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Celebrate spring

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Seeking signs of spring? With this naturalist's guide to spring in the region, you'll know where and when to discover songbirds, wildflowers, baby deer, painted turtles and more.

By former Metro naturalist Elisabeth Neely and Metro naturalist James Davis

Desperately seeking spring

Cabin fever got you down? Grab some boots, a sandwich, a water bottle and your raincoat (just in case) and head out the door to one of the region's parks and natural areas to experience the signs of spring. Although nature does not always follow a calendar, this naturalist's list should provide some good bets for your very own spring treasure hunt. Remember to always keep a good distance from nesting birds and other animals with young and leave wildflowers growing for everyone to enjoy.

March

Spring officially begins on March 20 with the vernal equinox, but in our mild climate there are earlier signs of its arrival at these parks and natural areas.

The first flowers you'll see blooming are the greenish-yellow catkins of the California hazelnut (also known as the wild filbert) hanging down from the other-wise bare branches of this tree-like shrub. Soon after, if you look at the tops of the red alders you can see their catkins give a fuzzy, reddish look to the tops of the trees. Catkins (the male flowers) are not what most people think of when you say "wildflower" so the first big, colorful flowers many people notice are the flamboyant yellow flowers of skunk cabbage in wet fields and swampy spots. Oxbow Regional Park

Scan the skies over wetlands and you will see some of the first returning swallows catching the early flying insects. Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area, Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve

Starting on St. Patrick's Day, look for osprey returning from their wintering grounds in Mexico. Turkey vultures arrive at the same time, soaring with their wings held up in their distinctive manner. The classic "ribbit, ribbit" of tiny Pacific chorus frogs seems much too loud for their small size, but they gather in large groups to call for their mates. Oxbow and Blue Lake regional parks, Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area, Hagg Lake, Barton Park

The usually wet and warmer weather of March not only brings out the frogs but also slugs and snails. The banana slug, the world's largest land slug, is an icon of the Pacific Northwest. In forests, look for the beautiful banded forest snail with its multicolored shell that varies from snail to snail. In the spring you can sometimes see them about head-height in trees. Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area, Tryon Creek State Park and Oxbow Regional Park

By the end of this month the trilliums, often considered the ultimate sign of spring, are in bloom along forest trails. Tryon Creek State Natural Area holds its annual Trillium Festival in early April. Tryon Creek, Oxbow Regional Park, Audubon Sanctuaries, Forest Park

April

By now the Western painted turtles are out of hibernation and trying to warm up as much as they can. On any clear, sunny morning you can find them basking on the logs at "Turtle Turnout" at Smith and Bybee Wetlands. Approach the fence at the turnout quietly and don't point at them and you should be able to get a good look with binoculars or a spotting scope.

Don't miss the heavenly sweet scent of the buds of the black cottonwood trees. You can catch this fragrance in the air as early as March but it's best on a still April day when the sun warms the trees. Cottonwoods are the tallest deciduous trees in the Pacific Northwest and are found along waterways all over the region. Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area, Oxbow Regional Park, Chinook Landing Marine Park, and any park along the rivers

In the conifer forest, the tiny brown winter wrens are singing their loud, many-trilled song from perches among the sword ferns. They sound like they are singing on fast forward. Oxbow Regional Park, Tryon Creek State Park, Forest Park

May

This month everything seems to be buzzing with new life. Singing, courting birds and blooming wildflowers are abundant and obvious. This is the peak month of bird song so be sure to stop and listen. The American robin leads the dawn chorus with his "cheer up, cheerily" starting in the wee hours. All locations, including right outside your bedroom window

A multitude of migrating songbirds, especially warblers, come through the area in waves. Each week brings new ones. Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area, Tualatin Hills Nature Park, Mount Tabor, Cooper Mountain Nature Park

The abundant cyanide millipede - flat and dark with light spots along its sides - can sometimes be seen in large numbers as they crawl through the forest looking for mates. Where they cross trails, you may see dozens at a time. Carefully pick one up and smell it. You can smell the cyanide gas they emit to deter predators. Don't worry; it's not enough to hurt a big mammal like you. Tryon Creek State Park, Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area

June

Black-tailed deer are born this month. Since young fawns lie hidden most of the day, check mud puddles on the trail to spot their tracks, which start out the size of a nickel. Oxbow Regional Park, Forest Park

Swainson’s thrushes have returned from the south. Although it’s sometimes hard to see them, they are great singers in the morning and at dusk. If you stop and listen, you’ll fall in love with their incredibly haunting, rising song, which sounds like a flute. Oxbow Regional Park, Tualatin Hills Nature Park

On any still, warm, sunny day in June if you are near lots of flowers you will see butterflies. And you don't have to get up early to see them; butterflies are very active in the middle of the day. Look for tiger swallowtails, painted ladies, crescents, admirals and skippers. Anywhere that has lots of blooming flowers

See for yourself

For more information about visiting Metro parks and natural areas with a naturalist, check out the Metro GreenScene... More