Butterfly Park is a city park of about 1 acre (0.404686 ha) in southwest Portland

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

, in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

. Located at 7720 Southwest Macadam Avenue, the park includes a natural area and walking paths near the Willamette River

Willamette River

The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...

. The natural area provides important habitat for butterflies, including mourning cloak

Nymphalis antiopa

Nymphalis antiopa, known as the Mourning Cloak in North America and the Camberwell Beauty in Britain, is a large butterfly native to Eurasia and North America. See also Anglewing butterflies. The immature form of this species is sometimes known as the spiny elm caterpillar. Other older names for...

s and orange sulphurs.

The Greenway Trail, part of the 40 Mile Loop

40 Mile Loop

The 40-Mile Loop is a partially completed greenway trail around and through Portland in the U.S. State of Oregon. It was proposed in 1903 by the Olmsted Brothers architecture firm as part of the development of Forest Park....

, links Butterfly Park to Miles Place and Willamette Park

Willamette Park

Willamette Park is a city park of about in southwest Portland, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Located at Southwest Macadam Avenue and Nebraska Street, the park includes a boat dock and ramp, paved and unpaved paths, picnic areas, restrooms, a dog off-leash area, playground, soccer field, and tennis...

 on the north as well as the Willamette Moorage Natural Area, the Sellwood Bridge

Sellwood Bridge

The Sellwood Bridge is a truss bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. It was Portland's first fixed-span bridge and, being the only river crossing for miles in each direction, is the busiest two-lane bridge in Oregon...

, and Powers Marine Park, all on the south. Slightly south of Butterfly Park, Stephens Creek

Stephens Creek

Stephens Creek can refer to:* Stephens Creek Reservoir in New South Wales* Stephens Creek * Stephens Creek * Stephens Creek * Stephens Creek...

 empties into the Willamette. Oaks Amusement Park

Oaks Amusement Park

Oaks Park is a small amusement park located south of downtown Portland, Oregon USA, near the Sellwood Bridge. The park includes midway games, about two dozen rides that operate seasonally, a skating rink that is open all-year, and picnic grounds.- Rides :...

 and Sellwood Riverfront Park

Sellwood Riverfront Park

Sellwood Riverfront Park is a city park of about in southeast Portland, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Located at Southeast Spokane Street and Oaks Parkway, the park has paths, picnic tables, a stage, a boat dock on the Willamette River, restrooms, and a dog off-leash area.Formerly a mill site...

 are on the river's east bank, opposite Butterfly Park.

At the park entrance, a rock garden near an interpretive sign features columbines

Aquilegia

Aquilegia is a genus of about 60-70 species of perennial plants that are found in meadows, woodlands, and at higher altitudes throughout the Northern Hemisphere, known for the spurred petals of their flowers.-Etymology:The genus name Aquilegia is derived from the Latin word for eagle , because...

, penstemon

Penstemon

Penstemon , Beard-tongue, is a large genus of North American and East Asian plants traditionally placed in the Scrophulariaceae family. Due to new genetic research, it has now been placed in the vastly expanded family Plantaginaceae...

, fireweed

Fireweed

Epilobium angustifolium, commonly known as Fireweed , Great Willow-herb , or Rosebay Willowherb , is a perennial herbaceous plant in the willowherb family Onagraceae...

, and other flowering plants. Vegetation in the park, once dominated by Himalayan blackberries

Rubus armeniacus

Rubus armeniacus, Armenian Blackberry or Himalayan Blackberry, is a species of Rubus in the blackberry group Rubus subgenus Rubus series Discolores Focke. It is native to Armenia in southwest Asia, and widely naturalised elsewhere...

, includes native grasses, wildflowers, and dogwood. Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

The Cedar Waxwing is a member of the family Bombycillidae or waxwing family of passerine birds. It breeds in open wooded areas in North America, principally southern Canada and the northern United States.-Description:...

s, killdeer

Killdeer

The Killdeer is a medium-sized plover.Adults have a brown back and wings, a white belly, and a white breast with two black bands. The rump is tawny orange. The face and cap are brown with a white forehead. They have an orange-red eyering...

, orioles, chickadees, and other birds frequent the park. A bench along the trail offers views of Ross Island

Ross Island (Oregon)

Ross Island is the main island of a four-island cluster in the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. The islands, covering a total of about , are owned mainly by Ross Island Sand and Gravel , which mined them extensively between 1926 and 2001...

 and other spots along the river.

It took about 10 years to organize and develop the park, formerly a "derelict patch of land" near the Macadam Bay Club. The South Portland Neighborhood Association worked with Portland Parks & Recreation

Portland Parks & Recreation

Portland Parks & Recreation is the bureau of the City of Portland which protects the parks, natural areas, recreational facilities, gardens, and trails of the city of Portland, Oregon....

 to complete the work. The park is "one of the region's smallest, but most biologically productive" greenspaces

Open space reserve

Open space reserve, open space preserve, and open space reservation, are planning and conservation ethics terms used to describe areas of protected or conserved land or water on which development is indefinitely set aside...

.