Western Gull

Western Gull, Laras occidentalis
Lone Ranch Beach
Brookings, Oregon

As we were leaving, we found this lovely pair of common seagulls perched serenely very near the parking lot overlooking the beach.

Purple Shore Crab

Purple Shore Crab, Hemigrapsus nudus
Lone Ranch Beach
Brookings, Oregon

One of my daughters nearly stepped on this little guy (or gal? We didn't check) as we were climbing over the rocks today. He must have been hiding under the rockweed; I suspect he got nudged by a foot before he came scampering out.

Tidepooling Today

Today we went tidepooling (is that a word?) at Lone Ranch Beach, just a few miles north of Brookings. We timed it with the low tide at around ten o'clock this morning. I decided to leave the dog at home, but still, it was challenging to maneuver the slippery rocks with the girls. It was a lovely warm day, but the wind whipped up around noon making it cooler and a little hard to maintain balance. We decided then it was time to head back into town for lunch.

An interesting feature located just above the beach, between the sand and the parking lot is a fairly large Native American shell mound, or midden. More information can be found here.

Foxglove

Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea

Azalea Park
Brookings, Oregon

The foxglove also stir up childhood memories for me: they grew quite commonly around our rural home, and whenever I brought home a fistful of wildflowers for my mother which included foxglove, she always made sure I thoroughly washed my hands to avoid getting ill from the toxic plant juices.

Woodland Strawberry

Woodland strawberry, Fragaria vesca
Azalea Park
Brookings, Oregon

These little wild berries were growing underfoot in several places of the park; we sampled a few, and they tasted kind of like a cross between apple and berry, while the seeds lent a delightful crunch.

Western Azalea

Native Western Azalea, Rhododendron Occidentale
Azalea Park
Brookings, Oregon

There are apparently five different varieties of native Azaleas in this city park, and some of them are over 200 years old. We just missed the peak of the flowering season; Memorial Day weekend is when the park is typically in full bloom, and the city of Brookings host the annual Azalea Festival.

In many places, the Azalea shrubs grow close enough together to create magical-feeling archways and and tunnels when are fun to explore. I have many fond memories of spending time at Azalea Park when I was a child; during our visit yesterday, my girls seemed to have found it just as enchanting as I did (and still do). We all agreed that we'll need to make another visit there this summer before we head back home to Austin.


For more on this species of azalea and the history of Azalea Park, click here.

Oregon Myrtlewood

Oregon Myrtlewood, Umbellularia california
Azalea Park
Brookings, Oregon

Yesterday afternoon, I took my girls to spend the afternoon at Azalea Park, and one of the first things we saw there was this large myrtlewood tree. The leaves release a pungent, spicy odor when crushed; they can be substituted for bay leaves in cooking. Myrtlewoods grow slowly, and based on the trunk circumference, this one looks like it might be 100 to 150 years old. It also appears to have suffered fire damage at some point; there were several carvings of initials and dates in the blackened area of the trunk.

More about the myrtlewood tree can be read here.

Pacific Dogwood

Pacific Dogwood, Cornus nuttallii
My mom's patio
Hillsboro, Oregon

My mom's patio has an amazing view: not only does she have bright and lovely red geraniums and orange marigolds in planter boxes and pots, she's also fortunate to have a view of the immaculately kept grounds around her apartment complex (as opposed to those unfortunate souls who get to look at the parking lot). This lovely dogwood grows right next to her second story patio, providing beauty as well as privacy. I took this shot with my cell phone camera.

Oregon Iris

Oregon Iris, Iris tenax
McVay Rock Beach
Brookings, Oregon

These delicate flowers were growing amid various grasses at the top of the bluff overlooking the beach, right at the top of the trail leading down to the sand. I also remember these growing around my childhood home, just north of town in the coastal hills.