Nice nature note from NEN Neighborhood Notable

Ken S., a Northeast Neighborhood (NEN) board member, sends this nice note to remind us to enjoy the beauty around us:

Greetings NorthEast Neightbors (NEN) folks and friends,

Now is the time to enjoy an annual highlight of our walkable, liveable Salem NEN neighborhood . . . the annual native camas prairie bloom in the State Fairgrounds parking lot adjacent to our north boundary. See attached photos. The plants that were commonly used by the local Calapooia native Americans as a food staple, camas bulbs, are blooming at their colorful purple maximum in the state fair parking lot south of Sunnyview Avenue from 17th Street NE to 24th Street NE.
You can walk in to view this eye candy from NEN's NE Quad 2 at:
1) 17th Street just past the last NEN home on the east side of the street;
2) 18th St. NE @ Garfield St. NE pedestrian path access;
3) 21st St. NE @ Garfield St. NE pedestrian path access;
4) 23rd & 24th Sts NE North Loop pedestrian path access.

By my calculations (acreage and plant density), some estimated 250,000 camas plants are blooming. Scattered in among the stunning purple blooms are approximately 35 white blooms, which may be the poisonous "death camas." My challenge to you . . . see how many of these rarer plants you can find!

With another week or so the growing grass will overstory the camas plants and make them harder to view. Also, the Oregon State Fair maintenance folks will soon mow the field after the bloom has completed. A smaller but substantial number of camas blooms are also visible in the Oak Grove west of 17th Street at Silverton Road.