Columbia Hills Historical State Park and Columbia Hills NAP (Dalles Mt. Ranch to Stacker Butte)
February 26, 2005
The
photo at right shows a close-up of Watson's desert parsley (Lomatium watsonii)
as seen atop Stacker Butte................Feb. 26, 2005.
The plant shown is only about 2 inches in diameter.* Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica - Moderate bloom.
* Grass Widow: Olsynium douglasii var. douglasii - Moderate bloom (There may be some S. inflatum in bloom on the summit ridge but I did not check!).
* Unidentified memeber of pink family (Holosteum umbellatum ?)
* The Dalles Mt. Buttercup: Ranunculus triternatus - Numerous bloom, a yellow carpet in places when mixed with gold stars.
* Douglas' Draba: Cusickiella douglasii - A few plants beginning to bloom.See photo below!
* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna - Numerous bloom.
* Smooth Prairie Star: Lithophragma glabrum - Several beginning to bloom.
* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium - Numerous bloom along the old rail bed.
* Canby's Desert Parsley: Lomatium canbyi - Fairly numerous.
* Gorman's Desert Parsley: Lomatium gormanii - A few on the summit ridge.
* Butterfly-loving (Pungent) Desert Parsley: Lomatium papilioniferum - A few plants in bloom with pungent leaves just peeking out of the ground.
* Biscuitroot: Lomatium macrophyllum - A few beginning to bloom.
Barestem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule - Lower leaves emerging.
* Salt & Pepper or Piper's Desert Parsley: Lomatium piperi - Numerous bloom.
Nine-leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum var. triternatum - Lower leaves emerging.
* Watson's Desert Parsley: Lomatium watsonii - A few very small plants beginning bloom high atop the summit ridge.
* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis - A few in bloom.
* Hood's Phlox: Phlox hoodii - A few plants in bloom at middle elevations.
* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora - A few in bloom near creek.
Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha - Numerous plants with flower buds visible.
* Balsamroot: Balsamhoriza careyana x deltoidea - A few plants with very small, pubescent leaves and heads with the yellow rays about 4-5 mm long about 2 minutes up the road from the upper parking lot.
* Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule - Moderate bloom.
Animals Seen: Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle, Red-tailed Hawks, Harrier, Prairie Falcon, Raven, Western Bluebirds, Horned Larks, Western Meadowlarks, Mule Deer, California Ground Squirrels (some crawling into engine compartment of parked cars), Short Horn Lizard ("Horned Toad", tiny, burnt-orange butterfly, mason bees ?, box elder bug, black ground beetles, numerous crawling spiders.
