February is a great time for spring garden planning. Adding more native plants to your garden naturally supports native wildlife while creating resiliency to climate change! This spring the Friends of Baltimore Woods and Sparrowhawk Native Plant Sale pick-up days will be Friday April 18 and Saturday April 19. The native plant ordering and purchasing will begin at 9am on Sunday March 2, and run until Sunday March 30 at midnight. Beginning Tuesday February 4th, the Sparrowhawk website will list the approximately 115 native plants offered for the sale this year, including their images, sizes, prices and helpful propagation tips. The Sparrowhawk website is a great resource for successfully designing…

On the warm sunny morning of May 30th, thirty 6th, 7th and 8th grade students from Catlin Gable School arrived with their teachers and chaperones for a community service day in the woods. After introductions, a tool safety talk and an exploratory scavenger hunt in the Lower Meadow, the students were divided into 2 groups of mixed age levels. One group tackled the ivy and blackberry patch under a large mature big leaf maple, the remaining pulled sweet pea vines that were choking native shrubs in the Upper Woodland.  The students were focused, hard working and a joy to supervise with their attentive instructors and adult partners. They saw turkey…

The Friends of Baltimore Woods are delighted to announce the recent acquisition of a new parcel nicknamed Acorn Acre near the North Reno Entrance of the Baltimore Woods Natural Area. Purchasing of this lot, formally known as the Erickson Property, has long been on the back burner FOBW “To Do” list, until the spring of 2023 when a realtor “For Sale” sign was posted on North Reno, alerting the board into action. Over the summer, a weekend neighborhood petition drive gathered over 120 signatures in favor of protecting the lot, plus many emails and phone calls to Metro, Portland Parks and Bureau of Environmental Services were made. The most significant…

The longer warmer days of summer are here. The Friends of Baltimore Woods weekly Thursday evening Golden Hour Work Parties have begun. Every Thursday, weather permitting, we will host the hour-long volunteer parties from 7 to 8 pm. It’s a wonderful way to relax at the end of the day, get some fresh air, exercise, and meet new generous-spirited people. Please visit our web calendar for weekly locations, a brief description of the work we will be doing that day, tips for what to wear and who will be leading. In the event of extremely hot weather, the event may be cancelled. Be sure to check the FOBW website calendar.…

Jane Hartline, owner of Sauvie Island Natives, is a dedicated and generous supporter of native plants for landscaping and propagation within the Portland metro area. She is an advocate for use of native plants as a wonderful gardening option.  In the past, she has often donated to the habitat restoration mission of FOBW. So it was welcome news when she again informed us that 25% of all sales on Saturday September 16, 2023 would be donated to the Friends of Baltimore Woods. Jane rounded that total up to $300! A win-win for your garden, native plants provide habitat for native pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies who have co-evolved…