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Weather: Temperatures in the low 70s in the morning climbing to the high 70s by the afternoon. The morning saw clear skies with a light wind that persisted all day long which made the hike comfortable.
This portion of the Ochoco Mountain Trail #823 which extends down into Rock Creek is accessed via Road #38 at a trailhead on the north side of the road opposite Potter Meadows a few miles west of the Black Canyon Wilderness. The first quarter mile or so of the trail drops north steeply into Rock Creek to a bridge crossing. The trail then follows the east side of the creek downstream, sometimes at the interface between woods and riparian area, and sometimes high above the river traversing steep balds. In this hike, we hiked downstream about 2.7 miles to the Waterman Ditch (a loss of about 580') and returned.
* indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.
California White Fir: Abies concolor x Abies grandis
Mountain Alder: Alnus incana ssp. tenuifolia
Western Juniper: Juniperus occidentalis
Western Larch: Larix occidentalis - A few trees beginning to turn yellow.
Lodgepole Pine: Pinus contorta var. latifolia
Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa
Quaking Aspen: Populus tremuloides - Beginning to change color. Located near the trailhead.
Black Cottonwood: Populus trichocarpa
Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
Common Horsetail: Equisetum arvense
Dagger-leaved Rush: Juncus ensifolius
Elk Sedge: Carex geyeri
Needlegrass: Achnatherum sp.
Meadow Foxtail: Alopecurus pratensis
Cheat Grass: Bromus tectorum
Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides (var. elymoides or hordeoides ?)
Blue Wildrye: Elymus glaucus
Bulbous Bluegrass: Poa bulbosa
Bluegrass: Poa secunda
American Stinging Nettle: Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis
Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum
California False Hellebore: Veratrum (californicum var. californicum ?)
Bog Orchid: Platanthera sp.
Common Knotweed: Polygonum aviculare
Douglas' Knotweed: Polygonum douglasii
Rocky Mountain Western Dock: Rumex occidentalis
Catchfly: Silene sp.
Columbia Monkshood: Aconitum columbianum ssp. columbianum
Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum
Creeping Oregon Grape: Berberis repens
Scale Pod: Idahoa scapigera
Wormleaf Stonecrop: Sedum stenopetalum
Daggerpods: Phoenicaulis cheiranthoides
Roundleaf Alumroot: Heuchera cylindrica var. alpina
Stream Saxifrage: Micranthes odontoloma
Wax Currant: Ribes cereum var. cereum
Western Black Currant: Ribes hudsonianum var. petiolare
Swamp Currant: Ribes lacustre
Saskatoon Serviceberry: Amelanchier alnifolia (var. alnifolia ?)
Sharp-toothed Cinquefoil: Drymocallis convallaria
Cinquefoil: Drymocallis ? - Both leafy and non-leafy bracted species of the former Potentilla glandulosa
Woods Strawberry: Fragaria vesca ssp. bracteata
Broadpetal Strawberry: Fragaria virginiana ssp. platypetala
Rydberg's Largeleaf Avens: Geum macrophyllum var. perincisum
Prairie Smoke: Geum triflorum var. ciliatum
Slender Cinquefoil: Potentilla gracilis var. fastigiata
Fan-leaved Cinquefoil: Potentilla gracilis var. flabelliformis
Common Chokecherry: Prunus virginiana var. melanocarpa
Baldhip Rose: Rosa gymnocarpa ?
Thimbleberry: Rubus parviflorus var. parviflorus
Rocky Mountain Mountain Ash: Sorbus scopulina - Leaves turning bright red.
Broadleaf Lupine: Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius ?
Prairie Lupine: Lupinus lepidus var. aridus
Burke's Lupine: Lupinus polyphyllus var. burkei ?
Cup Clover: Trifolium cyathiferum
* Springbank Clover: Trifolium wormskjoldii - A few plants in bloom in Rock Creek downstream of the bridge.
