Who doesn’t love flowers? There seems to be even more of a special place in people’s hearts for the wildflowers found in nature. Here in Oregon it is prime wildflower season. Some are even blooming currently in my new native plant garden. Especially prevalent right now are camas (Camas quamash), beautiful blue-violet spikes of star-like flowers that pop up in the meadows. They were a significant food source for the Native Americans that once inhabited the area
About 40 minutes away from my home in the town of West LInn a new Nature Conservancy site opened up last year, the Camassia Nature Preserve. The 22 acre parcel is a mix of lush forest, meadows, and oak savannah with a boardwalk that meanders the main route. There is about 2 miles of hiking trails in the area. Also prevalent are glacial erratics- boulders from Montana and Canada that were dropped in this area after the great floods that occurred after the melting of the ice sheets that covered the north during the Ice Age.
Yesterday the weather was lovely, partly sunny and in the 60s, a welcome change from the rain and cool temperatures. I decided to take a drive and check it out. I was not disappointed!
Here are some of the things I saw in this special place.
A bit of wildflower trivia…
The reason you may often see the dazzling combination of bright yellow and purple wildflowers together is that it attracts pollinators- and humans seeking beauty.
And…my photos really don’t do this place justice!
Wild Iris Looked what bloomed today! a wild Iris a queen amidst my garden her lilac petals arch gracefully like arms in a curtsy about her throat a white collar etched with fine black lines with a blush of gold Gaudy hybrids shout for my attention down the driveway but it's her sublime elegance that captures my wild heart
Here it comes – the biggest shopping day of the year in the USA – Black Friday. It’s the kick-off to the consumeristic feeding frenzy that Christmas has become, the holiday that fuels our economy. Humble Thanksgiving seems to have become almost an impediment to the shopping hounds. Some stores are even open on the day for bargain hunters to get a head start.
degradation. Think about it…every gift and its wrapping is made up of materials extracted from the Earth. This would include plastic (oil), paper (trees), and metal (minerals). Then there are all the fossil fuels used to transport the raw materials to the appropriate factories, to their retail outlets, and then to their final destinations. Air and water quality are also affected by their production. For a 20 minute educational (& entertaining) video on the topic, watch 
mindfulness in your holiday giving. Do people really need or even want all this stuff? Do we really need to upgrade to the latest device? Are their other ways to give without destroying the planet? Maybe a family discussion is due on the topic.
items or items purchased new or used for under $20.
Usually I don’t read the monthly National Resources Defense Council newsletter “The Voice.” You know..the too busy thing, don’t want to be depressed. This time I read it and was shocked by their feature-length article “From Trees to toilet Paper: Canada’s Great Boreal Forest is Being Wiped Out.” Pardon me, I never thought I’d be blogging about toilet paper but this information I felt should be shared.
their content from virgin timber in the from the N. Boreal forests of Canada, the “lungs of N. America” Essentially they are wiping out a major ecosystem and contributing to climate change rather than investing in recycled content or alternatives such as bamboo and wheat straw. About a million acres are logged a year for tissue and other disposable products. Proctor & Gamble, Kimberly –Clark & Georgia Pacific thus far use ZERO recycled content. Costco gets their tissue from the main suppliers.
By Alanna Pass 