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| Salmon River |
Western Oregon is so green, especially from the perspective of a naturalist who moved back to California recently. Last week I returned to the northwest for two weeks of professional meetings and field work, but I was able to explore a bit on my days off during the Memorial day weekend. Yesterday, I headed east from Portland towards Mt. Hood. On a clear day this beautiful white peak presents a marvelous site from Portland. The Mt. Hood area is home to three wildernesses: Mt. Hood Wilderness encompassing the mountain's summit and its slopes to the east and west, Badger Creek to the east, and Salmon-Huckleberry to the southwest. I spent one night backpacking into the green coniferous forest of Salmon-Huckleberry and its lush green understory. Here are some photos from the wilderness and surrounding Mt. Hood National Forest.
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| The diminutive Cornus unalaschkensis. |
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| This is an incredible spider that I encountered. Its brown body was not more than a centimeter long but each of the needle-like black legs were a few inches long! |
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| Two of the three Maianthemum species present in the area: M. stellatum (left) and M. racemosum (right). |
