Wildwood Trail

Forest Park is the largest forested park in city limits anywhere in the nation, and a lovely oasis.  We decided to explore it beginning at one end of the Wildwood Trail, on NW Newberry Rd. just northeast of Skyline Blvd.  This is a really easy walk with minimal elevation change, and the music of little streams.  Just inside the park, I was chatting away with my husband, when Jasper shushed us.  He was listening, completely engrossed, to the sound of a woodpecker drumming somewhere unseen nearby.  My little lightning bolt of a child was shushing us to listen to the sounds of nature!  Hooray!

Sword ferns.

Spider mite.

Pacific sideband snail.

Jasper just loved this beetle.  He wanted to know exactly what it was, so we asked the friendly folks at "What's That Bug?".  They replied that it's a Snail Eater.