Wildflower Bloom Reports for Central Oregon
Wildflower Bloom in Central Oregon

North Steens Loop Road

From Kiger Gorge to the Summit

June 25, 2000

Little Blitzen Gorge viewed downslope......June 25, 2000
* Indicates flowers currently in bloom

Other than the upper parts of the cliffs, the ground on the summit ridge is largely free of snow. Full bloom on the ground here is probably about 2 weeks away. Mat buckwheat (Eriogonum cespitosum) is in full bloom at the summit, creating a beautiful yellow carpet but also creating a somewhat fetid odor with the abundance of its fragrance!

Along summit ridge road:

*Chickweed: Cerastium arvense or beeringianum ?

*Wax Currant: Ribes cereum

*Diverse-leaved Cinquefoil: Potentilla diversifolia

*Varying Cinquefoil: Potentilla versicolor

*Short Jacob's Ladder: Polemonium pulcherrimum var. pulcherrimum

*Dark-throat Shooting Star: Dodecatheon pulchellum

*Dugaldia: Dugaldia hoopesii

East Rim Viewpoint:

*Mat buckwheat: Eriogonum cespitosum

*Oval-leaved Buckwheat: Eriogonum ovalifolium var. depressum

*Pussypaws: Calyptridium umbellatum

*Rockcress: Arabis species

*Gordon's Ivesia: Ivesia gordonii

*Balloon Milkvetch: Astragalus whitneyi var. confusus

*Prairie Lupine: Lupinus lepidus var. lobbii

*Sky Pilot: Polemonium viscosum

*Steens Mt. Paintbrush: Castilleja pilosa var. steenensis

*Cut-leaved Daisy: Erigeron compositus var. glabratus

*Dwarf Mountain Butterweed: Senecio fremontii

Steens Mt. Summit:

*Mat buckwheat: Eriogonum cespitosum seen in photo at right.

*Oval-leaved Buckwheat: Eriogonum ovalifolium var. depressum (Almost in bloom)

*Sulfur-flower Buckwheat: Eriogonum umbellatum var. dicrocephalum (Almost in bloom)

*Chickweed: Cerastium arvense or beeringianum ?

*Pussypaws: Calyptridium umbellatum

*Spreading Rockcress: Arabis x divaricarpa ?

*Steens Mt. Draba: Draba cusickii var. cusickii

*Wax Currant: Ribes cereum

*Old Man's Whiskers: Geum triflorum var. ciliatum

*Gordon's Ivesia: Ivesia gordonii

*Balloon Milkvetch: Astragalus whitneyi var. confusus

*Steens Mt. Paintbrush: Castilleja pilosa var. steenensis

*Cut-leaved Daisy: Erigeron compositus var. glabratus

*Woolly Groundsel: Senecio canus

*Dwarf Mountain Butterweed: Senecio fremontii

Animals Seen along the Summit Ridge:

1. Horned Larks

2. Violet-green Swallows

3. Ravens

4. Red-tailed Hawk

5. Large, fat grasshopper

6. Numerous lady bugs

Paul Slichter