Blooming antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata) at the entrance to Silver Creek Marsh Campground, Fremont-Winema National Forest...........May 20, 2016.
Directions: From Silver Lake, Oregon, head west on Oregon Highway 31. Turn left (south) onto Forest Road #27 about 0.3 miles west of the turnoff to the Ranger Station. Road #27 heads south across sagebrush lowlands on a bumpy road due to frost heaving. You will want to drive no faster than 30 mph until those disappear! You will see the signed entrance to the Silver Creek Marsh Campground on the left about 10.4 miles south of Highway 31. The campground doesn't appear to be heavily used (except perhaps during holiday weekends, and when local backcountry horse groups gather there - check the ranger station to see if they know of heavy use times). Nightly rates are $6 per night. There are two vault toilets and potable water from Memorial Day weekend on. Water is also available along the front fenceline of the ranger station compound. The campground provides great birding and has a nice assortment of wildflowers. Check the grasslands at the south end of the campground. A walk west across Road #27 to the rocky rim has a different assortment of plants. Hike the signed trail across from campsite #5 south to the Fremont Trail #160. Head right to head upstream along the West Fork Silver Creek. The left fork leads down an old road to the creek, then crosses on the road bridge, then heads cross country towards Silver Creek and further east. The area is well worth spending some time searching for south-central Oregon flowers that are less common elsewhere!
Weather: Temperatures in the mid 40s in the morning climbing to the mid 50s by the afternoon. The morning saw partly cloudy skies with light wind which made the hike comfortable. The afternoon became mostly cloudy, with cold winds across the summit, although the winds abated once reaching parts of the trail in the forest.
* indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.
Western Juniper: Juniperus occidentalis
Lodgepole Pine: Pinus contorta var. latifolia
Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa
Mountain Alder: Alnus incana ssp. tenuifolia
Creek Dogwood: Cornus sericea
Quaking Aspen: Populus tremuloides
Willow: Salix sp.
Common Horsetail: Equisetum arvense
* Meadow Foxtail: Alopecurus pratensis
* Cheatgrass: Bromus tectorum
Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides
Star-flowered False Solomon Seal: Maianthemum stellatum
* Panicled Deathcamas: Toxicoscordion paniculatum
Western Blue Flag: Iris missouriensis - Past bloom.
* Mountain Sorrel: Rumex paucifolius
* Erubescent Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia rubra ssp. rubra
* Lineleaf Montia: Montia linearis - Fading out of bloom.
* Field Chickweed: Cerastium arvense ssp. strictum
* Longstalk Starwort: Stellaria longipes ?
* Western Columbine: Aquilegia formosa
* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum var. nuttallianum
* Swamp Buttercup: Ranunculus orthorhynchus var. platyphyllus
* Little Buttercup: Ranunculus uncinatus
Brown's Peony: Paeonia brownii - Just past bloom.
Spring Whitlow Grass: Draba verna - Past bloom.
* Tower Mustard: Turritis glabra
* Slender Woodlandstar: Lithophragma tenellum
* Wax Currant: Ribes cereum var. cereum
* Serviceberry: Amelanchier sp.
* Cinquefoil: Drymocallis glandulosa var. - Beginning to bloom.
* Broadpetal Strawberry: Fragaria virginiana ssp. platypetala
Rydberg's Largeleaf Avens: Geum macrophyllum var. perincisum
* Prairie Smoke: Geum triflorum var. ciliatum
Horkelia: Horkelia fusca ssp. parviflora - In bud.
Graceful Cinquefoil: Potentilla gracilis var. fastigiata
* Common Chokecherry: Prunus virginiana var. melanocarpa
* Antelope Bitterbrush: Purshia tridentata
Pearhip Rose: Rosa (woodsii var. ultramontana ?)
Menzie's Spiraea: Spiraea douglasii var. menziesii - green under leaves
* Sickle Milkvetch: Astragalus curvicarpus var. curvicarpus
* Woolly-pod Milkvetch: Astragalus purshii (var. lagopinus ?)
* Spurred Lupine: Lupinus sp.
Sticky Geranium: Geranium (viscosissimum var. incisum ?)
Oregon Checkermallow: Sidalcea oregana ssp. - In bud.
* Goosefoot Violet: Viola purpurea ssp. venosa
Snow Brush: Ceanothus velutinus var. velutinus
Groundsmoke: Gayophytum sp.
* Large-fruited Desert Parsley: Lomatium macrocarpum
* Nine-leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum (ssp. platycarpum ?)
Green-leaved Manzanita: Arctostaphylos patula
* Frasera: Frasera albicaulis (var. albicaulis ?)
Pleated Gentian: Gentiana affinis
Scarlet Gilia: Ipomopsis aggregata ssp. formosissima
Ballhead Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum (var. alpinum ?)
* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora
Penstemon: Penstemon sp. - Long, thin, gray leaves
Hotrock Penstemon: Penstemon deustus (var. ?) - In bud.
Common Mullein: Verbascum thapsus
* Mountain Heliotrope: Valeriana sitchensis
* Black Twinberry: Lonicera involucrata var. involucrata
Common Snowberry: Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus
Yarrow: Achillea millefolium
* Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha - Fading out of bloom.
* Pussytoes: Antennaria sp.
* Rosy Pussytoes: Antennaria rosea
Leafy Arnica: Arnica chamissonis (ssp. foliosa ?) - Lowest leaves only. Riparian.
* Elk Thistle: Cirsium scariosum - Beginning to bloom.
Bull Thistle: Cirsium vulgare
Gray Rabbitbrush: Ericamaeria nauseosa (var. speciosus ?)
Yarrow-leaved Eriophyllum: Eriophyllum lanatum var. achilleoides - In bud.
Streambank Goldenweed: Packera pseudaurea var. pseudaurea
Narrowhead Goldenweed: Pyrrocoma carthamoides var. cusickii
Common Dandylion: Taraxacum officinale
Jack Rabbits
Red Squirrel
Common Snipe
Mallards
Kestrel
Red-tailed Hawk
Turkey Vultures
Long-eared Owls - Heard in campground.
Northern Fllickers
Common Ravens
Red-winged Blackbirds
Pinyon Jays - Heard.
Black-headed Grosbeaks
American Robins
Mountain Bluebirds
Western Bluebirds
Green-tailed Towhee
Yellow-rumped Warblers
Chipping Sparrows
Fox Sparrow
Dark-eyed Juncos
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Mourning Cloak
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