I’m going on a bear hunt. Metaphorically that is. One of my favorite Children’s books is, I’m Going on a Bear Hunt by authors, Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. I used to read this book to my children when they were little. It’s a beautifully illustrated book that’s about a family that takes adventure walks. The point of the book is to inspire curiosity and encourage children to take note of the landscape around them. Super fun and basically what I try to do for my readers in my daily blog posts.

If you’ve been following my blog you know that I love native plants; particularly Fetid Adders Tongue, Giant and Western Trillium, Wild Ginger and Western Skunk Cabbage. Tis the season for these beauties to appear or to start showing themselves above ground, so I have been on the hunt to see them. Today our quest was the main trail and pond inside Russ Park in Ferndale, CA. We were specifically on the lookout for blooming skunk cabbage.

My friend Katrina joined me on today’s walk. This was only my second trip to Russ Park; Katrina’s first. Even though the trails are well marked with “you are here” signage at most junctures, I had trouble with my internal compass. The trails are basically on a 110 acre hillside in a mature Sitka spruce forest, bordering a larger forested property and the town’s Historic Cemetery. Because the signage is so well done, a person would be hard pressed to get lost. I personally just couldn’t seem to orient myself to the four directions while at this location. Fortunately Katrina served as our navigator.

I was eager to take this 3.9 mile hike because the skunk cabbage in the forest on the Elk Head trail near my home is currently in bloom. Skunk cabbage is one of my favorite plants. Yes, they do smell like their namesake, but the striking contrast between the green leaves and yellow bloom is stunning! Russ Park has one of the prettiest clusters of skunk cabbage I’ve ever seen, in its Zipporah’s pond. On my previous visit the skunk cabbage was at the end of its season, so this time, I had hoped to catch it in full bloom. Hence the hunt metaphor.

Unfortunately we were about two weeks too early for the skunk cabbage; a return trip is in order. However, our perk for the day was that we hit the jackpot for Fetid Adders Tongue sightings and unlike the forest near my home, the little white Western Trillium are in currently in bloom.

Enjoy my pics! At the end of this post, I’m including a couple of images from yesterday’s walk to Elk Head for plant comparison. #iluvtowalk #Russpark #ferndale #humboldtcounty #humboldt #skunkcabbage #nativeplants #trillium #fetidadderstongue #perspectivesfrommytrail