Natural Events Almanac

Oregon

Limnanthes, Table Rock
ŠLinda M. Hardie/The Nature Conservancy

Event: Wildflowers Blooming

When: Early February through Spring

The flat-topped basalt mesas of the Twin Table Rocks in southwestern Oregon support a mosaic of vernal pools and grasslands that burst into bloom in early spring. Wildflowers include goldfields, grass widows and a species of meadow foam that grows nowhere else.

Open to the public.

Fender's blue butterfly
ŠAlan D. St. John

Event: Fender's Blue Butterfly Emerging

Where: Willow Creek Preserve

When: May

The Fender's blue butterfly, once thought extinct but recently rediscovered in remnants of a native prairie in Oregon's Willamette Valley, emerges to feed on a single rare species of lupine.

Open to the public. Facilities available: nature trail.

Chinook salmon spawning
ŠMichael Wilhelm

Event: Salmon Returning to Spawn

Where: Dunstan Homestead Preserve, Middle Fork John Day River

When: September

The magnificent spring chinook salmon fights its way 484 miles upstream from the ocean to spawn in the river gravel of the Middle Fork John Day River. The John Day is considered the most important native salmon resource in the Columbia River system.

Open to the public.

Sandhill crane
ŠTupper Ansel Blake

Event: Sandhill Cranes Returning

Where: Sycan Marsh Preserve

When: Return in March, Nest in April

Several hundred sandhill cranes return and dozens remain to nest at Sycan Marsh, a 36-square-mile mountain wetland in the Klamath Basin. The Conservancy is undertaking a pioneer effort to restore natural water flows and test compatible grazing practices on the marsh.

Closed to the public (visits can be arranged for media; interpretive field trips and volunteer work parties are also available).

For additional information on a particular location, click on the name of the preserve associated with the event or visit the Oregon site.