parking lot may get crowded, we often have the trail pretty well to ourselves. We love to look for bats in late summer, see the first trillium blooms in spring, and enjoy the sounds of rushing water in late winter after it has rained a lot. It is a really pretty park that even has horse trails- here in town-in Portland.
We see many kinds of mushrooms to the point it feels like a game of how many we can find. I’m not very good with my identifications yet, but have some books to work on it!
This section of the park is where we have the best luck in late summer spotting bats. We have seen a deer crossing a stream once from the Beaver bridge, several various woodpeckers, mice, a rabbit, but mostly-bats, birds, snails and slugs.
Salmonberry flowers are pretty and pop up before many of the other colorful flowers do.
Skunk cabbage looks neat, but is quite smelly if there are many present.
We didn’t need spikes, but they are a good idea to bring just in case in snowy/icy weather.
A woodpecker is looking for bugs in a tree.
