Oaks Bottom

Our homeschool group took a long ramble through Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge and turned up some marvels.  The Tadpole Pond was our destination, but we started at the opposite end of Oaks Bottom, at Sellwood Park. (The tadpole pond is much closer to the Oaks Bottom parking area on SE Milwaukie Ave. at Mitchell St.) The pond proved to still have many tiny Pacific chorus frogs, hopping about in the grass next to the pond and in the final stages of metamorphosis in the pond itself.  There were also some larger salamander larvae and many fascinating water bugs.  Bees were everywhere thrilling to the glorious wildflowers. Trees were climbed, water was splashed, and the kids had a grand afternoon.

A ladybug hides in the vetch.

 Clover.

Water scorpion.

Orchard morning-glory.

This mushroom seemed to have another mushroom growing
upside down on its top.  Did some prankster glue it there?

Klamath weed beetle.  It was introduced to eat Klamath weed (St. John's wort), which is highly invasive and
 toxic to the soil and grazing animals.

Chicory.

A Pacific chorus froglet.

This is also a vetch.  There are lots!

A really big water scorpion.

A salamander larva.

Red elderberry.

Jewelweed.  Crushed leaves from this plant rubbed onto the skin is a famous cure for poison oak and poison ivy.

Wild strawberry.

Hairy cat's ear.

Water boatman.

Spirea.

St. John's wort.

A tiny Pacific chorus frog.

One of a pair of Dunn's salamanders we found.

The second Dunn's salamander.

Spirea.

I believe this is a Puget Oregonian snail.

A ladybug with no spots!  Possibly the western blood-red.