Articles written by Linda McDonnell
Showing 97 Articles
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Mistletoe from Solstice to Christmas
Fruiting in mid-winter, the evergreen Mistletoe held symbolism for the ancient Germanic and Celtic tribes and remains popular in modern Christmas traditions.
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Folklore Behind Christmas Plants and Flowers
Familiar holiday plants have a colorful history in Christmas tradition. Some are wrapped in lore stretching back to medieval times; others rise from more recent legends.
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Nature Activity Gifts for Kids
Christmas or birthday gifts can spark kids' love of nature by letting them press flowers, watch bugs up close, raise butterflies, or see roots grow below ground.
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Inexpensive Christmas Gifts for Nature Lovers
For people who enjoy wildlife and bird watching or taking in the vistas and fresh fragrance of woodlands and oceans, nature-themed gifts make a welcome Christmas package.
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Inexpensive Christmas Gifts for Hikers
For friends and relatives who enjoy hitting the trails, gifts that tuck easily into a day pack or backpack are perfect for Christmas giving.
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Wild and Farmed Gourmet Mushrooms
Fall brings a host of edible mushrooms to farmers markets, specialty grocers and supermarkets that go far beyond the traditional button mushrooms of a past generation.
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Book Details Northwest Regional Natural History
Author Stephen Whitney offers a comprehensive look at the land from Southeastern Alaska to Northern California, through Oregon and Washington to Western Montana.
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Classic Book Outlines Heritage of American Trees
The history and science of North America's western forests are interpreted in lyrical prose in a book that has outlasted more recent conservation literature.
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Nature Guides for Washington, Oregon, British Co
Field Guides help hikers and outdoor lovers recognize Pacific Northwest forest wildlife, birds, fish, marine mammals, tidepool creatures, trees, wildflowers and geology.
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Field Guides to Pacific Northwest Trees
With the guides below, nature enthusiasts will know a Douglas fir from a hemlock and an Oregon ash from an elderberry.
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Review – James Davis' The Northwest Nature Guide
Naturalist James Davis takes readers on a year-long tour of see elk, bald eagles, migrating whales, butterflies, tidepools, spring's first wildflowers in the Pacific NW.
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Review of A Natural History of Conifers
The diverse, ancient conifers grow to towering heights, thrive in rugged terrain, and remind us of earth's prehistoric days. This book is their fascinating story.
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Field Guides to Pacific Northwest Wild Flowers
Novice and experienced naturalists can increase their enjoyment of Pacific Northwest natural areas with the help of one of the many field guides available.
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Identifying Pacific Northwest Native Ferns
From tough sword ferns to delicate maidenhairs, ferns flourish on the moist, shady forest floor of temperate rainforests of Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.
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Identifying the Three Species of Redwood Trees
The coast redwood is one of the earth's tallest trees, the giant sequoia is massive, and the beautiful dawn redwood is newly discovered after being seen only in fossils.
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Walking Portland's Eastbank Esplanade
This wide urban walkway sometimes hugs the river's edge, sometimes floats on the water, and always offers stunning downtown views.
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Portland Audubon Society Wildlife Sanctuary
Just three miles from downtown Portland are miles of nature trails in a wildlife sanctuary maintained by the Audubon Society and open to the public from dawn to dusk.
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Camassia Natural Area near Portland, Oregon
This small natural area preserves rare Willamette Valley oak savanna and numerous wildflowers that thrive in the rocky, pool studded property.
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Whale Watching at Depoe Bay, Oregon
The New "Whale Watching Spoken Here" Center Offers Excellent Viewing Complete with Spotting Scopes and Guides to Help Locate Whale Spouts and Flukes
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Bird Watching on Oregon Coast Offshore Rocks
Driving down the Oregon Coast on U.S. Highway 101, huge rocks jutting out of the ocean are visible from almost every viewpoint. Most teem with seabirds.
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North and Central Oregon Coast Tidepool Sites
These sites offer premier guided viewing of tidepools filled with anemones, starfish, sea urchins, tiny crabs and other intertidal life.
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Pacific Northwest Coast Intertidal Zones
As the tide moves toward the minus point, barnacles and starfish appear first, followed by extreme low tide sightings of sea palms and purple urchins.
