One of the main questions I had before coming to LC was ‘What will the forests like?’. You see it is possible to put into words what species dwell here, what trees I can find, what the weather and the stones are like. But it is impossible to put into words what being in nature here is actually like. That being said I will do my best to share with you what I have experienced of Portland’s wilderness.
Trees: If you’re from the midwest, like me, you may find the trees here familiar, yet also more bizarre. They have many of the same genus of trees here but the species are different. The first example I saw of this was the big leaf maple trees. Much like the sugar and silver maples I have back home, the maples here have the same basic leaf shape and helicopter seeds. But the leaves are three or four times the size and more warm and vibrant in color. The corners of the leaves are sharper and pointed as well. The other most abundant species of tree is the douglas fir, a conifer with short needles long pine cones. These add a touch of darker green to the canopy and make the forest and give it that nice rich pine smell.
Invasive species: There are three main invasive species that I have discovered here, and if you come here it won’t take you long to find them either. The first one is the most prevalent. I noticed it as soon as our cab pulled out of the airport. It bled out of the forests, down the hill, coating the landscape. English Ivy.
The last is a bit harder to find, but once you spot one you won’t be able to avoid them. The cross orb weaver is a very abundant spider varying from the about the size of a pencil eraser to the size of a quarter.
Wildlife: I was eating lunch one day by the bridge when I heard a loud squawking, it sounded like a bird but louder. As I looked around a second squawking came from the other side of me. It took me a second to realize that the sound was actually coming from two small grey squirrels screaming at me. My only other exciting experience of portland wildlife was this mourning when I say two of what I believe was a Steller’s Jay hopping around the manor house as I was eating my lunch.
