Weather: Temperatures in the upper 60s in the morning climbing to the mid 70s by the afternoon. The morning saw clear skies with a light wind that persisted all day long which made the hike comfortable.
Spanish Peak is found near the northeastern edge of the Ochoco National Forest, or just northwest of the Black Canyon Wilderness. It is several miles west of the South Fork John Day River. There are a number of trails here, although old access road worked for us when road 3800-200 was blocked by downed trees about one mile uphill from the junction with road 3800. Few hikers and campers appear to use the area, and ATV traffic seems to be light (on the roads).
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* indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.
Cowpie Lichen: Diploschistes muscorum
California White Fir: Abies concolor x Abies grandis
Western Juniper: Juniperus occidentalis
Western Larch: Larix occidentalis
Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa
Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
Snowbrush: Ceanothus velutinus var. velutinus - In bud.
* Oregon Boxwood: Paxistima myrsinites
* Elk Sedge: Carex geyeri
* Raynold's Sedge: Carex raynoldsii ?
* Needlegrass: Achnatherum sp.
* Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides (var. elymoides or hordeoides ?)
* Bulbous Bluegrass: Poa bulbosa
* Nevada Bluegrass: Poa secunda var. juncifolia ?
Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum - In bud.
* Mountain Swamp Onion: Allium madidum
* Tolmie's Onion: Allium tolmiei var. tolmiei
* Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica - A few plants still in bloom in recent snow melt areas on the north side of the peak.
* Panicled Death Camas: Toxicoscordion paniculatum
California False Hellebore: Veratrum (californicum var. californicum ?)
* Inflated Grasswidow: Olsynium douglasii var. inflatum - Fading out of bloom.
Parsnipflower Buckwheat: Eriogonum heracleoides var. heracleoides - In bud.
Strict Buckwheat: Eriogonum strictum (var. anserinum or var. proliferum ?) - In bud.
* Bicolor Sulfur Flower Buckwheat: Eriogonum umbellatum var. dicrocephalum - Beginning to bloom near the summit of Spanish Peak.
Bitteroot: Lewisia rediviva - In bud.
* Threeleaf Lewisia: Lewisia triphylla - Along the road to the trailhead.
* Mountain Sandwort: Eremogone capillaris var. americana
* Brown's Peony: Paeonia brownii - Numerous.
* Western Columbine: Aquilegia formosa - Beginning to bloom.
Hornseed Buttercup: Ceratocephala testiculata - Fruits maturing in weedy patches.
* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum
* Sagebrush Buttercup: Ranunculus glaberrimus var. ellipticus - Only in bloom near melting snow drifts.
Wormleaf Stonecrop: Sedum stenopetalum - In bud.
* Steer's Head: Dicentra uniflora
Cusick's Rockcress: Boechera cusickii - Fruits maturing.
* Sicklepod Rockcress: Boechera pauciflora
* Rough Wallflower: Erysimum capitatum
* Daggerpods: Phoenicaulis cheiranthoides - Beginning to bloom around melting snowdrifts.
* Roundleaf Alumroot: Heuchera cylindrica var. alpina
* Bulblet Prairie Star: Lithophragma bulbifera - Fading out of bloom.
* Small-flowered Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum var. parviflorum
* Swamp Saxifrage: Micranthes nidifica
* Wax Currant: Ribes cereum var. cereum - Impressive, peak bloom.
* Mountain Currant: Ribes montigenum
* Sticky Currant: Ribes viscosissimum - Blooming along the access road.
* Serviceberry: Amelanchier alnifolia var. alnifolia
* Mountain Mahogany: Cercocarpus ledifolius var. intermontanus - Mostly past bloom at the summit.
* Prairie Smoke: Geum triflorum var. ciliatum
Western Burnet: Poteridium occidentale - In bud.
