Tualatin Hill Nature Park is an amazing place. Located in the heart of Beaverton, it's a refuge for many different kinds of wildlife. While much of it is off limits to humans, it is crisscrossed by many trails, much of which are paved and stroller friendly. And it is a perfect place to go if you don't have a car and would enjoy a walk in the woods (at the Merlo Rd/ SW 158th st. MAX blue line stop, turn south and you will see a trail leading right into the park). Visiting in the summer, we found it absolutely hopping with tiny froglets...and of course garter snakes, which feed on them. We caught 8 tiny froglets, each which would have fit on my thumbnail, admired them and let them go. Although they were many different shades of green and brown and even orange, they were all Pacific Tree Frogs, which are happy to breed in vernal pools before the pools dry up completely in the summer. We looked for bullfrogs in another area, where we have found these highly aquatic frogs all summer, and found them gone. (They may have been routed, since they are an invasive species that is a threat to many others in the park.) Jasper was disappointed to miss seeing bullfrogs, but we saw many more wonders.
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| Can you find all eight? |
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| NaturallyPacific Tree Frogs are excellent climbers! |
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| A friendly dragonfly. |
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| Jewelweed. The juices in the stem are a folk remedy for poison oak and poison ivy. |
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| Monadenia Fidelis, the Pacific Sideband Snail. |
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| Oregon Tall Grape, the official state flower, showing off how it got its name. Berries are edible but bitter. |
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| European centuary. |
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| Oceanspray. |
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| Jasper spotted this extra yellow banana slug! They typically don't get this yellow in Oregon. |
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| A typically colored banana slug- but really gigantic! |
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| Oak galls, which wasp larvae get the oak tree to make for their protection and nourishment. |
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| Mysterious slime mold. |
Tualatin Hill Nature Park is an amazing place. Located in the heart of Beaverton, it's a refuge for many different kinds of wildlife. While much of it is off limits to humans, it is crisscrossed by many trails, much of which are paved and stroller friendly. And it is a perfect place to go if you don't have a car and would enjoy a walk in the woods (at the Merlo Rd/ SW 158th st. MAX blue line stop, turn south and you will see a trail leading right into the park). Visiting in the summer, we found it absolutely hopping with tiny froglets...and of course garter snakes, which feed on them. We caught 8 tiny froglets, each which would have fit on my thumbnail, admired them and let them go. Although they were many different shades of green and brown and even orange, they were all Pacific Tree Frogs, which are happy to breed in vernal pools before the pools dry up completely in the summer. We looked for bullfrogs in another area, where we have found these highly aquatic frogs all summer, and found them gone. (They may have been routed, since they are an invasive species that is a threat to many others in the park.) Jasper was disappointed to miss seeing bullfrogs, but we saw many more wonders.
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/7230309@N05/sets/72157627286625838/
We also saw lots of critters. Your damselfly is actually a dragonfly (wings go out, while wings of damselfly line up with the body).