Our last two weeks together were so much fun! Our theme for our second to last week was flowers and seeds, but we did not find many wildflowers around the Nature Center. With the colder weather, things were either blooming later or were closed up to stay warm. We did find bloodroot, though! This little white flower gets its name from the red juice that is found in its stem. We spent some time at Jack’s Creek looking for macroinvertebrates before switching gears and heading down to the Bear Dens and Rock Beach. On the way to the Bear Dens, we noticed a vernal pool under some cedar trees. We stopped to check it out, but did not find any amphibian eggs. We did, however, find a bird’s nest on the ground when we arrived at the Bear Dens. We used sticks to place it on a nearby tree. We stopped to cool off at the Rock Beach before heading back to the pavilion.
On our last day together, we trekked down to the Fossil Beach where Robbins Creek meets the Boardman River. We were excited to see leaves emerging from the tree buds along the trail. We walked along a new path along the river to celebrate our last day together. Ms. Paige and Ms. Rachel taught us that this “new” trail is a social trail, meaning it has been created by those who decided to wander off the original trails. Use of the main trails is encouraged to prevent any damage to the surrounding environment. The surrounding area here is especially important, as it is a restoration site from the removal of the Sabin Dam. Native grasses, shrubs, trees, etc. are still being planted and are in their early stages of growth. We want to protect them the best we can! Speaking of protection, we walked right past a Canada goose in the river. We crossed our fingers that it was not guarding a nest!! It was a wonderful day for our final adventure together.
