Photos: Jessie M. Honeyman State Park in Oregon

We “camped” (in the trailer) four nights at Jessie M. Honeyman State Park on the central Oregon coast just south of Florence. While the guys were playing in the sand on their ATVs, I walked a lot in the park with my camera, and despite the springtime showers, got a few decent pics.

I was mesmerized by the reflections in this pond many times during our stay.
What kind of bird is this? I thought it was a duck, but is it wearing a motorcycle helmet?

Same kind of bird - better reflection.

Salmonberry flowers were sprinkled sparsely through the forest.

Yellow violets (isn’t that an oxymoron?) carpeted sections of the forest floor.

Wild rhododendrons bloom in mid-May, but at the end of April I saw one almost ready to burst.

Are these pine cones growing on a deciduous tree? For two days I wondered what kind of trees these are, until an interpretive sign identified it as a Red Alder. I am embarrassed that I didn’t already know this. Alder grows like weeds in the Pacific Northwest. In fact the sign said it grows three feet per year and is the fastest growing hardwood tree in the United States (or was it North America?) Wikipedia says those dangling things are the male flowers (catkins) and the cone-like things are the female flowers.

A man with a dog called to me, “what are you taking pictures of?”

“Anything interesting”, I called back, keeping my distance because I was alone.

He told me, “There is a rare insect-eating plant growing in this park.” I was ready to run if he got any closer, but he described the plant and told me where he saw it growing. I didn’t go there immediately, and when I did check for it later I didn’t find it. However, the next day I may have seen what he described in a completely different part of the park.
Are these immature carniverous Darlingtonia plants? Please leave a comment if you know.

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