Ethnobotany

This weekend my family and I enjoyed another one of Ranger Christal's guided hikes in Tryon Creek park. The day was chilly and drizzly but once the tour started we hardly noticed: Our focus was directed at all the interesting things living in the park.

The topic of the hike was "ethnobotany", a fancy word that basically means the study of the relationship between people and the plants they use.

The first plant we encountered was the thimbleberry. In addition to having delicious berries it also known as "Nature's Toilet Paper", the proverbial Charmin of the plant world, if you will. The leaves are soft and thick (double-ply, in TP-speak).

 The first tree we came across was this Hazelnut tree. Also known as the Western Filbert, this variety of tree is generally prolific with nuts. However, because shade abounds in Tryon Creek, this specimen produces only a few.

These are leaves from a salmonberry plant. There are actually three leaves per stem but if you bend the middle leaf back it looks like a butterfly. Salmonberries are edible and good for you but they tend to be on the tart side.

 This is Tryon Creek. It is fed by natural springs and tributaries as well as the run-off from the streets of southwest Portland. When I think of all the rain we get flowing to storm drains and then on to the creek, carrying oil and silt from city streets along with it, I really feel for the creatures in this ecosystem.

Take this critter, for example. He (or she) is a Rough Skinned Newt, a species of salamander that resides in the park. This poor critter was found seemingly crushed on the side of a trail. It looked like he wasn't going to make it and the kids in our hiking group were very concerned (although it did provide a good lesson in keeping one's eyes open when exploring the park). However, with Ranger Christal's attention and care, this newt survived and was freed near Tryon Creek later in the day.

I have seen this particular evergreen shrub in western Oregon all of my life and I never knew that it is the Oregon State Flower, the Oregon Grape. It produces yellow flowers in late spring and small purplish/black berries that are quite tart and contain large seeds.

(Please note: Specimen handling or collecting is prohibited at Tryon Creek without a permit.)