Sehome Hill Arboretum is in Bellingham and borders the campus of Western Washington University. It is an undeveloped park of 180 acres of second growth forest and has a rich variety of native plants and trees. It is called an arboretum but was never deliberately planted as such. It has about five miles of trails and we go there to walk and look for native orchids, in this case for Fairy Slippers, which we found along with some Western Spotted Coralroots that were beginning to bloom.
Western Fairy Slippers
Western spotted Coralroot
We went the afternoon of April 26th, a Friday and hiked not only the main trails but also some of the side trails and it was on those we found the orchids along with other wildflowers and natural history treasures. The day was cloudy but warm and we took plenty of time for pictures before going on to Coconut Kenny's for our supper and a quiet evening at home. Perhaps because it was Friday the park was not busy, though there were a few students running and walking the trails.
Old Automobile Tunnel
(now open only to pedestrians)
The Trail and My Hiking Companion
Unidentified Beetle
Sword Fern
Moss Carving
(this is near a college campus)
Western Trillium
Mushroom and Red Elderberry
Log Carving
