Flicker in the Cascara Tree

Now that my native landscaping is starting to fill in and mature a little bit, I've really noticed an increase in the number of bird species that I see in the yard.  On one recent morning, I looked out the window and saw a Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) enjoying a snack of suet among the branches of one of my Cascara trees.

 

 So I quietly snuck out the back door and poked my camera lens around the corner of the house to get a better shot.

The Northern Flicker is a beautiful woodpecker.  Sort of a brownish-tan color overall, with all kinds of black spots and bars, and a black crescent on the chest.  The female lacks the red moustache stripes that you can see on the lower sides of this male's face.

The behavior of the Northern Flicker differs from that of most woodpeckers because they spend a lot of time on the ground, where they eat beetles, ants and other insects.  When they are in the trees, they're perched on branches like this one, rather than hanging on the trunk, supported by their tail feathers.  Sometimes your only view of a Flicker is when you interrupt its ground-feeding.  You'll see a white rump spot and a flash of red as it flies up and away, into the trees.  The flash of red is due to the red color of the flight feather shafts.  The Flicker pictured above was kind enough to leave me a sample of his red-shafted feathers.

The Northern Flicker is a common, year-round bird across most of the contiguous United States.  In the Eastern US, the flight feathers have yellow shafts instead of red.  Hybrid forms are common where the ranges of the two forms meet.

Even though this is a commonly-seen bird, it really is beautiful.  And I don't think I would have seen one in my yard before I provided a little bit of habitat.  OK, I admit... the suet feeder helped.  But when my yard was a flat, monoculture lawn, there was nothing of interest to attract this bird.  No native planting areas to offer forage, and especially no trees in which to seek refuge (or to hang a suet feeder).  Every time I spot a new species in my yard, it's like a little reward for all of my effort.  I can't wait to see what the next one will be!

You can learn to identify the Woodpeckers of North America by sight, sound and behavior, with this illustrated book by Frances Backhouse.

My New Pair of Bloomers

Two of the newest plants in my native landscaping have flowered for the first time, so I thought I would share a few pictures of this brand new pair of bloomers.

Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium idahoense)

First up:
Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium idahoense)

This plant is not a true grass at all, but a relative of the Iris.  The plant is native to the western United States, and the flowers are variable. 

Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium idahoense)

The flowers close in the evening, and the stems have little joints which allow the flower to stand upright even when the stem falls over. (Like the stems to the right in the photo below.)

Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium idahoense)

These were planted in February, and I wasn't sure if the tiny, bare root plants would produce blooms this year.

Flower: Blue/purple, with yellow center (variable)
Blooms: March-May
At Maturity: 1 1/2' H x 2' W
Location: Fulls sun to part shade, dry to seasonally wet


I planted some Yellow-eyed Grass at the same time (Sisyrinchium californicum) but it has not bloomed yet.  Yellow-eyed Grass looks just like Blue-eyed Grass but the flowers are solid yellow.

My Blue and Yellow-eyed Grasses were purchased at the annual native plant sale held by East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District (EMSWCD).  They have some great online Native Plant Resources if you'd like info on selecting and finding native plants for your yard.

Nevada buckwheat (Eriogonium umbellatum) var. nevadense

My second new bloomer was purchased at the Tryon Creek Trillium Festival and plant sale in 2011.  So this is it's second spring in the ground, but it didn't bloom last year.

 It's called Nevada buckwheat (Eriogonium umbellatum) var. nevadense.






 This plant is not native to the Willamette Valley, but it is found in drier, sunnier areas east of the Cascades, and in other western states.  I wanted to give it a shot in my yard because it gets a lot of full sun, and I figured the plant would do well with no water in the summer.

Nevada buckwheat (Eriogonium umbellatum) var. nevadense

Looks like it's doing OK!



Flower: Bright Yellow, suffused with red
Blooms: May-July
At Maturity: 1' H x 1 1/2' W
Location: Well drained soil, PS-Sun

Nevada buckwheat - Blooms fully opened

Here's another good resource for NW gardeners interested in using more native plants:

Spring Happenings in the New-and-Improved Yard

Readers of this blog may know that I installed a landscape using (almost) entirely native plants, in what used to be the very bland yard of our duplex (mostly lawn).  Now I have large planted areas with layered vegetation - groundcovers, shrubs, small and medium-sized trees.  The full sun yard now even has a couple of areas approaching part shade.  I couldn't be happier with the results.

