[Wildflower Bloom in Central an Eastern Oregon: 2017]

East Point on the Mount Pisgah Ridgeline via Forest Roads 2630 (from Scotts Campground)

Ochoco National Forest

July 14, 2017

East Point, Mount Pisgah ridgeline, Ochoco National Forest.......July 13, 2017.

View west from East Point across the Mount Pisgah ridgeline with the lookout atop Mount Pisgah at the high point on the ridge at the right horizon, Ochoco National Forest...........July 13, 2017. Round Mt. is at center and Lookout Mt. is the flat-topped ridge left of center. Eight additional photos are displayed at the bottom of this page.

Weather: Temperatures in the upper 80s with mostly clear skies and a light to moderate wind which made the hike comfortable.

The Mount Pisgah ridgeline is found along the southern edge of the Bridge Creek Wilderness. There are no trails in the area (including the wilderness), and travel is much easier via existing roads due to downed timber resulting from recent wildfires. Few hikers and campers appear to use the area, and ATV traffic seems to be light (on the roads).

We accessed Mount Pisgah via FS Road 2630 from Scotts Campground. It is approximately 3 miles from the campground to the top of the ridge where we parked and hiked east about a mile to East Point. Road 2630 is very rough and rocky. It is recommended that one drive a high clearance AWD or 4WD vehicle with good tires. The rocks were more of a problem than potholes or a high center berm in the road. The road is either atop fractured bedrock or passes through deep, dusty duff.

In terms of the hike, the destination (East Point) is a great destination, but the route is cross country atop the ridgeline, and there are numerous downed trees and more numerous dogtail pines and shrubs in the way, so hiking is slow. The route is not recommended for people having difficulty stepping over numerous foot high logs.


* indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.

California White Fir: Abies concolor x Abies grandis

Subalpine Fir: Abies lasiocarpa var. lasiocarpa

Western Larch: Larix occidentalis

Lodgepole Pine: Pinus contorta var. latifolia

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

Quaking Aspen: Populus tremuloides

Douglas' Fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca

* Hood's Sedge: Carex hoodii

* Lemmon's Needlegrass: Achnatherum lemmonii ssp. lemmonii

* California Brome: Bromus carinatus var. marginatus

* Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides (var. elymoides or hordeoides ?)

* Idaho Fescue: Festuca idahoensis

* Prairie Junegrass: Koeleria macrantha

* Bulbous Bluegrass: Poa bulbosa

Sandberg's Bluegrass: Poa secunda var. secunda

* Bluebunch Wheatgrass: Pseudoroegneria spicata

* Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum

Tolmie's Onion: Allium tolmiei var. tolmiei - Past bloom.

Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica - Pods ripening.

Panicled Death Camas: Toxicoscordion paniculatum - Past bloom.

* California False Hellebore: Veratrum californicum var. californicum - Along FS Road 2630 at ridgetop.

* Parsnipflower Buckwheat: Eriogonum heracleoides var. heracleoides

* Bicolor Sulphur Flower: Eriogonum umbellatum var. dicrocephalum - Atop East Point.

* Douglas' Knotweed: Polygonum douglasii ?

* Sheep Sorrel: Rumex acetosella

* Ballhead Sandwort: Eremogone congesta var. congesta

* Douglas' Campion: Silene douglasii var. douglasii - Atop East Point.

* Oregon Campion: Silene oregana

Brown's Peony: Paeonia brownii - Past bloom.

* Western Columbine: Aquilegia formosa

* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum

* Wormleaf Stonecrop: Sedum stenopetalum ssp. stenopetalum

Daggerpods: Phoenicaulis cheiranthoides - Fruits ripening.

Small-flowered Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum var. parviflorum

Wax Currant: Ribes cereum var. cereum

Mountain Currant: Ribes montigenum

Sticky Currant: Ribes viscosissimum

Mountain Mahogany: Cercocarpus ledifolius var. ledifolius

* Montana Sticky Cinquefoil: Drymocallis glandulosa var. reflexa

Broadpetal Strawberry: Fragaria virginiana var. platypetala

Prairie Smoke: Geum triflorum var. ciliatum - Past bloom.

* Rock Spiraea: Holodiscus microphyllus var. glabrescens - Atop East Point.

Bittercherry: Prunus emarginata var. emarginata

* Kellogg Spurred Lupine: Lupinus argenteus var. heteranthus

* Broadleaf Lupine: Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius ?

Bighead Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum - Past bloom.

* Streambank Globemallow: Illiamna rivularis - Beginning to bloom.

Hooked Spur Violet: Viola adunca

Goosefoot Violet: Viola purpurea ssp. venosa

Upland Yellow Violet: Viola praemorsa ssp. linguifolia

* Snowbrush: Ceanothus velutinus var. velutinus

Fireweed: Chamaenerion angustifolium var. canescens - In bud.

Tall Annual Willowherb: Epilobium brachycarpum

* Gray's Lovage: Ligusticum grayi

Slender-fruit Desert Parsley: Lomatium leptocarpum

Common Sweet Cicely: Osmorhiza berteroi

Mountain Sweet Cicely: Osmorhiza occidentalis

Sierra Snakeroot: Sanicula graveolens

Kinnickinick: Arctostaphylos nevadensis

* Large-flowered Collomia: Collomia grandiflora

* Narrowleaf Collomia: Collomia linearis - Fading out of bloom.

