Cooper Mountain Nature Park

Our homeschool group had a ramble at Cooper Mountain Nature Park, and the open meadows were awash with color.  Cooper Mountain has prairie that is maintained with occasional controlled burns, as well as some lovely forested trails.  A pond which was created when rock was excavated for trail building, has become a hotspot for wildlife.  It dries up completely in the summer, so the salamanders and frogs that breed there are ones which do not live in water as adults.  Garter snakes are plentiful there, and the park is one of the few places in the area that is good habitat for lizards.  There is even a pretty cool playground next to the parking area.  Metro co-manages this park with Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation, and is therefore the only THPRD park that offers nature programs which are exempt from their hefty out of district fees.  It's a pretty neat place to explore.

Oregon sunshine. (I had to laugh at the name of this flower.  It doesn't remind me of rain at all.)

This seems to be either a white rock larkspur or a peacock larkspur, both of which are very rare and special.

Bachelor button.

Yarrow.

Caddis fly larva.

A garter snake makes a getaway.

Bachelor button.

Oxeye daisy.

Bachelor button.