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Locomotion: We have briefly looked at tiny pollinators found on the Bluff goldenrod flowers. The margined calligrapher fly and the common compost fly we observed are both hoverflies, known for their ability to hover in mid-air. They approach and hover before goldenrod flowers, as if evaluating where to land. We now want to point out a couple of other species with interesting locomotion abilities. Both of our examples were observed on Queen Anne’s Lace, also known as wild carrot (Daucus carota). It’s a Rank C nuisance plant on the Portland Plant List, but it’s ubiquitous here in Portland and elsewhere.

Our first example is Misumena vatia, commonly called the goldenrod crab spider. We spotted it on Queen Anne’s lace though it is a frequent visitor to goldenrod and milkweed. It’s called a crab spider for its unique ability to walk sideways. They also can change their color to blend with their surroundings. Hence, we saw a mostly white spider on the white flower.

Our second example, also seen hanging out on Queen Anne’s lace, is a tiny tumbling flower beetle in the family, Mordellidae. We’re not beetle-smart enough to know what species we observed. We may have a tumbling nun (Mordella melaena). It appears unimpressive at first — simply small and solid black. However, tumbling flower beetles possess an interesting locomotion skill. Their name comes from their erratic escape movements. The apparent tumbling movements are a series of very rapid jumps powered by one leg. A different left or right leg used as the leverage for take-off changes the direction of the jump.

A walk along the Bluff this month will reveal that the pollinators are taking full advantage of what the Rose City Bluff Restoration community of growers and fall planters have done to increase the supply of native flowering plants. It is impossible to miss all the bumblebees visiting the California poppies, goldenrod, and other flowers. A close look at our goldenrod (Solidago) has given us an appreciation of the smaller pollinators as well. These tiny bees or flies are no more than 8mm long, but they are as beneficial as the big bumblebees. Here are three examples that we recently found on the goldenrod.

First up, a little bee in the genus Lasioglossum, commonly called sweat bees for their attraction to perspiration. We have trouble remembering the scientific names, but in this case consider that in botany the prefix lasio means “hairy” and glossum is of course “tongue.”

Our second example is a hoverfly, the Syritta pipiens, in the family of Syrphidae, commonly called hover or flower flies. This species is known as the thick-legged hoverfly or common compost fly, because its larvae develop in decaying organic material such as manure and garden compost.

Thirdly, we have another hoverfly, the Toxomerus marginatus, common name margined calligrapher fly. The abdomen markings give away its name.

As the Rose City Bluff Restoration volunteers go about their work each weekend there’s much discussion about plant life on the bluff, both the native and the invasive that we attempt to control. Let’s look at a couple of organisms that don’t get much attention – mosses and lichens. We don’t focus our restoration efforts on mosses or lichens of course, but up close we find them to be every bit as beautiful as many of our native flowering plants. And it turns out that like our plants they can be native, non-native, or even invasive.

We’re used to lumping mosses and lichens together as those things that grow on trees, also known as epiphytes. Wikipedia tells us an epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on another plant but is not parasitic. But wait, mosses are plants, but lichens are not and they’re only superficially plant-like. When mosses grow on rocks are they still epiphytes? Thanks to (full disclosure) ChatGPT we confirmed that both mosses and lichens can be epiphytes, but epiphytic is a lifestyle, not a thing. Mosses and lichens are epiphytic if they’re growing on a living plant. When they grow on rocks, they are epilithic. On logs, they’re epixylic.

Here are a few other things we learned. Phorophytes are plants (or is it a lifestyle?) on which epiphytes grow. Our bigleaf maples (Acer macrophyllum) along with the vine maples (Acer circinatum) make great phorophytes. The photos below are of the lichen, Xanthoria parietina (common sunburst lichen) and Dendroalsia abietina (Dendroalsia moss). Dendroalsia moss is native to the Pacific Northwest. Common sunburst lichen is not native to our area, but it is also not invasive.

Rose City Bluff Restoration volunteers have been exchanging thoughts and speculation about the habits of our coyotes that live on the Rose City Golf Course. They are such mysterious creatures it’s not surprising that we often wonder what they’re up to but seldom really know. Thanks to our volunteer, Donia Kate, for alerting us to a presentation on urban coyotes last Thursday hosted by the Bird Alliance of Oregon. This answered a lot of our questions about coyote behavior. You can see a version of the same presentation on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZqYFrRpqzA

The presenter, Dr. Stan Gehrt, is principal investigator of the largest and longest study of coyotes in the Chicago area, which has involved the monitoring of over 1600 coyotes over a 25-year period. In this presentation he discussed things learned from these animals living among millions of people, such as how they move across the landscape while avoiding us, how they interact with each other, and how they function as predators in the urban ecosystem. If you are the least bit curious about our urban coyotes, we highly recommend Gehrt’s presentation. Spoiler alert, we even learned that the Chicago coyotes are monogamous. We’re not going to speculate about that regarding the Portland coyotes.