* Harkness' Linanthus: Leptosiphon harknessii

* Mountain Navarretia: Navarretia divaricata

* Smooth-leaved Gilia: Navarretia capillaris - At trailhead along FS Road 2630.

Austin's Small-flowered Nemophila: Nemophila parviflora var. austiniae

Ballheaded Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. alpinum

* Small-flowered Nemophila: Nemophila parviflora var. austiniae

* Purple Phacelia: Phacelia hastata var. alpina

* Blue Stickseed: Hackelia micrantha - Fading out of bloom.

* Nettle-leaved Horsemint: Agastache urticifolia var. urticifolia - At East Point.

* Wavyleaf Paintbrush: Castilleja applegatei var. pinetorum

* Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia or Castilleja pilosa var. pilosa - Fading out of bloom. Difficult to ID

Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora - Past bloom.

Shrubby Penstemon: Penstemon fruticosus var. fruticosus - Past bloom.

* Showy Penstemon: Penstemon speciosus - Fading out of bloom.

Common Mullein: Verbascum thapsus

Mountain Heliotrope: Valeriana sitchensis

Black Elderberry: Sambucus (racemosa var. melanocarpa ?) - No inflorescences yet.

* Mountain Snowberry: Symphoricarpos oreophilus var. utahensis - Fading out of bloom.

* Yarrow: Achillea millefolium

* Orange Agoseris: Agoseris aurantiaca

* Rosy Pussytoes: Antennaria rosea

* Heartleaf Arnica: Arnica cordifolia - Mostly past bloom.

* Hairy Arnica: Arnica mollis ? - Fading out of bloom atop East Point .

Low Sagebrush: Artemisia arbuscula ssp. arbuscula - Flower buds forming.

Mountain Big Sagebrush: Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana - Flower buds forming.

Arrowleaf Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza sagittata - Past bloom. On open slopes along Road 2630 just downhill from East Point.

Canada Thistle: Cirsium arvense - Too numerous.

Bull Thistle: Cirsium vulgare

* Tapertip Hawksbeard: Crepis acuminata

Baker's Hawksbeard: Crepis bakeri ?

* Gray Hawksbeard: Crepis intermedia

* Western Hawksbeard: Crepis occidentalis ? - Fading out of bloom.

* Golden Fleabane: Erigeron chrysopsidis var. chrysopsidis - Fading out of bloom at the East Point summit.

* Foothill Daisy: Erigeron corymbosus

* Eaton's Shaggy Daisy: Erigeron eatonii var. villosus - Fading out of bloom.

Leafy Fleabane: Erigeron foliosus var. confinis ? - In bud.

Roughleaf Aster: Eurybia radulina - In bud.

* Rocky Mountain Sunflower: Helianthella uniflora var. douglasii

* Scouler's Hawkweed: Hieracium scouleri

* Mountain Tarweed: Madia glomerata

* Nodding Microseris: Microseris nutans

False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides - Fruit heads forming.

* Woolly Groundsel: Packera cana

* Narrowhead Goldenweed: Pyrrocoma carthamoides var. cusickii

Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltatus

* Tall Butterweed: Senecio serra

Goldenrod: Solidago elongata or S. lepida - In bud.

Common Dandelion: Taraxacum officinale

Oyster Plant: Tragopogon dubius


Animals Observed During This Hike:

Turkey Vulture

Blue Grouse ?

Stellers Jay

American Robins

Western Bluebirds

Cassin's Finches

House Wren

Rufous Hummingbird - female

Anise Swallowtails

Pale Swallowtails

Fritillarys

Whites

Blues


East Point, Mount Pisgah ridgeline, Ochoco National Forest.......July 13, 2017.- East Point, Mount Pisgah ridgeline, Ochoco National Forest.......July 13, 2017.

East Point, Mount Pisgah ridgeline, Ochoco National Forest.......July 13, 2017. - East Point, Mount Pisgah ridgeline, Ochoco National Forest.......July 13, 2017.

East Point, Mount Pisgah ridgeline, Ochoco National Forest.......July 13, 2017. - East Point, Mount Pisgah ridgeline, Ochoco National Forest.......July 13, 2017.

East Point, Mount Pisgah ridgeline, Ochoco National Forest.......July 13, 2017. - East Point, Mount Pisgah ridgeline, Ochoco National Forest.......July 13, 2017.

The uppermost photos show a view south towards the east end of Big Summit Prairie. Although hard to see in those images, one could see Snow Mt. to the southeast, Obsidian and Hampton Buttes to the south and the Maury Mts to the southwest. The next pair of images show wildflowers blooming on the steep, east-facing slope and the bunchgrass slopes on the west side of East Point. The next two images show parsnipflower buckwheat (Eriogonum heracleoides) and wavyleaf paintbrush (Castilleja applegatei) amongst the mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata var. vaseyana) on East Point. The lowest two images show masses of douglas' sunflower (Helianthella uniflora) and broadleaf lupine (Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius) in clearings amongst the burnt forest between FS Road 2630 and East Point. All images taken on or near East Point, Ochoco National Forest...........July 13, 2017.

Paul Slichter