Hot town, summer in the city,

Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty.

Been down, isn’t it a pity,

Doesn’t seem to be a shadow in the city.

It was a very warm mid-May day. A good time to hike in the Tualatin Hills Nature Park a few miles west of home in the heart of the city of Beaverton. The 222-acre Park surrounds the confluence of Cedar Mill Creek and Beaverton Creek.

It is a remarkably diverse wildlife preserve with wetlands, forests, ponds and streams. The trails’ names tell the story – – – Oak, Creek, Old Wagon, Vine Maple, Big Fir, Cougar, Chickadee, Cedar Grove, Ash, Serviceberry, Big Pond, Trillium Loop and Ponderosa Loop. I did a 4.1 mile loop hike, working up a good sweat in the hot sun and beating off the skeets near the lily ponds, creeks and marshes.

The highlights of the hike were spotting several friendly squirrels and seeing a striped coral root orchid. What a nice place to visit.

Striped Coral Root Orchid

Wild Rose

Lupine

Picturesque pond along the trail

Star Flowers

Western Gray Squirrel (something has been gnawing on its ear)