[Wildflower Bloom in Central and Eastern Oregon: 2017]

Wildflowers Along Forest Service Road #2901

from near Picture Rock Pass to MP 6.0 at the Northeast Side of Dead Indian Mountain

Fremont-Winema National Forest

April 30, 2017

View across sagebrush slopes from FS Road 2901 down to Oregon Highway 31 near Picture Rock Pass.......April 30, 2017.

View across sagebrush slopes from FS Road 2901 down to Oregon Highway 31 near Picture Rock Pass.......April 30, 2017.

Bunchgrass slopes along FS Road 2901 several hundred meters uphill from Oregon Highway 31 near Picture Rock Pass........April 30, 2017. - Wildfire slopes along FS Road 2901 about 0.7 miles uphill from the national forest boundary, Fremont-Winema National Forest.......April 30, 2017.

View from FS Road 2901 (Fremont-Winema National Forest) north towards Silver Lake and Paulina Marsh with Newberry Crater looming far on the horizon.......April 30, 2017.

View from northern Winter Rim across northern Summer Lake basin, Lake County, OR.......April 30, 2017. - View east across the central Summer Lake Basin from the northern Winter Rim, Lake County, OR........April 30, 2017.

A variety of views from the Fremont-Winema National Forest Road #2901.......April 30, 2017. The photo at upper left shows bunchgrass slopes as seen along the road about 100 meters uphill to the south of Oregon Highway 31. The photo at upper right shows wildfire renewed slopes along FS 2901 about 0.7 miles uphill to the south of the national forest boundary. The photo at center shows a view north from FS Rd 2901 towards Silver Lake and Paulina Marsh with Newberry Crater looming in the distance on the horizon. The two lower photos show views east from the northern end of Winter Rim from about the 2.5 mile mark along FS Road #2901 looking into the northern (left) and central (right) Summer Lake basin of Lake County, OR.

Weather: Temperatures in the mid 50s in the morning climbing to the low 60s by the afternoon. Partly cloudy skies with winds 10-20 mph.

* indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.

California White Fir: Abies concolor x Abies grandis

Western Juniper: Juniperus occidentalis

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

* Cheatgrass: Bromus tectorum

* Sandberg's Blue Grass: Poa secunda var. secunda

Bluebunch Wheatgrass: Pseudoroegneria spicata

Western Dwarf Mistletoe: Arceuthobium campylopodum ?

Sagebrush Mariposa: Calochortus macrocarpus var. macrocarpus

* Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica - Fading out of bloom.

Tall Buckwheat: Eriogonum elatum ? or Naked Buckwheat: Eriogonum nudum ?- Last season's stalks.

Sulphur Flower Buckwheat: Eriogonum umbellatum var. aureum ?, or E. umbellatum var. elllipticum ?, or E. umbellatum var. glaberrimum ?, E. umbellatum var. modocense ?, or E. umbellatum var. nevadense ?) - Leaves only. Too early to ID definitively.

* Erubescent Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia rubra ssp. depressa

* Hornseed Buttercup: Ceratocephala testiculata

* Elliptical Buttercup: Ranunculus glaberrimus var. ellipticus

* Sagebrush Buttercup: Ranunculus glaberrimus var. glaberrimus

Brown's Peony: Paeonia brownii - In bud.

Creeping Oregon Grape: Berberis repens - In bud.

* Desert Alyssum: Alyssum (desertorum ?)

* Holboell's Rockcress: Boechera retrofracta ? - Beginning to bloom.

Cutleaf Tansymustard: Descurainia incisa ssp. incisa - In bud.

* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna

Tumblemustard: Sisymbrium altissimum

* Bulblet Prairiestar: Lithophragma bulbifera

* Smooth Prairiestar: Lithophragma glabrum

Wax Currant: Ribes cereum var. cereum - In bud.

Saskatoon Serviceberry: Amelanchier alnifolia (var. alnifolia ?) - Only leaves.

Mountain Mahogany: Cercocarpus ledifolius var. intermontanus - In bud.

Common Chokecherry: Prunus virginiana var. melanocarpa - In bud.

Antelope Bitterbrush: Purshia tridentata - Leafing out.

Threadstalk Milkvetch: Astragalus filipes

Lupine: Lupinus sp.

* Hansen's Clover: Trifolium longipes var. hansenii

Upland Yellow Violet: Viola praemorsa (var. linguifolia ?)

Snow Brush: Ceanothus velutinus var. velutinus

* Large-fruit Desert Parsley: Lomatium macrocarpum

* Nevada Desert Parsley: Lomatium nevadense var. nevadense

* Nine-leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum (ssp. platycarpum ?)

* Green-leaved Manzanita: Arctostaphylos patula

* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis

* Spreading Phlox: Phlox diffusa

* Longleaf Phlox: Phlox longifolia

* Annual Polemonium: Polemonium micranthum - Beginning to bloom.

* Ballhead Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. alpinum

Silverleaf Phacelia: Phacelia hastata var. hastata

Puccoon: Lithospermum ruderale - Emerging from the ground.

African Sage: Salvia aethiopis - Along FS Road 2901 several hundred meters uphill from Highway 31.

Desert Paintbrush: Castilleja chromosa - In bud.

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora

Blue Elderberry: Sambucus nigra ssp. caerulea

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium

Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha

Heartleaf Arnica: Arnica cordifolia - Leaves arising from the ground.

Low Sagebrush: Artemisia arbuscula (ssp. ?)

Mountain Big Sagebrush: Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana

Northwest Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza deltoidea ? - Leaves arising from the ground.

Hoary False Yarrow: Chaenactis douglasii

Downy Green Rabbitbrush: Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus ssp. puberulus

Western Hawksbeard: Crepis (occidentalis ?) - Leaves.

Gray Rabbitbrush: Ericamaeria nauseosa (var. speciosus ?)

Austin's Fleabane: Erigeron chrysopsidis var. austiniae

Yarrow-leaved Eriophyllum: Eriophyllum lanatum (var. achilleoides ?)

False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides

Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltatus - In bud.

Salsify: Tragopogon dubius

Animals Observed During This Hike:

Belding Groundsquirrels

American Kestrel

Turkey Vultures

Mourning Doves

Northern Flickers

Loggerhead Shrikes

Clarks Nutcrackers

Stellers Jays

Townsend's Solitaire

Song Sparrows

Violet-green Swallows

Mountain Chickadees

California Tortoiseshells

Mourning Cloaks

Painted Ladys

Paul Slichter