If your curiosity is piqued, we also recommend The Voice of the Coyote, by J. Frank Dobie, first published in 1949. Because it seems particularly relevant to speculation about the behavior of coyotes (particularly the rural variety), we pass along this quote from Dobie’s book:
“The ‘infinite variety’ cultivated by the coyote while adapting himself to changes in environment has probably been characteristic of the species from remotest times. Then as now, the coyote was flexible in hunting habits, killing for himself, accepting refuse from bigger killers; diurnal as well as nocturnal, taking his chance at wood rats out by night, at prairie dogs out only in daylight, at jack rabbits stirring mainly in the evening; sleeping by day on a full belly, hunting by day on an empty belly; in the desert digging for prickly pear roots, on the edge of a swamp slipping up on frogs as skillfully as a coon; no more fixed to one spot of ground, like a wild mare bent on foaling at the same spot annually, than fixed to one habit of eating; careless by nature, careful under necessity.” (Dobie, 1949, p. 39)

We have been hearing lately about how our NE Portland neighborhoods (Rose City Park, Roseway, Madison South) are so well organized and engaged. The neighborhood associations and the grass roots projects within do wonders for our community. With the Rocky Butte Farmers Market season opening today we thought it would be appropriate to share an article about the need for spaces like public markets when things are not so great. This is a story about what we have done for fun, for connecting with each other, and for building community, becoming so important when things go south. It is a reminder that what you are doing to create spaces for people is invaluable in times of need.

The article “Where We Go When Everything Breaks” by Ryan Smolar, published on May 16, 2025, on the Project for Public Spaces website, examines how the design of public spaces influenced Asheville, North Carolina’s response to Hurricane Helene in September 2024. Smolar, Director of PlacemakingUS and Consultant to Thrive Asheville, highlights that communities with established, walkable public spaces such as markets, churches, and community centers were effective in organizing relief efforts and fostering solidarity. Conversely, areas characterized by urban sprawl and a lack of communal spaces faced challenges in coordination and support. The article underscores the importance of public spaces that serve as critical infrastructure during crises, facilitating not only logistical support but also emotional resilience and community cohesion.

We highly recommend this article if for no other reason than you will learn about “toilet angels.”

Rose City Bluff Restoration adds native plants to small areas of the five-acre Bluff each fall, giving new plants a head start on the following growing season. Currently, forty volunteers are tending hundreds of young plants grown from seeds or bare roots for planting when the rain returns in October. The summers following planting and the south-facing Bluff slope create a challenge for plants trying to establish. Since we do not have a permanent watering system, two of our volunteers, Reed and Neil, have helped get new plants through the last few summers.

Like pretty much everyone we would like to know what the weather prognosticators are predicting. We are currently experiencing an ENSO neutral weather pattern, which stands for El Niño Southern Oscillation neutral. This pattern occurs when neither El Niño nor La Niña conditions are present in the Pacific Ocean, leading to average sea surface temperatures and an absence of the extremes associated with either phenomenon. Does the absence of extreme weather patterns result in rainfall levels close to average, without the spikes or drops that characterize El Niño or La Niña years? Unfortunately, no. During ENSO neutral years, the rainfall in Portland can vary significantly, as there is no strong influence from either El Niño or La Niña.

The water year, from October 1st to September 30th of the following year, is a period used by meteorologists to measure precipitation. This timeframe captures the complete cycle of rainfall. So where are we in the current water year which began on October 1, 2024, and will end on September 30, 2025? This year, Portland has seen a moderate amount of precipitation – 35 inches to date. Over the last few years ENSO neutral years occurred in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. The Portland water years for each ENSO neutral year were: 2012/46.57, 2013/47.99, 2014/34.51, 2017/58.79, 2018/36.33, 2019/35.54, 2020/32.01 (water year/total rainfall). So that is not much help. ENSO neutral years have not been good predictors of water year totals. The best we can say is that during the current ENSO neutral pattern the water year for Portland (35 inches to date, 5/16/25) brings us close to the total water year average of about 36 inches.

Many thanks to Reed and Neil, and sorry we cannot prognosticate any better than this.

There are 1700 seed banks worldwide ranging from large, secure facilities like the Svalbard Global Seed Vault to smaller, community-based seed libraries. Seed banks play a crucial role in conserving plant biodiversity, ensuring that native species are protected for future generations. In the Pacific Northwest, where diverse ecosystems support a rich variety of flora, seed banks help safeguard rare and endangered plants.

