It was winter forever, cold and rainy. Then we had spring for about 4 days. And then 90 degrees!
Thankfully, Portland’s cool and shady Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge is a fantastic way to spend a warm Saturday afternoon. Dedicated to protecting and improving habitat for native plants and animals, it’s 168 acres of wetlands, meadows and woodlands and, amazingly, only a few minutes from downtown Portland.
We walked through Sellwood Park, past rhododendrons in full bloom.
and open fields with people playing baseball and frisbee,
then through a picnic area dense with evergreen trees
to a steep path.
Gorgeous.
At the bottom, Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge.
A beautiful meadow,
with a path
leading to the wetland,
just visible here through the branches of a young oak.
After all our rains, the wetland was full. There is a lot of water.
So beautiful.
With an alluring path along the edge.
If you’re lucky and walking with someone with a good eye, you might see a turtle.
Just visible on the fallen log.
Or a great blue heron.
A closer look.
The perfect way to spend a warm Saturday afternoon.
A big thank you to the people who worked to save this place for all of us to enjoy.
For more information about Oaks Bottom, check it out here.
Our spring is a bit behind yours – we’ve got a few trees in flower, lots of light green showing on the trees, tulips and daffodils in bloom, but it’ll be another week to 10 days before the trees will be fully out.
It’s interesting isn’t it Judith? In some places their spring is completely over! Meanwhile, other places are patiently waiting. Today it’s cooler here. Thank goodness!
Nice!! 😉 A lovely day indeed!