* Bittercherry: Prunus emarginata var. emarginata
Rocky Mountain Mountain Ash: Sorbus scopulina
* Basalt Milkvetch: Astragalus conjunctus var. conjunctus
* Whitney's Balloon Milkvetch: Astragalus whitneyi var. sonneanus
* Spurred Lupine: Lupinus arbustus - Beginning to bloom.
* Bigleaf Lupine: Lupinus polyphyllus var. burkei ? - Beginning to bloom.
* Bighead Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum
* False Mermaid: Florkea proserpinicoides
Oregon Checkermallow: Sidalcea oregana (var. ?)
* Goosefoot Violet: Viola purpurea ssp. venosa
Fireweed: Chamaenerion angustifolium
* Fennel Cymopterus: Cymopterus terebinthinus var. foeniculaceus
Gray's Lovage: Ligusticum grayi
* Nineleaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium brevifolium ? (ex L. trifolium)
* Slender-fruit Desert Parsley: Lomatium leptocarpum
* Large-fruit Desert Parsley: Lomatium macrocarpum
* Barestem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule
Common Sweet Cicely: Osmorhiza berteroi
* Western Sweet Cicely: Osmorhiza occidentalis
* Sierra Snakeroot: Sanicula graveolens
Darkthroat Shootingstar: Dodecatheon pulchellum (var. monanthum or var. pulchellum ?) - Past bloom.
* Scarlet Gilia: Ipomopsis aggregata ssp. formosissima - Beginning to bloom.
Harkness' Linanthus: Leptosiphon harknessii
* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis
* Spreading Phlox: Phlox diffusa
* Dwarf Hesperochiron: Hesperochiron pumilis
* Ballheaded Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. alpinum
* Great Basin Nemophila: Nemophila breviflora
* Small-flowered Nemophila: Nemophila parviflora var. austiniae
* Purple Phacelia: Phacelia hastata var. alpina
* Blue Stickseed: Hackelia micrantha
* Long-flowered Bluebell: Mertensia longiflora - Fading out of bloom.
* Scouler's Popcornflower: Plagiobothrys (scouleri ? - or one of several erect variants)
Nettleleaf Horsemint: Agastache urticifolia - In bud.
* Wavyleaf Paintbrush: Castilleja applegatei var. pinetorum
* Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia
* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora
* Dwarf Monkeyflower: Diplacus nanus
Showy Penstemon: Penstemon speciosus - In bud.
* Naked Broomrape: Orobanche uniflora var. occidentalis
Mountain Heliotrope: Valeriana sitchensis
* Black Elderberry: Sambucus racemosa var. melanocarpa
Mountain Snowberry: Symphoricarpos oreophilus var. utahensis
* Yarrow: Achillea millefolium
Pale Agoseris: Agoseris glauca var. glauca
Steppe Agoseris: Agoseris parviflora
* Stoloniferous Everlasting: Antennaria flagellaris
Low Sagebrush: Artemisia arbuscula ssp. arbuscula
Mountain Big Sagebrush: Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana
* Arrowleaf Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza sagittata - Plants showing a fair amount of Carey's balsamroot trails (multiple flower heads, shiny green leaves, etc)
Baker's Hawksbeard: Crepis bakeri
Gray Hawksbeard: Crepis intermedia - In bud.
* Golden Fleabane: Erigeron chrysopsidis var. chrysopsidis
* Oregon Sunshine: Eriophyllum lanatum var. integrifolium
Rocky Mountain Sunflower: Helianthella uniflora var. douglasii
Scouler's Hawkweed: Hieracium scouleri
* False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides
* Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltatus
* Woolly goldenweed: Stenotus lanuginosus var. lanuginosus
* Common Dandelion: Taraxacum officinale
Mule Deer
Turkey Vultures
Northern Flicker
Mountain Bluebirds
Green-tailed Towhees
Cassin's Finches
Brewer's Sparrows
Chipping Sparrows
Rock Wrens
Vaux's Swifts ?
American Lady ?
Anise Swallowtails
Milbert's Swallowtails
California Tortoiseshells
Green Hairstreak (uncertain of which species)