Oregon Boxwood: Paxistima myrsinites
Snow Brush: Ceanothus velutinus var. velutinus
Oregon Checkermallow: Sidalcea oregana (ssp. oregana ?)
Rydberg's Geranium: Geranium viscosissimum var. incisum
Hooked Spur Violet: Viola adunca
Fireweed: Chamerion angustifolium
Elkhorns Clarkia: Clarkia pulchella or Common Clarkia: Clarkia rhomboidea ?
Tall Annual Willowherb: Epilobium brachycarpum
Purple-leaved Willowherb: Epilobium ciliatum ssp. ciliatum
Sharptooth Angelica: Angelica arguta
Cow Parsnip: Heracleum lanatum
Gray's Lovage: Ligusticum grayi
Barestem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule
Western Sweet Cicely: Osmorhiza occidentalis ?
Pipsissewa: Chimaphila umbellata
Sidebells Pyrola: Orthillia secunda
Pinedrops: Pterospora andromedea
Grouseberry: Vaccinium scoparium
Spreading Dogbane: Apocynum androsaemifolium (var. ?)
Large-flowered Collomia: Collomia grandiflora
* Scarlet Gilia: Ipomopsis aggregata - 2 plants with flowers.
Harkness' Linanthus: Leptosiphon harknessii
Western Polemonium: Polemonium occidentale
Purple Phacelia: Phacelia hastata var. alpina
Varileaf Phacelia: Phacelia heterophylla ssp. virgata
Blue Stickseed: Hackelia micrantha
Nettleleaf Horsemint: Agastache urticifolia
Paintbrush: Castilleja sp.
Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora
Common Monkeyflower: Erythranthe guttata
Showy Penstemon: Penstemon speciosus
Common Mullein: Verbascum thapsus
Fragrant Bedstraw: Galium triflorum
Kelloggia: Kelloggia galioides
Twinflower: Linnaea borealis
Black Twinberry: Lonicera involucrata
Common Snowberry: Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus
* Yarrow: Achillea millefolium - Mostly past bloom.
Large-flowered Agoseris: Agoseris grandiflora
Pearly Everlasting: Anaphalis margaritacea
Woodrush Everlasting: Antennaria (luzuloides ssp. aberrans ?)
Rosy Pussytoes: Antennaria (rosea ?)
Canada Thistle: Cirsium arvense
Elk Thistle: Cirsium scariosum
* Showy Rubber Rabbitbrush: Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa
Peregrine Fleabane: Erigeron glacialis var. glacialis
* California Rayless Daisy: Erigeron inornatus var. inornatus - A few plants still in bloom.
Yellow Desert Fleabane: Erigeron linearis
* Showy Fleabane: Erigeron speciosus - Fading out of bloom.
Western Woolly Sunflower: Eriophyllum lanatum var. integrifolium
Showy Aster: Eurybia conspicua - Woods near the beginning of the Waterman Ditch.
* Rough-leaved Aster: Eurybia radulina - A few plants still in bloom.
Rocky Mountain Sunflower: Helianthella uniflora var. douglasii
White-flowered Hawkweed: Hieracium albiflorum
Mountain Tarweed: Madia glomerata
Streambank Butterweed: Packera pseudaurea var. pseudaurea
Western Coneflower: Rudbeckia occidentalis
Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltatus
Tall Butterweed: Senecio serra
West Coast Goldenrod: Solidago elongata
* Eaton's Aster: Symphyotrichum bracteolatum
* Leafybract Aster: Symphyotricum foliaceum var. parryi - A few plants still in bloom.
* Western Mountain Aster: Symphyotrichum spathulatum var. spathulatum ?
Common Dandelion: Taraxacum officinale
Oyster Plant: Tragopogon dubius
White-headed Mules Ears: Wyethia (helianthoides ?) - Long past bloom.
Elk - tracks
Red Squirrel - Calling.
Common Raven
Stellers Jays - Calling.
Dark-eyed Juncos
Mountain Chickadees
Milbert's Tortoiseshells
Ochre Ringlets
White or Parnassian