Before and After (2008-2012)

One of the benefits has been a very noticeable increase in the wildlife that frequents the yard.  The birds especially love the new trees, and enjoy digging around in the groundcover.  I notice more and more wildlife each year.

Just the other day, I was pruning my Red-flowering currants (after the bloom), and there were lots of young ladybugs crawling around.

And a few weeks ago, I noticed a pair of Bushtits hopping around one of my Cascara trees - just as they were starting to leaf out.

They're cute little birds - known for their acrobatic ways.

I think they were looking for insects on the new leaves.  And they seemed to appreciate the suet feeder, too.

I see the pair all the time now, flitting between this tree and a larger tree in a neighbors yard.  I think they must be nesting nearby, if not in that neighbor's tree.  I've been meaning to go look for the nest.  I recently saw a Bushtit's sock-like nest when I joined one of the Backyard Bird Shop's nature walks, out at Smith and Bybee Lakes.  Here's a picture I took of the nest...

The nest is made from grasses, spider webs, and other soft materials, and I'm told if you happen to come across a nest with chicks in it, you can tell by all the wiggling.

Another recent happening in the yard...

Bark mulch thievery!

I watched this crow stealing my bark over the course of several days.  Sometimes his (or her) mate would come to supervise - walking along beside, and seemingly giving each piece the thumbs - I mean wingtips - up or down.  (I have my theories about who was who in this pair, but I won't go into that here.)   :-O  

After settling on a piece, the thief would take it up to the power line and go through a shredding process with beak and foot, before flying off to a large conifer where I assume they're nesting.

It can be fun getting to know your non-human neighbors!

Spring? What Spring?

Snow on Kinnikinnick

I know spring is not actually here yet, but we have had some very spring-like weather in the Portland area this late-winter. I recently posted about all the native plants breaking into bloom.  In the time since that post, my Red-flowering Currant has joined the party.

Now we've had several nights of 30 degree temperatures, and not much warming during the day.  It tried to snow yesterday, and it looks like it succeeded sometime last night.

Red-flowering Currant

Indian Plum blooms above Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium littorale) 

Not much snow to speak of, but enough to give us - and the plants - a reality check. 

Indian Plum

I'm not sure if this soothes my Spring Fever, or just makes it that much worse, but March 20th is still out there.  Slowly making its way to us.

Portland's Native Plants Spring to Life

Remember all that sun we had recently?  Wasn't that amazing?  I wonder if we'll feel that kind of warmth on our shoulders again before, I don't know... June?  I sure hope so, because I've got a bad case of Spring Fever!

This past weekend, I tried to soak up as many of those precious rays as I could.  So while millions were watching Superbowl XLVI, I was out puttering around the yard, doing whatever I could find to keep me outside a little longer.  I did some weeding, a little pruning, and some removal of last year's dead growth.  I was somewhat surprised to see just how much some of my native plants had also noticed the warmth.

This is my Indian Plum, or Osoberry (Oemleria cerasiformis).  It's a large native shrub, and one of our earliest bloomers.  An important early nectar source for all those Mason Bees and other native pollinators.

The female plants produce small purple berries that look like tiny plums, but to get the berries, you'll need both a male and a female plant.  I only have one of these right now, and I believe it's a male.  I'm going to be adding two more Indian Plum starts to a reclaimed parking strip this spring, so I'm hoping to end up with fruit for the local birds.

These racemes produce small white flowers that some say smell unpleasant.  I personally think they smell kind of nice and woodsy.

I think it's interesting that the racemes turn so drastically downward after emerging.  Seeing one full of flowers you might think it was the weight that pulled it down, but that's not the case.  They turn downwards almost immediately.  Maybe to make room for the lance shaped leaves to emerge upwards?  Maybe for pollinator access?  I don't know, but there must be a reason.

Because I do think the flowers smell fine, I brought a couple of stems inside and placed them in water, after trimming them away from the house.  Three days later and I have instant Spring!


My Indian Plum has been in the ground for about 3 years, and it's about 10 feet tall right now.  I just trim it gently, after flowering, to keep it away from the house and path.  I've read that you can trim these down to the ground to reclaim an overgrown specimen.

This is a bud just opening on one of my Red-flowering Currants.  One of the showiest blooms in my yard full of native species.

OK - these last two plants are not native species.  Two of the very few non-native plants in my yard.


Sprouting up through the mulch, these Stella D'Oro daylilies look like little green fingers pointing toward the sun in the southern sky.







This last one is a Persian Ironwood tree, Parrotia Persica "Vanessa".  (Also called Vanessa Persian Witchhazel.)

  I chose the Persian Ironwood from Friends of Trees because - although it's not native - established trees, are drought, cold, and insect resistant.  They also have beautiful fall color and these lovely little blood-red flowers.  The flowers remind me of clover flowers in shape and size.

 I wanted to include this photo not only because the tree is blooming, but because the picture shows that amazing blue sky we were enjoying.

Those are the major signs of spring in my yard, what native plants are blooming in your neck of the woods?

I'm looking forward to spring, and to my parking strip planting project.  Hopefully we do get some more of that sun and brilliant blue sky before June, but I shouldn't complain about the clouds and rain.  Without them, Portland and western Oregon wouldn't be so beautiful and green, would they?

Cascara Buckthorn: An Oregon Native Tree

One of the trees I’ve used in my native landscaping is the Cascara tree, or Cascara Buckthorn (Rhamnus purshiana).  Native along North America’s west coast from southern BC to central California, the Cascara’s dried bark was used by Native and immigrant Americans for over a century as a laxative.  According to Wikipedia, “it was the principal ingredient in many commercial, over-the-counter laxatives in North American pharmacies until 9 May 2002.” 

As interesting as that is, the only home remedies I hope to get from my four Cascara trees are a little shade and some natural habitat.
Three of my trees I purchased through Friends of Trees, and they’re placed along the street in the front parking strip.  The fourth is in the yard near the SW corner of the house.  They were all a decent size when we planted them, so I’m hoping it won’t be too long before they start providing some shade to the front of our west-facing house.  Cascaras are not large trees, so they will never shade the whole house.  I’m just hoping for some late afternoon screening when the sun is lower in the sky.
When I’m out and about, I always watch for plants that I have in my yard, to see if I can spot them “in the wild”.  The only time I’ve seen a Cascara in its natural setting was over at the coast, in a wooded area near the beach.
Cascara leaves are a nice, dark green and fairly thick, too.  The tiny spring flowers seem to attract lots of insect pollinators.  Small berries start out red and turn black as they ripen.  Cascara is one of the plants recommended by Audubon to provide food for Western Bluebirds, and like the berries of the Pacific Madrone, I’m told they’re a favorite of Cedar Waxwings and other berry-eating birds.
The leaves turn a pretty bronze color in the fall.  Not as spectacular as some of the yellows and reds we see, but still nice.  There’s a good series of pictures (provided by Oregon State University), showing the habit of the trees in various seasons, starting here.  Use the “next” link at the top right to move through the pictures.
Even with a small yard, if you just provide a little bit of habitat – and you look close enough – you can attract some native wildlife…

Oregon Iris: Native Spring Herald

It seems that spring has finally arrived in Portland.  One sure sign of this fact, in my native landscaping, is the blooming of my Oregon Iris (Iris tenax), also known as Oregon Flag.  One of my favorite plants in the yard - definitely an eye-catcher.

 I purchased my plants as tiny bare root starts, from the native plant sale held annually by the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District (EMSWCD).  These particular plants have only been in the ground a little over a year now.  Some of them (probably not the ones pictured) could already be divided.

These plants are in full sun.  I've provided water during the hottest summer months, but after my landscape is well-established, I hope to wean the whole landscape down to very little water use.

Other than that, these plants require very little care.  I remove the spent flower heads after they wilt, in the hopes of generating more flowers, and it seems to work.  In the winter I remove any dead flower stalks and leaves.

I would highly recommend Oregon Iris to anyone looking for a little, native color spot in their northwest garden.

Creating a NW Native Landscape: Part Four - In With the New

• Part One - Intro
• Part Two - The Plan
• Part Three - Out With the Old
• Part Four - In With the New

In part three of this series, I told you about removing existing lawn and landscape plants to create a "blank slate".  With that done, we can prepare the site for the new landscape installation.

I mentioned briefly before that now is the time to install any hardscapes and correct any slope issues.  Make sure that your soil slopes gently away from foundations, to prevent basement or crawlspace moisture problems.  If you want to create small mounds or berms, you can use dirt (or some of your removed sod) to do that now.  Are you installing a paver patio?  Do you want to create a rain garden that catches water from your disconnected downspouts?  (Mike, over at Slugyard, just built a nice rain garden.)

The only hardscape improvements that I installed during my re-make, were a gravel patio and a low retaining wall constructed with landscape block (home centers have many sizes and varieties of interlocking blocks).  We didn't have room in our yard for a full-blown rain garden, but I did want to create a catchment for the runoff from one disconnected downspout.  The water flows through a pipe under the patio, and into a gravel-filled hole.  Any overflow is channeled through a mini "creek" toward the street.

Gravel patio with plastic edging, and low retaining wall.  The gravel "creek" is actually a gravel-filled hole near the patio, where the drainage from a downspout is collected, then the overflow would drain toward the sidewalk.

You have to be careful when you're disconnecting downspouts and creating new drainage points.  You want to make sure that you have enough area to hold the water while it soaks in to the ground, which depends on how large of a roof area you're draining.  There are some rules, too, about how far from adjoining property lines a drainage point must be.  You can get some good information about that and other things to consider (plus information about the disconnection incentive program), from this PDF by the City of Portland Environmental Services:
http://www.portlandonline.com/bes/index.cfm?c=43081&a=177702

With all of your slope issues corrected and your hardscapes installed, it's time to think about weed barrrier.  There are various landscape "fabrics" available from any home and garden center.  These materials allow air and water to pass through, but prevent weeds from growing up, or from penetrating down to get established in the soil.  For greener options, there are choices like newspaper or cardboard.  Either can be laid out in the desired shape, then wet thoroughly to stay in place.  I didn't have a good source for old newspaper, and since I was working on a rental property I really wanted to take the easiest path to what I felt would be the best weed prevention for a low-maintenance yard.  I opted for the landscape fabric.  I would never recommend using plastic of any kind, which would rob the soil of oxygen and moisture.  And another note: I was creating what would be a fairly static landscape once complete.  If you're going to be doing a lot of transplanting and ongoing gardening in your yard, I wouldn't use landscape cloth at all - or not in those areas, anyway.  If you'll just be adding plants over time, the cloth works fine - you can pull the mulch aside and cut a new hole.  Actually I cut a "plus sign" in the cloth, then fold the corners under to create a square opening.  After you put the plant in, you can then pull the corners back out to cover as much of the exposed dirt as possible. 

Landscape fabric being covered with Hemlock mulch

The landscape fabric usually comes with some metal, U-shaped "staples" which can be pushed through the fabric and into the ground, to hold the fabric in place.  I would suggest buying an extra box (at least) of the staples - especially if you have lots of curves in your design.  The more involved shapes generally require more staples than a straight run.  I would also suggest starting with any straight runs that you do have first, then coming back and trimming in the curves or small sections.  You'll want to overlap each row by a few inches.  Don't waste staples by stapling down both edges of your first row.  Where the rows overlap, you can use one staple to go through two layers.  One other tip... If you're putting fabric down on a slope, start at the bottom with your first row, and work your way up - just like you would with roofing shingles.  That way, when you're putting the mulch on, it won't slide underneath the upper edge of each row and create a problem.

Ready to cover up your landscape cloth or newspaper?  What kind of mulch do you want to use?  There are plenty of choices out there - standard bark mulch (of which there are many kinds), nut shells, pine needles, leaf mulch, rock, recycled rubber mulch, and the list goes on.  They all have pros and cons, some of which are listed on LoveToKnow.  For my landscape, I chose medium Hemlock bark.  I like the rich, natural color and most of all, I like the fact that Hemlock bark does not have the tiny slivers that fir bark does.  You can get your hands dirty without fear of splinters!

There are endless sources of bark dust and other mulching materials, from bagged quantities at your local home center, to pick-up loads from your landscape supply or "fuel" companies around town.  You can definitely save some money by going with the pick-up load.  They'll load it in seconds with their heavy machinery, and they typically measure by the yard (cubic yard).  Even the smallest of city trucks like mine can hold a yard, and they generally will sell a half yard if you don't need that much.  You can have it delivered as well.  How much mulch does a mulch buyer need?  There's a handy guide to help you figure it out, over at About.com.  Our source for gravel of all sizes, landscape rock, and mulch is Mt. Scott Fuel, on SE Foster Road.  I would recommend them to anyone in SE Portland.

With such an open, clean slate to work with, spreading the mulch is easy.  Just use a shovel to transfer it from truck to wheel barrow, dump the wheel barrow, and use a metal rake to spread the mulch to about 3" deep.

That's probably enough work for one day, and it's a good stopping point for this post.  So next time, in the fifth and final part of this series, we'll take a look at some basic planting principles, some good native plant choices, and some local sources, too.

Until then, thanks for reading!

Another "creek" - installed over the landscape fabric, to accommodate disconnection of the pictured downspout.

Creating a NW Native Landscape: Part Three - Out With the Old

• Part One - Intro
• Part Two - The Plan
• Part Three - Out With the Old
• Part Four - In With the New

In Part Two of this series, I gave you some ideas for planning a naturescape using native plants, which saves water, saves money, keeps the rivers cleaner, benefits wildlife, and does a lot of other good stuff.  This time, let's talk about how to get rid of the old landscaping and unwanted lawn.

First things first:  One of the best things you can do, to attract and provide for wildlife, and to reduce pollution in your immediate environment, is to replace lawn areas with native planting beds.  As I mentioned before, lawns require mowing (which usually means noisy, polluting power mowers), they tempt us to use all kinds of nasty chemicals to keep them looking their best, and they don't provide much in the way of habitat.  Sure, the neighborhood dogs may enjoy them, and the Robins may find some (hopefully chemical-free) worms in a lawn, but really - planting areas full of native trees, shrubs, flowers and groundcovers are much more interesting.  And they provide so much more for the local residents - feathered, furry, and otherwise.

In my yard, I wanted to remove about 75% of the existing lawn.   Partly for the reasons I already mentioned, but mostly - I must admit - I wanted to create a lower maintenance yard for myself.  Having less grass means less time spent mowing.  Also, the current lawn went right up to the building in places, and it went under the fence in the corner yard.  That meant trying to mow up against obstacles, and still having to break out the weed-eater to finish it off.  I use a human-powered reel mower on my lawn, which is great for reducing noise and air pollution, but it doesn't get as close to obstacles as some power mowers do (I still love it).

Before you start ripping out grass, have your final design plan in hand (or at least in mind).  When you're making your plan, you can use a rope or a hose to play around with different curves, representing the lawn/bed interface, until you settle on a design that you like.  Then use spray paint to mark your layout on the grass (they have cans designed specifically to spray upside-down). 

From the Johnson Creek Rentals website

When you're ready to remove the unwanted sod, there are two ways to do it.  The hard way (tried it - didn't like it), and the easy way (hurray for easy!).  The hard way involves pick axes, hoes, shovels and LOTS of time and muscle.  The easy way is to rent a sod cutter.  You can find them at almost any place that rents equipment.  I use Johnson Creek Rentals because they have what I need, they're friendly and knowledgeable, and they're in my neck of the woods.

Sod cutters look kind of like overgrown mowers, and they come in different sizes.  The most common sizes cut 12 or 18 inch rows in the sod.  I've used models that fit into a minivan's cargo area, in the bed of a small pickup truck, or towed behind on the smallest of tow hitches.  Don't be tempted to get a larger cutter than you really need, because larger models just require more strength to maneuver around the yard.  They do have power drives, but turning and guiding require a bit of muscle.

You can rent a sod cutter by the hour.  If you have your design marked out ahead of time,

Red-flowering Currant: an Early-Blooming Oregon Native

Early spring blooms of the Red-flowering currant

Whether you're creating an all-native landscape or just looking to add some early interest to your yard, the Red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) is one good choice.  It's a drought-tolerant NW native, and the abundant red to pink flowers that each shrub produces are a good source of nectar for many native pollinating insects (such as Mason bees).  The plant fact sheet from the NRCS says that Red-flowering currants also provide "...early spring nectar for hummingbirds and butterflies, forage for the larvae of more than two dozen species of moths and butterflies, and nesting sites or cover for songbirds and small mammals. Numerous birds including grouse, quail, robins, finches, towhees, and woodpeckers, and small mammals consume the berries." This deciduous shrub is also a good choice because of it's toughness and resistance to disease.

I used two Red-flowering currants in my native landscaping, and I couldn't be happier with them.  They've been problem free for the two years since planting them, and they've quickly grown from single small sticks to full, beautiful bushes.  I've caught glimpses of hummingbirds enjoying the blooms, but haven't been quick enough to catch them on camera yet. 

Red-flowering currant (left) about two months after planting

Red-flowering currants can grow quite large - 8 to 10 feet tall and wide, or more.   But if you know how to prune them, they can easily be kept to an appropriate size for almost any placement.  Since Red-flowering currants bloom on old wood, the best time to prune is just after blooming.  This encourages new growth and more blooms the next year.  Depending on how small you want to keep the bush, choose a pair of buds and prune just above.  You should also prune out any dead branches and a few of the oldest branches or canes every year.

Same bush one year after planting

This is the first year that I've had to think about pruning my currants, because they've just reached a size that suits their placement.  I think I'll maintain the one pictured at its current size (below), and let the other one continue to grow for a year or two, to create a little more of a screen.  It would be interesting to see it 12 feet tall, but I think about 6 feet would be ideal.  My bushes are still full of blooms at the moment, but I'll try to update this post when I prune, just to show how I did it.

The same bush two years after planting

For more information about Red-flowering currants, see this fact sheet from the NRCS, and this growing guide from Rainy Side Gardeners.

Creating a NW Native Landscape: Part Two - The Plan

• Part One - Intro
• Part Two - The Plan
• Part Three - Out With the Old
• Part Four - In With the New

In Part One of this series, we talked about all the benefits of creating a native landscape, or naturescape.  This time, let's jump right in to the planning!

I guess there are two basic methods for naturescaping, you can either rip out all the existing landscaping and start with a clean slate, or you can slowly convert your existing landscape into native species - plant by plant, and bed by bed.  Because I was starting with minimal existing landscaping - none of which looked very good - I opted to start fresh.  So the descriptions of my process will reflect that clean slate method.  That may not be what you choose to do.  It's certainly more intensive than creating a naturescape over time.

Either method you use, though - you need to spend a lot of time just thinking about your plan.  Think about your goals (water saving, creating a patio, shading a window, etc.), and think about your site (existing light/moisture conditions, will you be modifying the elevation or slope in any areas?).

When you're just starting out, you don't really need to be familiar with all the different native plant species.  Just think in terms of what size plants you would like in each location (large tree, small tree, shrub, flower, groundcover).  Then start by sketching a basic layout of your current yard.  You'll want to show the location and relative size of any plants that are staying.  Because I was ripping everything out, I just drew the building outline and hardscapes like the fences and sidewalks.  Once I had that on paper, I made lots of copies so I could play around with the design without having to re-draw the basics every time. 

One of my many sketches

Read on for things to think about as you develop your design...

Tryon Creek Trillium Festival: April 2-3

Pollen | by p medved on Flickr

Originally published March 30, 2011

It's Spring, which means wildflower season is upon us!  

Trilliums are one of the most spectacular wildflowers in our area, and a great place to see them right now is Tryon Creek State Natural Area. 

by the Oregon State Parks Team:

Tryon Creek State Natural Area is a prime place to see trillium blooms. And this year’s cool, wet weather has filled the park with white blossoms.

You’ll be delighted with the setting for the 31st annual Trillium Festival, April 2-3. The festival runs 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each day and features a native and hardy plant sale. Join a guided hike along the trails to see the trilliums in bloom.  Hikes begin at the nature center at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
 
You can also buy art for your garden and goodies from the Trillium Market. The sales support the Friends of Tryon Creek and its volunteer interpretive program.

More info:

• Oregon State Parks Go Guide
• Friends of Tryon Creek

Update: April 2nd, 2011

We went over to the Trillium Fest this afternoon, and enjoyed a little live music on the porch of the Nature Center, overlooking the woods.  I picked up a couple new native shrubs from the plant sale, and we had some tasty fry bread tacos.  They've got some great garden art for sale, too.  The shuttle from Riverdale High School came by every 15 minutes, so parking was a cinch.  Even the weather cooperated for us, and only started sleeting when we were leaving.

The forecast looks like it might be drier tomorrow, so head on over for day two of the Festival!

A few pics from today...

Where to?

Music on the Porch

Native Plant Sale

Fry bread tacos and Hand-dipped corn dogs!

Trilliums - the Stars of the Show

Well-used snag