Lawns may be common, but they provide little benefit to bugs, bees, and birds—nor do they filter storm water well. That’s why Columbia Land Trust has partnered up with Pacific Northwest Urban Meadowscaping. Our collective goal is to create an easy-to-implement program that will inspire homeowners to replace their non-native grass lawns with gorgeous Willamette…
Read MoreDid you know that it takes an average of 10 years for balsamroot grown from seed to develop its first flower? And that a mature balsamroot plant can be decades old? Plant expert Barbara Robinson shared these remarkable facts when we visited our Four Sisters property for a wildflower-seed collection workshop in May. Barbara’s been…
Read MoreI was walking through a pine and oak forest at Bowman Creek, juggling a chainsaw and fencing tools, inspecting the barbed wire for winter damage. It was early April and the cattle on our neighbor’s property would be let out to graze in two weeks time. The cluster lilies and lomatiums were in full bloom…
Read MoreSometimes invasive species get so out of control, only a large-scale coordinated attack will eliminate them. Such is the case with indigobush (Amorpha fruticosa) in the Columbia River Gorge. Originally planted as an ornamental, this bush has taken over many miles of shoreline in the Gorge—and that’s not good. Indigobush forms dense thickets along rivers…
Read MoreSurrounded by a gravel pit, an old airport, and block after block of suburban and industrial development, 10-acre Green Cathedral doesn’t exemplify most people’s idea of wildness. On the other hand, it is a cathedral (of sorts). The former farm is one of the last remnants of green space in this part of Vancouver’s Orchards…
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