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Four Common Pacific Northwest Broadleaf Trees
Native broadleaf trees of many families grow in open woodlands, at forest edges and along waterways from Northern California through British Columbia.
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Creating a Horizontal Ikebana Flower Arrangement
The horizontal pattern in the moribana style of Japanese flower arranging makes a low design that can be viewed from all sides.
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Identifying North American Pine Trees
Pines belong to the conifers, with evergreen needles and cones. Sorting the pines from among its relatives, the firs, spruces and hemlocks, is not difficult.
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Variations on Basic Ikebana Flower Arrangements
Variations to the basic structure of an Ikebana arrangement allow for endless creativity, so that no two arrangements will ever be exactly alike.
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Creating a Slanting Ikebana Flower Arrangement
This traditional Ikebana arrangement can be created by anyone with a love of flowers and a sprinkling of patience.
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Warneckii as an Easy-Care Interior Plant
Warneckii is a popular plant for offices and homes because of its tolerance of a variety of light conditions and easy care.
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Creating an Upright Ikebana Flower Arrangement
From the Moribana style, the basic upright design makes a classic triangular arrangement for spring blossoms.
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Swiss Cheese Plant for Indoor Hanging Baskets
For a change from typical philodendron and ivy, the Swiss cheese plant can fill a hanging basket with its lush abundance of exotic perforated leaves.
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Review of Woman of a Thousand Secrets
The latest of Barbara Wood's history-based novels tells the story of Tonina, a young woman searching for her roots in Central America before Columbus.
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Review of Isabel Allende's Young Adult Books
High adventure, survival, coming-of-age and themes of good and evil fill this three-book series by a popular South American author.
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Book Review of Stubborn Twig
Lauren Kessler's novel follows the Yasui family as they struggle to succeed in America in spite of racial prejudice and finally internment during World War II.
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Ikebana Flower Arranging
The distinctive Japanese flower arrangements create beauty through art, philosophy and skill in this ancient discipline.
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Flowering Houseplants for Sunny Spots
A sunny window brings blooms to anthurium, lipstick plant, goldfish plant, begonias, peace lily, kalanchoe, and more indoor plants.
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Flowering Plants for Valentine Gifts
What better way to please your Valentine - or a special friend - on Valentine's Day than with an indoor plant with flowers that will keep blooming.
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Growing Dracaena Indoors
Dracaenas are easy-care houseplants that present a striking addition to interior décor.
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Origins of Common Houseplants
Houseplants come from tropical forests and arid regions around the world. Knowing the origin of a specific plant can help in providing it with proper care.
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Northwest Coast Indian Tribes
When the first Europeans landed along the coastline of present-day Alaska, British Columbia and Washington, they found a thriving Native American culture.
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Oregon Museums of Native Culture
Because Pacific Northwest Native Americans enjoyed abundant resources, they were able to develop a rich culture, including a diverse body of art.
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Epiphany Ends Christmas Season
January 6 is Epiphany in the Christian tradition, ending the Twelve Days of Christmas. For many Christians, it is one of the major celebrations in the religious year.
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Origins of Two Christmas Spirituals
America's contribution to the Christmas season's repertoire of carols includes two heartfelt spirituals whose authors remain unknown.
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The Twelve Days of Christmas
Many people sing "The Twelve Days of Christmas" believing the "gifts" it names for each day are all in fun.
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The First Noel and Silent Night
While many carols originated as hymns, "The First Noel" began as a folk song. "Silent Night " was composed just hours before Christmas Eve mass.
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Origins of Christmas Customs
Parallels to many of our Christmas customs can be seen in the winter solstice celebrations of ancient times.
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Traditional Thanksgiving Songs
Thanksgiving has its own tradition of songs that include "Come, Ye Thankful People, Come," "We Gather Together," and "Over the River and Through the Wood."
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Thanksgiving Around the World
Since ancient times, people around the world have offered thanks in festivals celebrating a bountiful harvest.
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Seattle's Burke Museum
Tribal masks and totem poles, dinosaur fossils, Pacific Rim ethnic art and 500 million years of Northwest geology fill public displays.
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The Pilgrims' Thanksgiving Dinner
While the Pilgrims left little information about what was eaten, many foods that have become almost synonymous with Thanksgiving would not have been available to them.
