[Wildflower Bloom Reports for the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington: 2004]

Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington

Wildflower bloom at Three Bench Loop (Access to Lower Bench at East End of Doug's Beach)

March 14, 2004

Ballhead Waterleaf : Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii

Ballhead Waterleaf : Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii

* indicates the wildflower is blooming.

* Big-leaf Maple: Acer macrophyllum

Panicled Death Camas: Toxicoscordion paniculatum - Close to blooming.

* Grass Widow: Olsynium douglasii var. douglasii - Sparse bloom, mostly bloomed out.

* Little Western Bitter Cress: Cardamine oligosperma ? - A few in bloom.

* Fringepod: Thysanocarpus curvipes - Numerous in bloom and some in fruit.

* Smooth Prairie Star: Lithophragma glabrum - Moderate bloom

* Northwestern Saxifrage: Micranthes integrifolia ? or Brittle-leaved Saxifrage: Micranthes fragosa

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium - A few in bloom.

* Columbia Desert Parsley: Lomatium columbianum - Peaking soon.

* Butterfly-loving (Pungent) Desert Parsley: Lomatium papilioniferum ? or Klickitat Desert Parsley: Lomatium klickitatense ? - Good bloom.

* Salt & Pepper or Piper's Desert Parsley: Lomatium piperi -Past peak.

* Nine-leaf Desert Parsely: Lomatium triternatum var. triternatum - A few beginning bloom.

* Poet's Shooting Star: Dodecatheon poeticum - Decent bloom next to the creek on the 2nd bench to the east of Doug's Beach. Some will look like D. cusickii but have denticulate leaves like D. poeticum.

* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis - Fairly common.

* Ball-head Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii - A few still in bloom (Look under brush at the base of the lower cliffs.).

* Meadow Nemophila: Nemophila pedunculata - Fairly common on the trail to the 2nd bench.

* Rigid Fiddleneck: Amsinckia retrorsa - A few small plants in bloom amongst the lower cliff.

* Rusty Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys nothofulvus - A few beginning to bloom.

* Annual Bedstraw: Galium aparine - A few in bloom.

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora - A few in bloom.

* Chickweed Monkey Flower: Erythranthe alsinoides - Several in bloom.

* Big Root, Wild Cucumber: Marah oreganus - Many small plants in bloom.

* Northwest Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza deltoidea x careyana - Good bloom at lower elevations.


Paul Slichter