our blog
Hendricks Park News: May, 2023
Board Members Lou Vijaker and Beth Copeland at our tent on Mother's Day It was a grand Mother's Day at Hendricks Park, a bit hot but nobody cared. Board members and other Friends helped direct traffic at the parking lots and greeted people at our tent in the...
Wildflower of the Month: April, 2023
Yellow Violet Viola glabela The yellow violet shown above is probably a stream violet (Viola glabella). It is abundant in the Native Plant Garden and other moist places in the park, where it spreads to form extensive patches. Several other yellow-flowered violet...
What’s Bloomin’: April, 2023
Tree Rhododendron Rhododendron arboreum cinnamomeum Several varieties of Tree Rhododendrons are native to the Himalayan slopes in Nepal, Bhutan, Kashmir, and Southern Tibet. They tend to bloom in early spring and can grow to over forty feet in height. The Rhododendron...
Volunteer Update: March, 2023
If you are a regular visitor to Hendricks Park, you can not help but have noticed the improvements in park conditions over the past few years, as weeds are reduced, blackberry is removed, beds are mulched, plants are pruned, and new rhododendrons and wildflowers are...
Invasive Alert: Lesser Celandine
Have You Seen This Weed? Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria) is increasing its hold on Hendricks Park’s gardens, and it shows up here and there in the forest as well. Glossy, dark green leaves about an inch across appear in late winter in lawns and garden...
Wildflower of the Month: March, 2023
Pacific Sanicle This year’s unusually cold weather is delaying bloom in the forest and native plant garden. Flowering currant buds are barely showing pink and the striking, glossy green rosettes of Pacific sanicle (Sanicula crassicaulis) that appear in midwinter...
Volunteer Update: February, 2023
Ivy Removal in the Forest Various volunteer groups have been active throughout Hendricks Park during the late fall and winter months. Forest groups have begun removing English ivy and blackberry from the area below Fairmount Blvd along the West Trail. Friends of...
Wildflower of the Month: February, 2023
Coast silk tassel (Garrya elliptica) Coast silk tassel is not a Willamette Valley native. Its native range is restricted to the coast of California and the southern half of Oregon. The silk tassel is dioecious (meaning female and male parts are borne on separate...
Volunteer Update: November, 2022
Emily Aune, Head Rhododendron Gardener, shares a moment with Phyllis Hamel on the new park bench. On Tuesday morning, 15 November, 2022, a celebration was held to dedicate a new park bench in honor of Phyllis Hamel, an local artist and long-time park volunteer, who is...
Wildflower of the Month: November, 2022
Common Ink Cap While the wildflowers sleep for now, the fungi have arrived after fall rains. The common ink cap, in the genus Coprinus, is a mushroom found throughout the northern hemisphere in both America and Europe. It is related to the larger...