Mount Adams: 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. The flowers are near their peak in a number of moist spots along the Round the Mt. Trail #9 but will not be peaking for several weeks yet at higher altitudes (except on drier slopes, where the peak has already been reached). Plenty of flowers should remain here through the Labor Day Holiday!

Wildflowers in Bloom at Bird Creek Meadows:

Moss: Polystichum sp. -

Subalpine Fir: Abies lasiocarpa - Both fir species seem to be suffering quite a die off on the south and east sides of Mt. Adams!

White Bark Pine: Pinus albicaulis -

Mt. Hemlock: Tsuga mertensiana -

* Engelmann's Sedge: Carex engelmannii -

* Black Alpine Sedge: Carex nigricans -

* Dunhead Sedge: Carex phaeocephala -

* Showy Sedge: Carex spectabilis -

* Drummond's Rush: Juncus drummondii -

* Merten's Rush: Juncus mertensianus -

* Parry's Rush: Juncus parryi -

* Hitchcock's Wood-rush: Luzula glabrata ssp. hitchcockii -

* Piper's Wood-rush: Luzula piperi -

* Brome: Bromus sp. -

* Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides ssp. elymoides (formerly Sitanion hystrix) - Beginning to bloom.

* Idaho Fescue: Festuca idahoensis -

*Alpine Sedge: Phleum alpinum ssp. alpinum -

* Subalpine Mariposa Lily: Calochortus subalpinus -

* Green False Hellebore: Veratrum viride - Fairly common.

* Beargrass: Xerophyllum tenax - Most have faded out of bloom.

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

* Hooded Ladie's Tresses: Spiranthes romanzoffiana - Common in several high elevation meadows.

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

* Alpine Buckwheat: Eriogonum pyrolifolium var. coryphaeum -

* Hausknecht's Buckwheat: Eriogonum umbellatum var. hausknechtii -

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

* Newberry's Fleeceflower: Aconogonon davisiae ssp. davisiae (formerly Polygonum newberryi) -

* Pussypaws: Cistanthe umbellata var. caudicifera -

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

* Parry's Catchfly: Silene parryi - Fading out of bloom at high elevation.

* Crimson Columbine: Aquilegia formosa -

White Marsh Marigold: Caltha leptosepala ssp. leptosepala var. leptosepala -

* Columbia Gorge Rockcress: Arabis furcata - A few still blooming at higher altitudes.

* Spreading Stonecrop: Sedum divergens -

* Rusty Saxifrage: Saxifraga ferruginea var. vreelandii - Good bloom at all elevations.

* Tolmie's Saxifrage: Saxifraga tolmiei -

* Partridge Foot: Luetkea pectinata - Beginning to bloom.

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

* Fan-leaf Cinquefoil: Potentilla flabellifolia -

* Sticky Cinquefoil: Potentilla glandulosa ssp. pseudorupestris -

* Sitka Mt. Ash: Sorbus sitchensis var. grayi -

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

* Subalpine Lupine: Lupinus arcticus ssp. subalpinus (formerly Lupinus latifolius var. subalpinus) -

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

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

* Common Willow-herb: Epilobium ciliatum ssp. glandulosum -

* Diffuse Groundsmoke: Gayophytum diffusum - Beginning to bloom on the lower slopes of Bird Creek Meadows.

* Sharp-tooth Angelica: Angelica arguta -

* Cow-parship: Heracleum maximum - Blooming in water courses on south-facing slopes of the Ridge of Wonder.

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

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

Purple Sweetroot: Osmorhiza purpurea - Going to seed.

Pinemat Manzanita: Arctostaphylos nevadensis -

* White Mountain Heather: Cassiope mertensiana - Mostly out of bloom.

* Alpine Laurel: Kalmia microphylla -

Sidebells Wintergreen: Orthillia secunda - In bud.

* Pink Mountain-heather: Phyllodoce empetriformis - Mostly out of bloom.

* Yellow Heather: Phyllodoce glanduliflora - Mostly out of bloom

* Dwarf Huckleberry: Vaccinium caespitosum -

* Thinleaf Huckleberry: Vaccinium membranaceum -

* Grouse Whortleberry: Vaccinium scoparium - In fruit.

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

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

* Alpine Collomia: Collomia larsenii -

* Spreading Phlox: Phlox diffusa var. longistylis - A few left in bloom at higher elevations.

* California Jacob's Ladder: Polemonium californicum -

* Western Polemonium: Polemonium occidentale ssp. occidentale -

* Silverleaf Phacelia: Phacelia hastata var. compacta -

* Common Paintbrush: Castilleja miniata ssp. miniata -

* Magenta Paintbrush: Castilleja parviflora var. oreopola -

* Suksdorf's Paintbrush: Castilleja suksdorfii -

* Thompson's Paintbrush: Castilleja thompsonii -

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

* Turtle Heads: Nothochelone nemorosa -

* Bracted Lousewort: Pedicularis bracteosa -

* Elephanthead Lousewort: Pedicularis groenlandica -

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

* Davidson's Penstemon: Penstemon davidsonii - Almost finished blooming.

* Glaucous Penstemon: Penstemon euglaucus -

* Small-flowered Penstemon: Penstemon procerus var. tolmiei - Fading out of bloom.

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

* American Alpine Speedwell: Veronica wormskjoldii -

* Sitka Valerian: Valeriana sitchensis -

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

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

* Rocky Mt. Pussytoes: Antennaria media -

* Broad-leaved Arnica: Arnica latifolia -

* Hairy Arnica: Arnica mollis -

Big Mt. Sagebrush: Artemisia tridentata var. vaseyana - Seen on south-facing slopes of the Ridge of Wonders to the north of the Hellroaring Viewpoint.

* Rabbitbrush Goldenweed: Ericameria bloomeri - Beginning to bloom below the Mazama Glacier lateral moraine.

* Cut-leaf Daisy: Erigeron compositus -

* Subalpine Daisy: Erigeron glacialis ssp. glacialis -

* Oregon Sunshine: Eriophyllum lanatum var. integrifolium -

* Cascade Aster: Eucephalus ledophyllus var. ledophyllus -

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

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

* Dwarf Alpinegold: Hulsea nana -

* Smooth Mountain Dandelion: Nothocalais alpestris -

* Alpine Aster: Oreostemma alpigenum var. alpigenum ( -

* Rocky Mt. Groundsel: Packera streptanthifolia -

* Arrow-leaf Groundsel: Senecio triangularis -

* Canada Goldenrod: Solidago canadensis var. salebrosa -

* Dwarf Goldenrod: Solidago simplex ssp. simplex var. nana -

11 Mountain Goats

Dark-eyed Junco -

Chipping Sparrows

Red-breasted Nuthatches

Clark's Nutcracker- a few seen at this altitude

Northern Flicker

Cascades Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel: Spermophilus saturatus - One

Anise Swallowtail

Pale Tiger Swallowtails

Western Tiger Swallowtails

Lorquin's Admirals

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

California Tortoiseshells - Fairly common.

Hoffman's Checkerspots -

Numerous unidentified Fritillarys -

Orange Sulfurs - numerous

Parnassians - numerous