Wildflower Bloom in Central and Eastern Washington, Road 9712 along the crest of the Wenatchee Mts. from near Mt. Lillian east to near Mission Peak, Wenatchee N.F.: July 24, 2009

[Wildflower Bloom in Central and Eastern Washington: 2009]

Wildflower Bloom in Central and Eastern Washington

July 24, 2009

Road 9712 along the crest of the Wenatchee Mts. from near Mt. Lillian east to near Mission Peak

Wenatchee National Forest

A Washington Rare Plant Care and Conservation Program trip.

A view of Mission Peak from the west as seen along FS Road #9712, Wenatchee National Forest: July 24, 2009.

Forest Service Road #9712 can be accessed in the west from US 97 at Blewett Pass. After ascending the southwest slopes of Diamond Head, one continues straight east on a rutted, rocky road, eventually passing Haney Meadows. A deep, moist rutted area in the road at the north end of the the meadows prevented low clearance vehicles from continuing east earlier in July, but a temporary fix allows such vehicles to pass carefully past the site during dry weather. FS Rd #9712 passes Upper Naneum Meadows then contours around the southern slopes of Mt. Lillian which look appealing to hikers. The road twists and turns and slowly increases in elevation, eventually reaching the ridgeline between the Yakima and Wenatchee River basins. There are several steep north-facing sections which look into the upper Devils Gulch with good views to the northwest, north and northeast. An unsigned road also heads south towards Grouse Springs and may be worth investigating, especially earlier in the season. The road eventually descends past a large sandy area on the north side of the road with different, interesting plants to explore. Mission Peak consists of Columbia basalts with numerous large-block talus slopes with a different flora to explore there. One can expect a few of the serpentine endemic plants to be found along the ridgeline between Mt. Lillian and Mission Peak which help make the drive more interesting to those interested in the flora. I'd guess the peak of the bloom here is from late June to mid-July.

* Indicates the plant is currently in bloom.

Grand Fir: Abies grandis -

Subalpine Fir: Abies lasiocarpa -

Engelmann Spruce: Picea engelmannii -

Lodgepole Pine: Pinus contorta -

Rocky Mt. Maple: Acer glabrum var. douglasii -

Quaking Aspen: Populus tremuloides -

* Elk Sedge: Carex geyeri -

* Needlegrass: Achnatherum sp. -

* Pinegrass: Calamagrostis rubescens -

* Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides -

* Idaho Fescue: Festuca idahoensis -

Glacier Lily: Erythronium grandiflorum - Pods only.

* Northern Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum (var. leianthemum ?) -

* Douglas' Knotweed: Polygonum douglasii -

* Sulfur Flower Buckwheat: Eriogonum umbellatum var. hypoleium -

* Sulfur Flower Buckwheat: Eriogonum umbellatum var. umbellatum -

* Slender Mountain Sandwort: Arenaria capillaris ssp. americana -

* Columbia Lewisia: Lewisia columbiana var. columbiana -

* Bitterroot: Lewisia rediviva -

Tweedy's Lewisia: Lewisia tweedyi -

* Sticky Starwort: Pseudostellaria jamesiana -

* Parry's Campion: Silene parryi -

* Columbian Monkshood: Aconitum columbianum -

Pale Larkspur: Delphinium glaucum -

Serviceberry: Amelanchier alnifolia (var. ?) -

* Broad-petal Strawberry: Fragaria virginiana var. platypetala -

Tall Cinquefoil ?: Potentilla arguta -

* Spurred Lupine: Lupinus caudatus -

* Broad-leaf Lupine: Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius -

* Longstalk Clover: Trifolium longipes var. longipes -

* Lanszwert's Pea: Lathyrus lanszwertii var. lanszwertii -

* American Vetch: Vicia americana -

* Fireweed: Chamerion angustifolium -

* Tall Annual Willowherb: Epilobium brachycarpum -

* Diffuse Groundsmoke: Gayophytum diffusum -

Sharp-tooth Angelica: Angelica arguta -

* Gray's Lovage: Ligusticum grayi -

* Turpentine Wavewing: Pteryxia terebinthina -

Common Sweet-cicely: Osmorhiza berteroi -

* Common Yampah: Perideridia gairdneri ssp. borealis -

Sierra Snakeroot: Sanicula graveolens -

Narrowleaf Collomia: Collomia linearis -

Staining Collomia: Collomia tinctoria -

* Scarlet Gilia: Ipomopsis aggregata -

* Nuttall's Linanthus: Linanthastrum nuttallii -

Fendler's Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum fendleri var. albifrons -

Pacific Waterleaf ?: Hydrophyllum tenuipes -

* Narrow-sepal Phacelia: Phacelia leptosepala -

* Jessica's Stickseed: Hackelia micrantha -

* Mountain Monardella: Monardella odoratissima -

* Elmer's Paintbrush ?: Castilleja elmeri -

* Common Monkeyflower: Mimulus guttatus -

* Lewis's Monkeyflower: Mimulus lewisii -

Bracted Lousewort: Pedicularis bracteosa -

* Sickle-top Lousewort: Pedicularis racemosa -

* Yellow Penstemon: Penstemon confertus -

* American Alpine Speedwell: Veronica wormskjoldii -

* Clustered Broomrape: Orobanche fasciculata or Clustered Broomrape: Aphyllon franciscanum ? - Unsure of the host.

* Shrubby Bedstraw: Galium serpenticum ssp. wenatchicum -

Black Elderberry: Sambucus racemosa var. melanocarpa -

Common Snowberry?: Symphoricarpos albus -

* Columbia Valerian: Valeriana columbiana -

* Yarrow: Achillea millefolium -

* Mountain Arnica: Arnica latifolia -

* Hairy Arnica: Arnica mollis -

Mountain Big Sagerush: Artemisia tridentata var. vaseyana -

Arrowleaf Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza sagittata -

* Branching Chaenactis: Chaenactis ramosa -

* Edible Thistle: Cirsium edule var. wenatchense -

* Foreign Fleabane: Erigeron peregrinus -

* Showy Daisy: Erigeron speciosus -

* Scouler's Hawkweed: Hieracium scouleri -

* Mountain Tarweed: Madia glomerata -

Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus (var. exaltatus ?) -

* Tall Butterweed: Senecio serra -

* Arrowleaf Butterweed: Senecio triangularis -

* Leafy Aster: Symphyotrichum foliaceum var. parryi -

Paul Slichter