Wildflowers of Mount Adams Country: Bird Creek Meadows

Snow was slow in melting out of the Bird Creek Meadows area on Mt. Adams this year. The lower meadows are now clear of snow, but snow remains in patches on some of the upper meadows below the moraines and still lies several feet or more thick on north-facing slopes below the Hellroaring Overlook up to the moraines. The flowers are near their peak in a number of spots along the Round the Mt. Trail #9 but will not be peaking for several weeks yet at higher altitudes. Plenty of flowers should remain here through the Labor Day Holiday!

Wildflowers in Bloom at Bird Creek Meadows:

1. Pacific Silver Fir: Abies amabilis - Both fir species seem to be suffering quite a die off on the south side of Mt. Adams!

2. Subalpine Fir: Abies lasiocarpa -

3. White Bark Pine: Pinus albicaulis -

4. Mt. Hemlock: Tsuga mertensiana -

* 5. Showy Sedge: Carex spectabilis -

* 6. Merten's Rush: Juncus mertensianus -

* 7. Subalpine Mariposa Lily: Calochortus subalpinus - Only a few left in bloom.

* 8. Green False Hellebore: Veratrum viride - Fairly common.

* 9. Beargrass: Xerophyllum tenax -

* 10. Slender Bog Orchid: Platanthera stricta (formerly Habenaria saccata) -

*11. Heart-leaf Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum var. compositum -

* 12. Alpine Buckwheat: Eriogonum pyrolifolium var. coryphaeum -

* 13. Sulphur-flowered Buckwheat: Eriogonum umbellatum var. umbellatum -

*14. Newberry's Fleeceflower: Polygonum newberryi - Fading out of bloom along the Round the Mt. Trail #9.

* 15. Pussypaws: Cistanthe umbellata var. caudicifera -

* 16. Slender Mt. Sandwort: Arenaria capillaris ssp. americana -

* 17. White Marsh Marigold: Caltha leptosepala ssp. leptosepala var. leptosepala - Only a few left in fading bloom at this elevation.

* 18. Columbia Gorge Rockcress: Arabis furcata -

19. Rusty Saxifrage: Saxifraga ferruginea var. vreelandii - Several small clumps of this plant are in bloom in shaded areas along the trail several hundred yards from the trailhead.

*20. Partridge Foot: Luetkea pectinata -

21. Drummond's Cinquefoil: Potentilla drummondii var. drummondii -

* 22. Fan-leaf Cinquefoil: Potentilla flabellifolia -

* 23. Rose Meadowsweet: Spiraea splendens var. splendens (formerly S. densiflora) -

* 24. Subalpine Lupine: Lupinus latifolius ssp. subalpinus -

*25. Low Mt. Lupine: Lupinus lepidus var. lobbii -

*26. Silky Lupine: Lupinus sericeus ssp. sericeus var. flexuosus -

27. Milkflower Willowherb: Epilobium lactiflorum -

*28. Gray's Lovage: Ligusticum grayii - Very numerous.

* 29. Martindale's Desert Parsley: Lomatium martindalei - Mostly past bloom at lower elevations.

30. Purple Sweetroot: Osmorhiza purpurea - Going to seed.

* 31. Western Moss Heather: Cassiope mertensiana var. mertensiana -

*32. Pink Mountain-heather: Phyllodoce empetriformis -

* 33. Grouse Whortleberry: Vaccinium scoparium - In fruit.

* 34. Jeffrey's Shooting Star: Dodecatheon jeffreyi - A fair amount of this species remains in bloom along streams where snow laid late into the summer.

*35. Mt. Bog Gentian: Gentiana calycosa var. calycosa - Just beginning bloom.

* 36. Spreading Phlox: Phlox diffusa var. longistylis - A few left in bloom especially west of the picnic area loop trail.

37. Western Polemonium: Polemonium occidentale ssp. occidentale -

* 38. Common Paintbrush: Castilleja miniata ssp. miniata -

* 39. Magenta Paintbrush: Castilleja parviflora var. oreopola -

40. Suksdorf's Paintbrush: Castilleja suksdorfii -

*41. Lewis' Monkeyflower: Erythranthe lewisii - Beginning to bloom.

*42. Turtle Heads: Nothochelone nemorosa -

*43. Bracted Lousewort: Pedicularis bracteosa -

* 44. Elephanthead Lousewort: Pedicularis groenlandica -

*45. Leafy (Sickle-top) Pedicularis: Pedicularis racemosa -

* 46. Glaucous Penstemon: Penstemon euglaucus -

*47. Small-flowered Penstemon: Penstemon procerus var. tolmiei - Only a few seen beginning to bloom at this low altitude (generally it's more alpine!).

* 48. Cliff Penstemon: Penstemon rupicola - Fading out of bloom on lower elevation cliffs.

49. American Alpine Speedwell: Veronica wormskjoldii -

* 50. Sitka Valerian: Valeriana sitchensis -

*51. Yarrow: Achillea millefolium - (Sorry, but I didn't take the time to check which variety it is, although both varieties should be expected here!)

* 52. Woolly Pussytoes: Antennaria lanata - Mostly fading out of bloom.

*53. Broad-leaved Arnica: Arnica latifolia -

54. Nodding Arnica, Parry's Arnica: Arnica parryi - A few seen.

55. Rydberg's Arnica: Arnica rydbergii - Fairly common.

56. Giant Mountain Aster: Canadanthus modestus (formerly Aster modestus) - A few in bloom on moist slopes to the west of the picnic area loop trail.

* 57. Subalpine Daisy: Erigeron glacialis ssp. glacialis -

*58. Cascade Aster: Eucephalus ledophyllus var. ledophyllus -

*59. Alpine Hawkweed, Slender Hawkweed: Hieracium gracile var. gracile -

*60. Scouler's Woolly-weed: Hieracium scouleri var. scouleri -

* 61. Smooth Mountain Dandelion: Nothocalais alpestris (formerly Microseris alpestris) -

*62. Alpine Aster: Oreostemma alpigenum var. alpigenum (formerly Aster alpigenus) -

63. Leafy Aster: Symphotrichium foliaceum (formerly Aster foliaceus) - Beginning to bloom (a favorite of many pollinators where it is in bloom!).

*64. Arrow-leaf Groundsel: Senecio triangularis -

* 65. Canada Goldenrod: Solidago canadensis var. salebrosa -

Dark-eyed Junco- numerous

Red-breasted Nuthatches

Camp Robber / Gray Jay- numerous

Clark's Nutcracker- a few seen at this altitude

Northern Flicker

Least Chipmunks: Tamias minimus ? - several

Cascades Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel: Spermophilus saturatus - One

Anise Swallowtail

Lorquin's Admirals

Field Crescent on Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides (formerly Sitanion hystrix) -

Anglewings - numerous

Blues - A few seen (Silvery Blues or Boisduval's Blues ?) -

California Tortoiseshells - Fairly common.

Hoffman's Checkerspots -

Numerous unidentified Fritillarys -