Hood Over Powell: May, 2021

21A photo from 2021, taken looking east on Powell Blvd from the Ross Island Bridge end.

The mountain, they say, is out. And when it comes to Hood, no matter where you go ... there it is. 

The Forest At Leach Garden

20The entry to Leach Botanical Garden is just south of the intersection of 122nd and SE Foster Road in Portland. Johnson Creek runs through a gully parallel to and just south of this. 

The pictures I've shared so far were at the entry which is at the upper level. At the back of this there is a grove of evergreens, thick and primeval, clothing the slope down to the creek.

You can see SE 122nd Avenue going downslope to the bottom of the Johnson Creek gulch.

There is a 'tree walk' that allows you to be up amongst the trees. We'll view this presently.

Going into the woods is accessible to all here. 

Sunlight on the Garden

19To keep the vibe going, here's a single picture from the entrance of Leach Botanical Garden, the lawn adjacent to the pollinator garden, and the sun that drenched it that day.

The plants did as they should, playing with the light and giving it up in gorgeous green luminosity.

Sparkling Johnson Creek

18Just a picture of the sun sparkling off the rushing waters of Johnson Creek at Leach Botanical Garden.

Nothing more ... and certainly nothing less. It's a vibe. A PDX vibe.

What is Leach Botanical Garden?

15What is Leach Botanical Garden?

A place with a bit more history than I knew. 

It's a most lovely arboretum. This place, located on SE 122nd Avenue just south of Foster Road, is a curated collection of native plants and native trees, arrayed on an upper level which has pollinator gardens and places for people to be and a section going down into the gully of Johnson Creek where historic structures and a very restful riparian section along the creek itself.

It is Portland's hidden garden.

Wayfinding at Leach Botanical Garden, 2026.

Stretching behind that sign are the pollinators. I'll share a few of those pictures, as well as the history that I learned, in subsequent blog entries. 

A Single Trillium

14There is a flower called Trillium. This is what one looks like:

This was taken at a lovely and unique place, the Leach Botanical Garden, in deep Southeast Portland. I will elaborate a bit on this in the next entry.