The
photo at right shows a close-up of the flower of upland prairie violet Viola nuttallii
var. praemorsa) as seen at Stacker Butte, May 1, 2005.
Bulbous Bluegrass: Poa bulbosa - Common.
Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana var. garryana - Beginning to leaf out at all elevations.
Taper-tipped Onion: Allium accuminatum - Many with well-formed buds.
* Bicolored Harvest Lily: Triteleia grandiflora var. howellii - In bloom but going out of bloom at lower elevations.
Green-banded Mariposa Lily: Calochortus macrocarpus var. macrocarpus - Numerous leaves spotted high in the Columbia Hills.
Pale-anthered Glacier Lily: Erythronium grandiflorum var. pallidum - Pods are developing.
Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica- Pods well-developed.
* False Solomon Seal: Maianthemum racemosum ssp. amplexicaule - In bloom only amongst the shrubs on the upper slopes of the north side of the summit.
* Striped Coral Root Orchid: Corallorhiza striata - In bloom in the oak forest.
* Heart-leaf Buckwheat (both the yellow and white forms): Eriogonum compositum var. compositum - Both white- and yellow-flowered forms beginning to bloom.
* Scabland Wild Buckwheat: Eriogonum sphaerocephalum var. sublineare - Many with bright reddish flower buds and a few in bloom.
Barestem Buckwheat: Eriogonum nudum - A few with the flower stems elongating up to 30-40 cm high.
* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata
* Bitterroot: Lewisia rediviva
* Pale Montia: Montia exigua (M. spathulata) - Fading out of bloom.
* Franklin's Sandwort: Arenaria franklinii var. franklinii - Beginning to bloom.
Jagged Chickweed: Holosteum umbellatum - Generally past bloom.
* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum - Mostly in bloom on the uppermost slopes.
* White Water Buttercup: Ranunculus aquatilis - Only found at small stock pond near lowest microwave station.
* Sickle-pod Rock Cress: Boechera atrorubens - Both in bloom and with well-developed fruits.
Oaks Toothwort: Cardamine nuttallii - Mostly past bloom within the oak forest.
Douglas' Draba: Cusickiella douglasii - Leaves and developing pods only, past bloom.
Rough Wallflower: Erysimum capitatum - In bud.
Scale Pod: Idahoa scapigera -Well past bloom, with the pods having split to disperse seeds.
* Dagger Pod: Phoenicaulis cheiranthoides - Fairly good bloom still at the uppermost elevations.
* Jim Hill Mustard: Sisymbrium altissimum - A few present and in bloom.
Fringe Pod: Thysanocarpus curvipes - Lots of ripe seed pods.
* Shining Oregon Grape: Berberis aquifolium - Blooming only high on the north-facing slopes.
Lance-leaf Stonecrop: Sedum lanceolatum - Flower buds forming.
Leiberg's Stonecrop: Sedum leibergii - Flower buds forming.
* Bulblet Prairie Star: Lithophragma bulbifera (Now included with Lithophragma glabrum) - A few in bloom on north-facing slopes at the highest elevations.
* Small-flowerd Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum
* Northwestern Saxifrage: Micranthes integrifolia - A few still in bloom on north-facing slopes at the uppermost elevations.
* Serviceberry: Amelanchier alnifolia - Beginning to bloom.
* Old Man's Whiskers: Geum triflorum - A few in bloom at the uppermost elevations.
* Bittercherry: Prunus emarginata var. emarginata - