Wahkeena Nature Preserve
"… to be used for nature study and as a preserve for birds and other wildlife."- Carmen Hambleton Warner
Super Shrubs
With our spring wildflowers fading into the cool darkness of the forest, we can focus on some interesting shrubs that are in bloom now. All of the new shrubs in bloom have white flowers making this period in early summer the “green and white” time. Don’t worry there are still several different kinds of wildflowers in bloom including the very cool Green Dragon.
A cousin to the Jack-in-the-Pulpit, the Green Dragon also has a spathe and spadix that make up the flower structure on this plant. However, the Green Dragon’s spathe is greatly elongated and with a little imagination looks like a dragon!
One shrub I often miss seeing in bloom is Gray Dogwood. This native shrub grows by the dam on the far side of the pond, and after school groups are done, I’m not down there very much!
Two of the most common shrubs can be seen while walking around the pond. Arrowwood Viburnum is a native shrub with tall fairly straight stems. Multiflora Rose is a non-native invasive shrub with fragrant five petaled flowers. (and thorns – ouch!)
Pretty flower – unwanted plant; Multiflora Rose
Arrowwood Viburnum
A cultivated shrub, probably planted by Carmen, is called Mock Orange. These four-petaled flowers have a slight citrus-y scent.
Finally, the Mountain Laurel is also in bloom.
More colorful wildflowers are beginning to bloom around the sunny edges and openings of the preserve, and lots of cool bugs are out and about. Stay tuned for future posts on both of these topics!