[Wildflower Bloom in Central and Eastern Washington: 2016]

Wapaloosie Mountain Trail #15

Kettle Range, Colville National Forest

June 23, 2016

Uppermost bunchgrass slopes on Wapaloosie Mountain about one-quartermile southeast of the junction with the Kettle Crest Trail #13, Colville National Forest........June 23, 2016.

Uppermost bunchgrass slopes on Wapaloosie Mountain about one-quartermile northeast of the junction with the Kettle Crest Trail #13, Colville National Forest........June 23, 2016. View additional photos at the bottom of the page.

The area was explored as part of Washington Rare Care Monitoring Weekend efforts.

* indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.

Northwestern Lady Fern: Athyrium filix-femina var. cyclosorum

Field Horsetail: Equisetum arvense

Bracken Fern: Pteridium aquilinum var. pubescens

Subalpine Fir: Abies lasiocarpa

Douglas' Maple: Acer glabrum var. douglasii

Slide Alder: Alnus viridis ssp. sinuata

Common Juniper: Juniperus communis var. montana

Western Larch: Larix occidentalis

Oregon Boxwood: Paxistima myrsinites

Engelmann Spruce: Picea engelmannii

Whitebark Pine: Pinus albicaulis - Mostly small trees that can find protection under winter snows. Large, older trees have mostly succumbed to disease.

Lodgepole Pine: Pinus contorta (var. latifolia ?)

Western White Pine: Pinus monticola

Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii (var. glauca ?)

Scouler's Willow: Salix scouleriana

* Raynold's Sedge: Carex raynoldsii

Drummond's Rush: Juncus drummondii or Parry's Rush: Juncus parryi ?

* Spiked Woodrush: Luzula spicata

* Queen's Cup: Clintonia uniflora

* False Solomon Seal: Maianthemum racemosum ssp. amplexicaule

* Clasp-leaf Twisted Stalk: Streptopus amplexifolius

Panicled Death Camas: Toxicoscordion paniculatum

Western Rattlesnake Plantain: Goodyera oblongifolia

* Broad-lipped Twayblade: Listera convallarioides

* Slender Bog Orchid: Platanthera stricta

* Sulphur Buckwheat: Eriogonum umbellatum var. majus

Sheep Sorrel: Rumex acetosella

* Western Spring Beauty: Claytonia lanceolata - Fading out of bloom.

* Common Mouse-ear Chickweed: Cerastium fontanum - Near trailhead.

* Fescue Sandwort: Eremogone capillaris var. americana

Campion: Silene sp.

Columbia Monkshood: Aconitum columbianum ssp. columbianum

Baneberry: Actaea rubra

Yellow Columbine: Aquilegia flavescens

* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum

* Little Buttercup: Ranunculus uncinatus

Western Meadowrue: Thalictrumoccidentale

False Bugbane: Trautvetteria caroliniensis - In bud.

Steer's Head: Dicentra uniflora

* Sicklepod Rockcress: Boechera pauciflora (former var. pinetorum)

* Secund Rockcress: Boechera retrofracta

* Shepherd's Cress: Capsella bursa-pastoris - Blooming at the trailhead.

Lanceleaf Stonecrop: Sedum lanceolatum var. lanceolatum - In bud.

* Alpine Alumroot: Heuchera cylindrica var. alpina

* Small-flowered Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum

* Three-toothed Mitrewort: Ozomelis trifida

* Coolwort Foamflower: Tiarella trifoliata var. unifoliata

* Prickly Currant: Ribes lacustre

* Sticky Gooseberry: Ribes viscosissimum

Woods Strawberry: Fragaria vesca var. bracteata

* Broadpetal Strawberry: Fragaria virginiana var. platypetala

* Largeleaved Avens: Geum macrophyllum var. macrophyllum

American Red Raspberry: Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus - In bud.

* Thimbleberry: Rubus parviflorus

* Strawberry Bramble: Rubus pedatus

* Cascade Mountain Ash: Sorbus scopulina var. cascadensis

* Birchleaf Spiraea: Spiraea lucida

* Burke's Lupine: Lupinus polyphyllus var. burkei ?

* Silky Lupine: Lupinus sericeus - Beginning to bloom.

