Spring in the Willamette Valley is heralded by the awakening of trees seen as bright green growth, showy flowers, and prodigious amounts of billowing tree pollen. Some days the pollen is so thick that every horizontal outdoor surface in the Portland area is coated with the powdery substance. Although it can be a nuisance to those with seasonal allergies, pollen... Read More
Even though Portland area skies are still cold, wet and grey, it won’t be long before we see signs of spring in the trees. Once trees break dormancy and cellular activity restarts, we can see flower buds swell and color, and tiny new leaves emerge from swollen leaf buds in deciduous trees. Bright green needles emerge from the tips of... Read More
Against the grey spring Portland sky, flowering cherry trees explode with blooms in a breathtaking spring spectacle. The fluttering petals, bright white and pink colors, and frilly textures of the flowering cherry are noticed from a distance against the stark backdrop of mostly bare deciduous trees and dark green evergreens. All across the Portland area, flowering cherry trees bloom in... Read More
The nights are quickly becoming longer in the northern hemisphere and the average temperatures are dropping, triggering dormancy in trees. Dormancy is a winter weather survival mechanism in which tree shoot growth is significantly reduced to protect soft tissues from freezing temperatures. In the fall, the decreasing daylight triggers the production of abscisic acid, a hormone that impedes growth. Abscisic... Read More
Located just minutes from downtown Portland near Reed College, the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden is a riot of color in the spring. The botanical garden has over nine acres of spectacular specimens of rhododendron and azalea planted alongside Crystal Springs Lake, which is fed by the property’s natural springs. The meandering paths that take you across bridges and alongside waterfalls... Read More
Spring in the Portland area is accented with explosions of color on flowering trees and shrubs such as the flowering cherry, flowering plum, magnolia, and camellia. These tell-tale signs of spring are not only beautiful, they function as the crucial reproductive system of the flowering plants (angiosperms). In angiosperm reproduction, pollen is produced by the male organ and is transferred... Read More
The snow-covered peak of Mount Hood dominates the eastern skyline of Portland in the winter. From a distance, it looks as though there is a sharp line above which trees do not grow. The elevation above which trees do not grow is called the tree line and is at about 6,000 feet on Mount Hood, or about the elevation of... Read More
Autumn in the Pacific Northwest is heralded by the bright leaf color change in prominent deciduous tree species. Many Portland area residents are surprised to learn that many evergreen trees also exhibit seasonal change in their foliage at this time of year. Deciduous and evergreen trees have foliage that converts sunlight into energy. Deciduous trees lose all of their leaves... Read More
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower” – Albert Camus When the air turns cold and sunlight wanes in the Portland area around the end of September and early October, our hillsides and neighborhoods turn a fiery gold, red and orange as the deciduous trees prepare for the dormant season. As the green chlorophyll fades, the... Read More