The Miller Seed Vault is the largest facility of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. It focuses on collecting and conserving seeds from more than 320 rare plant species in Washington, ensuring their survival in the face of habitat loss and climate change. The vault also stores seeds for restoration projects, helping to rebuild native plant communities after natural disasters.

At Portland State University, the Rae Selling Berry Seed Bank is committed to the conservation and restoration of Pacific Northwest native plants, with a particular emphasis on rare and threatened species in Oregon. The seed bank supports research, germination trials, and educational programs, providing valuable resources for scientists and conservationists working to protect regional biodiversity.

Beyond the Pacific Northwest, seed banks worldwide contribute to the preservation of genetic diversity. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault (aka the “doomsday” vault), located in Norway, serves as a secure backup facility for the world’s crop diversity. Carved into the Arctic permafrost, it stores duplicates of seeds from gene banks across the globe, ensuring that vital plant species are protected against threats such as war, natural disasters, and climate change.

In the United States, the National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation in Fort Collins, Colorado, plays a similar role in safeguarding agricultural genetic resources. Built to withstand earthquakes, floods, long-term power outages, and fires, this facility houses more than 500,000 accessions from 12,000 plant species, providing critical support for agricultural research and conservation. (In seed collections, an “accession” refers to a distinct, uniquely identified sample of seeds.)

Seed banks are essential for maintaining biodiversity, supporting ecological restoration, and ensuring food security. By preserving native plants of the Pacific Northwest and beyond, these institutions help protect the genetic heritage of plant species, ensuring their survival for future generations. As climate change and habitat destruction continue to threaten ecosystems, the work of seed banks remains more important than ever.

Many thanks to everyone who came out for the Rose City Bluff Restoration SOLVE event last Sunday! SOLVE volunteer opportunities like this one bring together people from diverse backgrounds, fostering a shared sense of community while working to enhance our natural areas.

On a recent bird walk Trask spotted a rare find. Not a bird but a tree, Cornus nuttallii, our native Pacific Dogwood. It is midway down the bluff near the intersection of Sacramento and 68th. Pacific Dogwoods bloom both in the spring and late summer. Look for white flowers peeking out through the surrounding trees. Once the trees around it leaf out, they will hide our dogwood, so it will not be visible for long. If you miss it now, you may have another chance in August. Beware of the poison oak at its base!

According to a 1955 map of trees on the golf course and bluff there were six Pacific Dogwoods present. We think none of those other trees exist today. Pacific Dogwoods are threatened by the fungal disease Anthracnose caused by the fungus Discula destructiva. The name says it all! We are lucky that our tree still exists.

The flower structure consists of small florets surrounded by larger white bracts. The bracts are modified leaves, rather than true petals. Since the flowers are so very small the bracts announce their presence to potential pollinators. In the fall look for pink-red or orange drupelets in clusters containing 20-40 drupelets each containing two seeds. Drupelets are a food source for birds and mammals.

The name “dogwood” comes from the wood of Cornus sanguinea which was used for nails, “dags” in medieval Europe. There are two other native dogwoods in our area: Red-stem Dogwood (Cornus sericea) and Bunchberry (Cornus unalaschkensis). Red-stem Dogwood is a multi-stem plant growing to nine feet tall typically in wet or riparian areas. Bunchberry forms a low growing groundcover in moist shaded woodlands. The range of Pacific Dogwood extends from British Columbia to the very south of California. It is also in Idaho.

April 13, 2025

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our bird walk last Sunday! We were lucky to have a picture-perfect day for birding. This time of year, on the bluff, you can expect to see many of our native species preparing for nesting, a few overwintering birds fattening up for migration, and the first spring migrants passing through — some even pausing to sing.

We observed Red-breasted Nuthatches at two locations, each working on nesting cavities. Spotted Towhees were calling and collecting nesting materials, as were Juncos and Song Sparrows. Golden-crowned Sparrows were singing before their journey north to Alaska, while Cackling Geese were still grazing on the golf course grass, preparing to head for the Arctic. Migratory Yellow-rumped and Orange-crowned Warblers were moving through and occasionally singing, along with a few vocal Ruby-crowned Kinglets.

Now is a fantastic time to visit the bluff with a pair of binoculars and the Merlin Bird ID app on your phone. With birds singing constantly, it’s a terrific opportunity to gain experience identifying their calls. Migration will be in full swing until late May, though some migrants will stick around to nest and raise young through the summer.

In the next few weeks, look for more warblers — Nashville, Wilson’s, and Black-throated Gray among them, with the occasional Yellow or MacGillivray’s Warbler mixed in. Cassin’s Vireos, Western Tanagers, and various flycatchers arrive in May. Have you spotted any migrants on the bluff? Let us know!