* Sulphur Lupine: Lupinus sulphureus var. subsaccatus - Beginning to bloom.

* Pioneer Violet: Viola glabella

Round-leaved Violet: Viola orbiculata

Fireweed: Chamerion angustifolium

* Milk-flower Willowherb: Epilobium lactiflorum ?

* Racemose Groundsmoke: Gayophytum racemosum ?

Sharptooth Angelica: Angelica arguta ?

Cow Parsnip: Heracleum maximum

Gray's Lovage: Ligusticum grayi ?

Common Sweet Cicely: Osmorhiza berteroi

* Mountain Sweet Cicely: Osmorhiza occidentalis

Pipsissewa: Chimaphila umbellata

* One-sided Wintergreen: Orthilia secunda

* Pink Pyrola: Pyrola asarifolia

Cascade Azalea: Rhododendron albiflorum

Thin-leaved Huckleberry: Vaccinium membranaceum

Dwarf Blueberry: Vaccinium myrtillus

* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis - Still in bloom at the trailhead.

* Ballheaded Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. capitatum - Fading out of bloom.

Great Basin Nemophila: Nemophila breviflora - Past bloom.

Variedleaf Phacelia: Phacelia heterophylla var. heterophylla

Common Houndstongue: Cynoglossum officinale

Long-flowered Bluebells: Mertensia longiflora - Past bloom.

* Deer Indian Paintbrush: Castilleja cervina

* Elmer's Paintbrush: Castilleja elmeri

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora - Still blooming at the trailhead.

* White-coiled Beak Lousewort: Pedicularis contorta - Beginning to bloom.

* Yellow Paintbrush: Penstemon confertus - Beginning to bloom

* Thyme-leaved Speedwell: Veronica serpyllifolia var. humifusa

* Fragrant Bedstraw: Galium triflorum

* Black Twinberry: Lonicera involucrata

* Black Elderberry: Sambucus racemosa var. melanocarpa

Round-leaved Harebells: Campanula rotundifolia - In bud.

* Yarrow: Achillea millefolium - Beginning to bloom.

Pathfinder: Adenocaulon bicolor

Pale Agoseris: Agoseris glauca (var. glauca ?)

* Tall Pussytoes: Antennaria anaphaloides

* Racemose Pussytoes: Antennaria racemosa

* Rosy Pussytoes: Antennaria rosea

* Heart-leaf Arnica: Arnica cordifolia

Western Mugwort: Artemisia ludoviciana (var. incompta ?)

Mountain Big Sagebrush: Artemisia tridentata var. vaseyana

* Wandering Daisy: Erigeron glacialis var. glacialis - Beginning to bloom.

* Showy Fleabane: Erigeron speciosus ?

Showy Aster: Eurybia conspicua

White-flowered Hawkweed: Hieracium albiflorum

Scouler's Hawkweed: Hieracium scouleri

* Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltatus

* Red-seeded Dandelion: Taraxacum erythrospermum

* Common Dandelion: Taraxacum officinale


Animals Observed Along the Trail:

Sooty Grouse ?

Hairy Woodpeckers - Pair guarding a nest.

Hermit Thrush

Mountain Bluebirds

Varied Thrush

Brewer's Sparrows

Chipping Sparrows

Pine Siskins

Yellow-rumped Warblers

Mountain Chickadee

Butler's Alpine: Erebia epipsodea - Fairly common.

Sara's Orangetips

Western Swallowtails


Kettle Mountain Range, viewed south from Wapaloose Mountain, Colville National Forest........June 23, 2016. - Kettle Mountain Range viewed north from Wapaloosie Mountain, Colville National Forest........June 23, 2016.

Two views along the crest of the Kettle Range from Wapaloosie Mountain, Colville National Forest........June 23, 2016. The photo at left looks south along the crest of the range, with forested Columbia Hill at right, the sharp peak of Bald Mt. in the distance right of center, Sherman Peak to left of center, and Barnaby Butte in the distance at left. Snow Mountain is off the edge of the photo at left. The photo at right looks north, possibly towards King Mountain and other ridges extending east from the crest of the Kettle Range.

Paul Slichter E-mail