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Halloween Jack-o'-Lanterns
Jack-o'-Lanterns originated in ancient Celtic tradition, but carving these Halloween symbols continues to fascinate us.
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Holly Tree Characteristics and Species
Sprigs of holly are a symbol of Christmas. Santa wears one and many a home is decked in holly for the holidays. But where does holly grow and what kind of plant is it?
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The Lore of Christmas Holly
Steeped in lore, holly represents one of the Christmas season's most ancient traditions.
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ZZ Plant for Easy Care and Beauty
This striking newcomer to interior plantscaping is a favorite accent piece that thrives on neglect.
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Portland Saturday Market
One of the largest continuously-running outdoor craft markets in the U.S. takes place every Saturday and Sunday from March to Christmas Eve near Portland's waterfront.
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Walking Portland's Cultural District
Art, performance, history and period architecture are all on display in the compact, walkable downtown section of Portland, Oregon, known as the Cultural District.
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Growing Norfolk Island Pine Indoors
Araucaria heterophylla is a striking plant for home décor and a popular choice as a living Christmas tree.
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Cascade Head on the Oregon Coast
"Magic" is a word often used to describe Cascade Head, a high headland jutting into the Pacific Ocean just north of Lincoln City on the Oregon Coast.
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Preparing Fresh Blueberries
Blueberries begin appearing in farmers markets and in grocery store produce departments in early summer and reach their peak in July and August.
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Enjoy Summer's Wild Blackberries
Blackberries are one of North America's tastiest wild foods, and one of the most plentiful.
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Pacific Northwest Wild Berries
Pacific Northwest woods offer up plenty of summer berries. Ripening berries mark the seasons and attract birds, plus many provide tasty picking for hikers and campers.
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Caring for Palms Indoors
Palms add an elegant accent to home interiors. Readily adaptable to a variety of indoor lighting conditions, these houseplants can thrive with minimal care.
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Oregon's North Central Coast
Just south of the north Oregon coast's most crowded and glittery tourist towns lies a stretch of coastline dotted with quiet beaches and picturesque fishing towns.
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Field Guides to Pacific Shore Life
These guide books will help you identify the vast diversity of marine plants and animals that live on Pacific Ocean shores from Northern California to British Columbia.
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Seashore Life by Eugene Kozloff
"Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific Coast" is a comprehensive yet readable guide book to life on rocky shores, sandy beaches, bays, and dunes of the Pacific Northwest.
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Pacific Tide Pool Seaweed & Algae
Forests of sea plants crowd around the edges of pools left behind on rocky Pacific shores when the tide is at its lowest.
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Pacific Coast Tide Pool Animals
Low tide reveals animals seen only for a brief time. Sea anemones, purple sea urchins, starfish, colorful sea slugs and tiny crabs live in this hidden world.
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Oregon Coast: Yaquina Bay in Newport
On the historic bayfront in Newport, Oregon, visitors can stroll along piers where the fishing fleet ties up, browse shops and galleries, and glimpse an undersea world.
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Portland Summer Festivals
During the summer months Portland hosts a line-up of outdoor events from the Grand Floral Parade to the Oregon Brewers Festival, music and food and wine celebrations.
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Cinco de Mayo Is Fiesta Time
On May 5 many U.S. cities celebrate Cinco de Mayo with music, dancing and Mexican food. The day commemorates the 1862 victory of Mexico in a battle with the French.
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Columbia Gorge Field Wildflowers
Spring brings an abundance of wildflowers to the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon and Washington. Look for Desert Parsley, Delphinium, Saskatoon and Ball-head Waterleaf.
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Pacific Madrone Trees
Madrone is a stunning tree overhanging coastlines from its perch on rocky cliffs. Look for its evergreen leaves, summer flowers and bright fall berries.
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Pacific Northwest Flowering Shrubs
Spring brings the blooms of huckleberry, rhododendron and a profusion of other flowering shrubs and small trees in forests from northern California to British Columbia.
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It's Rhubarb Pie Season!
Rhubarb appears in much of the U.S. and Canada in late April and May, just in time for spring pies. Add early strawberries for strawberry-rhubarb pie or ice cream sauce.
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Spanish Learning through Listening
Listen to audio books, join a conversation group, learn Latin songs, watch the news in Spanish or listen to children's stories to increase your Spanish comprehension.
