[Wildflower Bloom in Central and Eastern Oregon: 2020]

Wildflowers at Mud Creek Forest Camp

Fremont-Winema National Forest

August 3, 2020

Entrance signage for the Mud Creek Forest Camp, Fremont-Winema National Forest...........June 29, 2019.

Entrance signage for the Mud Creek Forest Camp, Fremont-Winema National Forest...........June 29, 2019.

Directions to Mud Creek Forest Camp:

From Lakeview, OR, drive east on Oregon Highway 140 headed towards Adel, OR. Pass the Warner Ski Area and cross over the crest of Warner Pass. Continue downhill for several miles and at the first 4-way paved road junction, turn left onto paved FS Road 3615. Drive uphill north into the forest, past the Walker Trailhead, past Bull Prairie and find Mud Creek Forest Camp (potable water) at the east end of Bull Prairie on the right side of the road.

The campground has one vault toilet, seven campsites complete with fire ring and picnic table, and potable water, located at the entrance to the campground. The campground is generally lightly used, although we had a Youth Conservation Corp crew staying in the campground (they used up all the TP and occupied up to 4 campsites) during the work week. The crew was performing light thinning operations on the adjacent forest, and potentially could stay here all summer long since there's plenty of thinning to do. You might call the ranger station in Lakeview to check to see whether a large group is staying in this campground before you go. Note that the mosquitoes can be bad during the morning and early evening hours, or if it's an overcast day with no wind.


* indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.

California White Fir: Abies concolor x Abies grandis

Scrub Birch: Betula glandulosa

Lodgepole Pine: Pinus contorta var. latifolia

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

Quaking Aspen: Populus tremuloides

Yellow Willow: Salix lutea ?

Duckweed: Lemna sp.

* Smallwing Sedge: Carex microptera

* Daggerleaf Rush: Juncus ensifolius

* Blue Wildrye: Elymus glaucus var. glaucus

* Timothy: Phleum pratense

Star-flowered False Solomon Seal: Maianthemum stellatum

* Hyacinth Cluster Lily: Triteleia hyacinthina

* California False Hellebore: Veratrum californicum (var. ?)

* Hooded Ladies Tresses: Spiranthes romanzoffiana

Western Dock: Rumex occidentalis

Mountain Dock: Rumex paucifolius

* Sticky Starwort: Pseudostellaria jamesiana - Fading out of bloom.

* Goldie's Starwort: Stellaria longipes

Baneberry: Actaea rubra

* White Water Buttercup: Ranunculus aquatilis (var. diffusus ?)

Fendler's Meadow-rue: Thalictrum fendleri ?

Brown's Peony: Paeonia brownii - Past bloom.

* Large Mountain Bittercress: Cardamine cordifolia

Oregon Saxifrage: Micranthes oregana

Large-leaved Avens: Geum macrophyllum var. perincisum

Slender Cinquefoil: Potentilla gracilis var. flabelliformis

Lanszwert's Peavine: Lathyrus lanszwertii var. lanszwertii - Past bloom.

* Hansen's Clover: Trifolium longipes ssp. hansenii

* American Vetch: Vicia americana

* Oregon Checkermallow: Sidalcea oregana - Fading out of bloom.

Sticky Geranium: Geranium viscosissimum var. incisum

* Fireweed: Chamaenerion angustifolium

* Tall Annual Willowherb: Epilobium brachycarpum

* Spreading Groundsmoke: Gayophytum diffusum

Gray's Lovage: Ligusticum grayi

* Gairdner's Yampah: Perideridia montana

White-vein Wintergreen: Pyrola picta

* Pinedrops: Pterospora andromedaea

* Spreading Dogbane: Apocynum androsaemifolium

* One-flowered Gentian: Gentianopsis simplex

* Alpine Shooting Star: Dodecatheon alpinum

Harkness' Flaxflower: Leptosiphon harknessii

* Western Polemonium: Polemonium occidentale

* Nettleleaf Horsemint: Agastache uricifolia var. urticifolia - Past its peak bloom.

* Common Paintbrush: Castilleja miniata var. miniata

* Common Monkeyflower: Erythranthe guttata

* Primrose Monkeyflower: Erythranthe primuloides

Elephantheads: Pedicularis groenlandica - Past bloom.

* Common Mullein: Verbascum thapsus

Black Twinberry: Lonicera involucrata - Fruits forming.

Common Snowberry: Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus

Mountain Snowberry: Symphoricarpos oreophilus

* Yarrow: Achillea millefolium

* Orange Agoseris: Agoseris aurantiaca var. aurantiaca

Silvery Arnica: Arnica chamissonis (var. incana ?)

Heartleaf Arnica: Arnica cordifolia - Past bloom.

Gray Sagewort: Artemisia ludoviciana (var. candicans ?) - In bud.

Mountain Big Sagebrush: Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana

Canada Thistle: Cirsium arvense - In bud.

Elk Thistle: Cirsium scariosum (var. ?) - Past bloom.

* Yarrow-leaved Oregon Sunshine: Eriophyllum lanatum var. achilleoides

* Scouler's Hawkweed: Hieracium scouleri - Fading out of bloom.

Mountain Tarweed: Madia glomerata

* Streambank Butterweed: Packera pseudaurea var. pseudaurea

* West Coast Goldenrod: Solidago elongata

* Western Aster: Symphyotrichum ascendens

* Leafybract Aster: Symphyotrichum foliaceum var. parryi

* Western Mountain Aster: Symphyotrichum spathulatum (var. ?)


Animals Observed During This Hike:

Bats - Numerous, fairly large sized

Belding's Ground Squirrels

Chipmunks

Douglas' Squirrels ?

Sierra Nevada Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels

Mule Deer

Coyotes - howling

Wilson's Snipe

Sooty Grouse hen with chicks - on main road one mile south of campground.

Great Horned Owl

Turkey Vultures

Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flickers

Red-naped Sapsuckers

Brewer's Blackbirds

Gray Jays

Steller's Jays

Western Tanagers

American Robins

Western Wood Peewees

Cassin's Finches

Dark-eyed Juncos

Yellow-rumped Warblers

Vaux's Swifts ?

House Wrens

Mountain Chickadees

Red-breasted Nuthatches

Rufous Hummingbirds


Paul Slichter