Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Toothsome Toothwort


Jeanette B., loyal Suksdorfian, noticed the blooming of the oaks toothwort (Cardamine pulcherrima) and captured this lovely photo this week. 


For folks near White Salmon, several of these are recently blooming along the upper trails at Gaddis Park along Jewett Creek.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Spring in slow motion

Spring seems slow, cold and wet this year, but there are blooms, here and there. Today, we came across this patch of gold stars (Crocidium multicaule) on Burdoin Mountain, near White Salmon. There were also a few prairie stars (Lithophragma parviforum) in the mix. These flowers thrive in the oak and meadow areas of the mountain's side.













We were not the only ones recently on the trail...


Tuesday, March 15, 2011

"We need bees"

What: Public talk & demonstration on keeping bees
Where: White Salmon Library
Date: April 1
Time: 6:30 p.m.


"We need bees"
This presentation by several local beekeepers, gardeners and such will include several 20-minute presentations, starting with an intro slide show by Melissa Elliot, landscape designer and beekeeper.

Other topics covered will be:

*  'Importance of Pollinators' by Todd Murray entomologist from WSU Extension, Skamania County

* 'Honey bees and Mason Bees' by John Kraus, Underwood commercial beekeeper managing 700 colonies

* 'Plants for Pollinators' by Jeanette Burkhardt, a local gardener and beekeeping enthusiast.

* A demonstration on making grass skeps, by Joy Markgraf, of Husum. Skeps are domed, coiled baskets that were used to house bees as early as the 16th century up until World War II when they were abandoned in favor of woodenware. A selection of Joy's artistic and functional beehives will be on display at the library during the month of April. 

The library will have on hand a selection of books on honeybees and native pollinators to satisfy your interest on the subject. The Xerces Society will provide handouts about attracting native pollinators and a list of plants that are beneficial to them, and Ruhl Bee Supply is providing sample Mason bee houses and copies of their catalog. For those interested in starting a local beekeeping club Martha Kraus will gather names and information and David Ryan will inform people about the Master Gardeners program.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Seed Workshop & Swap : March 19 in Bingen

Gorge Grown Food Network is putting on its 4th Annual Seed Swap & Seed Saving Workshop on Saturday, March 19, in Bingen. The event is held in two parts: A seed-saving workshop 10 a.m.-noon, and a seed swap/share from 12:30-3 p.m.


The location couldn't be handier: Solstice Wood Fire Cafe (upstairs).


Both events are free and open to the public.


The seed-saving workshop will be an introduction for beginners ... like yours truly ... and will be put together by Sarah Kleeger and Andrew Still of Adapative Seeds, of Sweet Home, Oregon. They'll cover why to save seed, and how, with topics like:
  • Seed sovereignty and food freedom in a changing world
  • Open-pollinated, heritage/heirloom, hybrid and GMO see
  • Strategies: planning your garden for seed-saving
  • Harvest, cleaning and storage
After noon, the Seed Swap is a community event for both beginners and advanced gardeners alike. Opportunities include:
  • Bartering and exchanging seeds (and bulbs, tubers, rhizomes, etc)
  • Browse seed catalogs and resource books
  • Meet and talk with other growers and savers.

There will then be plenty of time for sharing seeds and continuing to network and learn about how to save and store seeds successfully. Even if you do not have seeds to swap, you are encouraged to come network, gather information, and take away some free seeds, which will be available. Try new varieties this year ­ trade as many or as few as you like.
 
Barter & trade encouraged: commercial and locally-developed seeds are welcome.

Contact Gorge Grown for more information: info@gorgegrown.com, 541-490-6420.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Paul's amazing online flower journal

Hills around the Columbia Gorge are still clad in fleecy snow, but in the lower slopes flowers are already pushing their buds and blooms above the grass. To follow the growing season's spreading bounty of flowers, one could hike around daily. One could also follow Paul Slichter's amazing online flower journal (with a section on Columbia Gorge flowers here).

There are several worthwhile blogs to follow that I've run across lately. Besides Slichter's, local Deborah Casting posts beautiful nature photos she takes at "Sleeping in the forest;" and naturalist Ivan Philippsen's fun and worthwhile "Wild Pacific Northwest" includes a Wildflower Wednesday feature. Check 'em out, and send nice comments their way -- these folks get nothing but kudos for sharing their photos and insights.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Catherine Creek's a-bloomin'


We had a fine time at the Suksdorfia group's inaugural hike Saturday, at Catherine Creek. Krista took the lead, with half a dozen others following, and toured us about this remarkable site east of White Salmon. We saw several flowers, including salt-and-pepper (Lomatium piperi, pictured above), gold stars (Crocidium multicaule, see below) and grass widows (see post further down this page).

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Restoration Talk & Flower Walk with NPSO/Mid-Columbia in March

The Mid-Columbia chapter of Native Plant Society of Oregon (see link at right) is holding two events of interest this month:

March 10, Thursday, 7 pm
Regular chapter meeting with a presentation: "Increasing Plant Diversity in Columbia Hills State Park/Dalles Mountain Ranch." Stephen Van Vleet, Agriculture and Natural Resource Specialist with the WSU-Whitman County Extension, will speak on the long-term rehabilitation project underway in the Columbia Hills State Park/Dalles Mountain Ranch. The project aims to increase vegetative plant diversity (with a focus on native forbs) on 180 acres of previously disturbed range that is now a “secar” bluebunch wheatgrass monoculture. Van Vleet will describe approaches to restoration such as managed grazing of cattle and invasive plant control. Location: Boardroom, Building 1, Columbia Gorge Community College, The Dalles.
 
March 26, Saturday, 9:30 am
Hike: Early and Rare Wildflower Hunt. Co-sponsored with the Klickitat Trail Conservancy. Join Sara Wu and Nancy Allen for a moderately paced hike along Swale Creek in the eastern Gorge. About 5 miles round trip. Look for desert parsleys, especially purple leptotaenia (Lomatium columbianum), and rare Dalles Mountain buttercup (Ranunculus triternatus) on this occasionally rocky but nearly flat trail. Dress warmly! Bring a lunch. Location: Meet at 9:30 am at the Lyle Trailhead of the Klickitat Trail. From there we will carpool 15 miles to the Harms Rd. Trailhead where the hike begins. Or, meet us at the Harms Rd. Trailhead at 10:15 am. Go to http://www.klickitat-trail.org/map.htm for maps. Information: Contact Sara Wu at wusara96@yahoo.com.