[Columbia River Gorge Wildflower Bloom Reports: 2003]

Currently Blooming Wildflowers in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington

Columbia Hills Natural Area Preserve (to Stacker Butte)

May 3, 2003

the view east along Stacker Butte with Haystack Butte in the far distance........May 18, 2002.

View south towards the parking area from the road up Stacker Butte. - Balsamroot and lupines near the top of Stacker Butte...........May 18, 2002.

Several views of grasslands and balsamroot and lupine bloom up the service road to Stacker Butte in the Columbia Hills Natural Area Preserve......May 18, 2002.

Taper-tipped Onion: Allium accuminatum - Many with well-formed buds.

*Bicolored Harvest Lily: Triteleia grandiflora var. howellii

*Pale-anthered Glacier Lily: Erythronium grandiflorum var. pallidum - A few in bloom on north facing slopes.

Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica - Pods well-developed.

Heart-leaf Buckwheat (both the yellow and white forms): Eriogonum compositum var. compositum - A few nearing bloom at lower elevations

Scabland Wild' Buckwheat: Eriogonum sphaerocephalum var. sublineare - A few with bright reddish flower buds.

*Lance-leaf Spring Beauty: Claytonia lanceolata

*Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata

Bitterroot: Lewisia rediviva - Many with buds.

*Pale Montia: Montia exigua (M. spathulata)

Franklin's Sandwort: Arenaria franklinii var. franklinii - A few with flower buds.

*Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum

*Dalles Mt. Buttercup: Ranunculus triternatus

*Sickle-pod Rock Cress: Boechera atrorubens

*15. Oaks Toothwort: Cardamine nuttallii

* Douglas' Draba: Cusickiella douglasii

Scale Pod: Idahoa scapigera -Pods only.

* Dagger Pod: Phoenicaulis cheiranthoides - Full bloom atop Stacker Butte.

Fringe Pod: Thysanocarpus curvipes - Not in bloom, but lots of ripe seed pods.

Leiberg's Stonecrop: Sedum leibergii - Flower buds forming. Found amongst grasses atop Stacker Butte(Sedum leibergii ?)

* Bulblet Prairie Star: Lithophragma bulbifera (Now included as part of Lithophragma glabrum)

* Smooth Prairie Star: Lithophragma glabrum

* Small-flowerd Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum

* Hood River Milk-vetch: Astragalus hoodianus - At bloom at lower elevations near SR 14.

* Woolly Pod Milk-vetch: Astragalus purshii

* Yakima Milk-vetch: Astragalus reventiformis

* Columbia Gorge Broad-leaf Lupine: Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius (formerly var. thompsonianus) - Beginning bloom.

* Spurred Lupine: Lupinus arbustus

* Whitish Lupine: Lupinus sulphureus var. bingenensis

* Big-head Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum - Bloomed out below, beginning bloom near the summit.

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

Fern-leaved Desert Parsley: Lomatium dissectum (var. ?)

* Gray-leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium macrocarpum - White flowered form.

* Bare-stem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule - A few in bloom near the summit.

* Butterfly-loving (Pungent) Desert Parsley: Lomatium papilioniferum

* Nine-leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum var. anomolum

* Nine-leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum var. triternatum

* Watson's Desert Parsley: Lomatium watsonii

Columbia Frasera: Frasera albicaulis var. nitida - Buds well-formed.

* Desert Shooting Star: Dodecatheon conjugens- A few nearing the end of bloom at the summit.

* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis - A few in bloom.

* Hood's Phlox: Phlox hoodii- Numerous bloom.

* Showy Phlox: Phlox speciosa- Moderate bloom.

* Ball-head Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii

Woods Nemophila: Nemophila parviflora - Nearing bloom in the oak woods.

* Varied-leaf Phacelia: Phacelia heterophylla

* Fiddleneck: Amsinckia retrorsa

* Weak-stem Cryptantha: Cryptantha flaccida

* Common Cryptantha: Cryptantha intermedia

* Puccoon: Lithospermum ruderale

* Small-flowered Forget-me-not: Myosotis stricta

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora - Fairly abundant

* Annual Bedstraw: Galium aparine

* White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera

* Yarrow: Achillea millefolium - Nearing bloom at mid-slope.

* Annual Agoseris: Agoseris heterophylla

* Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha

* Hybrid Balsamroot: Balsamhoriza careyana x deltoidea

* Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule - In bloom only at the summit.

* False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides

* Yellow Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltus


Animals Seen in the Columbia Hills/ Stacker Butte:

1. Ravens

2. Western Bluebirds

3. Horned Larks

4. Meadow Lark

5. American Robin

6. Spotted Towhee

7. Gopher Snake

8. Western Fence Lizard


Paul Slichter