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Museums in Portland, Oregon
From the Portland Art Museum to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Forestry Center, Museum of Contemporary Craft and Oregon Historical Society discovery awaits.
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Washington Hiking Guides
Find day hikes or weekend backpacking trips and learn which are best for waterfall, old growth or wildflower viewing, which are kid-friendly and dog-friendly.
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Oregon Hiking Guide Books
These hiking guides tell you how to find the best of the Oregon outdoors from the coast to lush evergreen forests to river canyons and the high desert.
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Pacific Northwest Wildflowers
The first wildflowers appear in late February and March in the damp forests of the Pacific Northwest. Look for trillium, Indian plum, red flowering current, salmonberry.
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From Candlemas to Groundhog Day
Candlemas celebrates Jesus' presentation in the Temple 40 days after Christmas. It has pre-Christian roots as the mid-point between winter solstice and spring equinox.
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Columbia Gorge Wildflower Hikes
Spring wildflowers carpet the Washington and Oregon sides of the Columbia River Gorge beginning in March. See Wild Irises, Rein Orchids, Shooting Stars, Camas and more.
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Wildflowers of the Columbia River Gorge
Bitter root, glacier lily, paintbrush, larkspur and balsam root are among the wildflowers to look for in the Columbia River Gorge from March through June.
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Columbia River Gorge Attractions
Waterfalls, wildflowers, geological wonders, Native American history, blooming fruit trees and windsurfing await in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.
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New Years Resolutions Go Green
When you're making your New Years resolutions, try adding a few environment-friendly practices you can follow all year to help save the planet.
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Living Tabletop Christmas Trees
Rosemary, Norfolk Pine and Monterey Cypress make festive tabletop Christmas trees and gifts that can be kept as attractive houseplants after the holidays.
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Oregon Coast Winter Activities
Winter on the Oregon Coast brings storm watching, the annual gray whale migration and the popular Fisher Poets Gathering where fun and fish tales rule.
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Christmas Tree Care
Enough water, a proper sized stand, cool temperatures and low-heat lights will help your Christmas tree stay fresh and reduce needle loss.
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Types of Fresh Christmas Trees
Of the species used for Christmas trees, some offer long life, others strong branches for ornaments, still others a pleasant fragrance or attractive color and density.
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Forest Park in Portland, Oregon
Just 15 minutes from downtown Portland, Oregon, a 4,900-acre forest preserve invites hiking, biking and strolling along 70 miles of trails.
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Portland's Waterfront
Bordering downtown Portland is Waterfront Park, a green expanse with wide riverfront walkway. Cross the river to the Eastside Esplanade or head south to RiverPlace shops.
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Rainy Day Fun for Kids in Portland
Skate at Oaks Park or Lloyd Center Ice Rink, get creative at the Portland Children's Museum or see how water spouts work at OMSI for rainy day fun in Portland, Oregon.
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Autumn's Berry Trees
Fall brings not just the reds and yellows of turning leaves, but also the bright colors of berries on many common trees.
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Portland’s Washington Park
Ride the train at the Oregon Zoo, hear a concert in the Rose Garden, stroll the Japanese Garden or visit the World Forestry Center at Washington Park in Portland, Oregon.
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Public Gardens in Portland, Oregon
Rose Gardens, a Classical Chinese Garden, an authentic Japanese Garden and a Rhododendron Garden draw locals and tourists alike for picnics, weddings or a quiet stroll.
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Trees that Grow as Living Fossils
Dawn Redwood and Ginkgo trees were seen only in fossils until living stands were discovered in the 1900s. With the Chilean Monkey Puzzle tree, they are living fossils.
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Identifying Northwest Conifers
Northwest conifers may seem similar, but when you look closely at the needles and cones, it's easy to tell a pine from a fir or a hemlock from a red-cedar.
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Nature Parks in Portland, Oregon
Visitors to Portland, Oregon, can easily explore nature without a car. The city's MAX lightrail takes you right to the trailhead of two nature preserves
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Portland's Public Fountains
Visit Lovejoy Fountain, Salmon Street Springs, Skidmore and Keller Fountains and Pioneer Courthouse Square on an Easy Downtown Tour by Foot and Streetcar
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