our blog
Volunteer Update: October, 2022
The big volunteer news this summer was that Cait Wisbeski had been hired to become the new Volunteer Coordinator at Hendricks Park. This position is funded in part by the Friends. Cait previously worked with the Portland Nursery and Portland Audubon Society. She has...
Wildflower of the Month: October, 2022
Common Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) Common Snowberry is a species of flowering plant native to North America in the honeysuckle family. It has small, whitish to pink flowers that last over a long period in summer. Snowberry flowers attract pollinators,...
Wildflower of the Month: July, 2022
Farewell-to-Spring Farewell-to-spring (Clarkia amoena) is native to western North America, found in coastal hills and mountains from British Columbia south to the San Francisco Bay. It is a common meadow annual that blooms in early to midsummer, bearing cup-shaped,...
Volunteer Update: July, 2022
The surprise volunteer news this spring was the departure of Christina Bentrup, who had been serving as Volunteer Coordinator at the park. She gave much energy and leadership to the Tuesday Morning Rhododendron Garden group, navigating the Covid-19 pandemic and...
Wildflower of the Month: June, 2022
Western columbine (Aquilegia formosa) Western columbine is a common perennial wildflower in Western North America, frequenting oak woodlands, moist meadows and seeps. It is a member of the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. The flower color is striking with both red...
What’s Bloomin’: May,2022
Bleeding Heart The common bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) gets its name from its heart-shaped, white or pink flowers that dangle like pendulous drops from a slender stem. Bleeding hearts are woodland plants that like the shade and bloom in the cool of...
Wildflower of the Month: April, 2022
Oregon Grape Berberis aquifolium Tall Oregon Grape (Berberis aquifolium) is the state flower of Oregon. It is also known by its former genus name Mahonia. Its brilliant yellow blooms in spring serve as a valuable nectar source for bees and other insect pollinators....
Volunteer Update: April, 2022
Volunteers with the Free the Forest and Forest Keepers programs have been busy in the forest in recent months, removing invasive species and clearing spaces around new plantings. Free the Forest meets the first Saturday morning of every month, while Forest Keepers is...
What’s Bloomin’: April, 2022
Glory of the Snow Chionodoxa sardensis The genus name is derived from the Greek words chion, meaning snow, and doxa, meaning glory. An early bloomer, it often pokes up through the snow in western Turkey, where this small bulb is native. The small,...
Volunteer Update: March, 2022
It's been a busy winter for volunteers at Hendricks Park. Many a cold Tuesday morning has found a hardy group eager to get to work in the Rhododendron Garden. Several weeks went into enlarging a bed on the main lawn to make way for a selection of new rhododendrons...