The Oregon Conservation Education and Assistance Network (OCEAN) delivers an annual statewide conference called CONNECT that brings conservation professionals from across the state together to share experiences, learn relevant skills, and create partnerships that improve conservation implementation in Oregon.
CONNECT (April 19-21, 2016) was great this year, as always (see
https://vimeo.com/108424293for more explanation of CONNECT and what it's all about). This time it was held at the Salishan Spa and Golf Resort in Glenedon Beach, which is about three hours north up the coast from Bandon.
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A picturesque Shore Pine...is it just me or is this the exact tree from the resort logo!?! |
I was in conference sessions the majority of the time, and spending time with my son the rest of the day, but of course I did manage to get a couple walks in. I put Seth in the stroller and we cruised around some of the nature trails and under Hwy 101 to the beach. Unfortunately, the stroller wheels didn't do so well on the sand so we had to turn back at that point, but I did collect photos of a large variety of Oregon native plants on the way. A few are species that I have yet to identify, and there may be some non-natives in there too. For the most part, the Salishan resort and surrounding grounds were beautifully maintained and though there were some ornamentals in the landscaping, the majority of vegetation was native species. I did see a little bit of blackberry and of course, English Ivy.
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Close up of shore pine cones |
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Close-up of shore pine needles |
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We followed the nature trail along this expanse of estuary. I wonder what kind of clams they have in there? |
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Some Pacific wax myrtle...very familiar species, was abundant. My grandmother who went with me to CONNECT to babysit while I was in sessions called this "false myrtle" and said she was badly allergic to it. |
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Most of the trees growing along the edge of this estuary were scraggly, tilted, and stunted from the wind. |
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I have not yet identified this plant but it was very abundant all along the trail. |
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My grandmother thought it might be wild parsnip...it reminds me of nettle, but it was not hairy or prickly. |
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I'm not sure but I think this was a young beach pea sprout or vetch of some kind. |
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Some more beach pea growing around that mystery plant |
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I believe this is Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). It is a very feathery, delicate plant and has medicinal uses. I am more used to recognizing it by it's flowers, which resemble queen anne's lace or wild carrot but are slightly different.
Yarrow, According to Mountain Rose Herbs:
“It is a long-stemmed member of the sunflower family found in the wild throughout the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It can be recognized by its highly segmented leaves (millefolium literally means “thousand leaves”), and the clusters of daisy-like white or lavender flowers at the top of the stalk.
Greek myth had it that Achilles painted himself with a tincture of yarrow to make himself invulnerable to arrows, everywhere on his body except his heel. Native American herbal medicine makes extensive use of yarrow. Among the Micmac people of Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, the stalk was chewed or stewed to induce sweating to “break” fevers and colds. They also pounded the stalks into a pulp to be applied to bruises, sprains, and swelling.
The Cherokee, Gosiute, Iroquois, and Mohegan peoples used it as a digestive aid. Other herbal healing traditions use yarrow to treat a variety of conditions characterized by swelling, often combined with echinacea, elder flower, ginger, and peppermint.” |
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This plant was also very abundant, I think it is possibly a very young black twinberry plant (see more on black twinberry below). |
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I think this one is false lily of the valley |
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Here's some more false lily of the valley growing in a swampy area off the trail, interspersed with some sedges. |
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A good way to remember the difference between sedges and rushes: Sedges have edges and rushes are round. |
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Some sort of fungus growing here...most likely deadly poisonous. Will have to do more research... |
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I know from previous experience that rushes are extremely difficult to identify without a bloom of some kind. Thus I was tickled when I happened across one. This is Slough Sedge. I have always thought of it as "cut grass" because the edges will give you a nasty slice if you're not careful. |
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A scruffy little Sitka spruce here. Sitka is easy to identify by touch because the needles are stiff and sharp and will poke you. |
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Nice little salmonberry bloom |
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This shrub is another native known as black twinberry. Probably so named because it produces two little black berries. |
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Another common native: thimbleberry. The leaves are soft and fuzzy on the top, prickly on the inner side. |
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Another willow |
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Willow catkin |
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Coastal strawberry. These produce a teeny tiny little strawberry...not like the ones you buy in stores. About the size of your thumbnail. |
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American beach grass growing out of the sand, with shore pine in the background. |
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lupine |
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Tussock |
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I have been seeing this plant everywhere along the roadsides at the edges of forest...I think it is elderberry. |
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I know this one! Pacific Silverweed :-) |
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box culverts |
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An old style top hinge tidegate. These things allow fresh water to flow out, but when the tide comes in and salt water backs up into the channel, the trap door prevents it from going past the tidegate. This was historically heavily used for draining lands for agriculture and other forms of development. The problem is that they create major fish passage barrier, effectively eliminating migratory fish from the gated stream and cutting them off from essential side channel rearing habitat. |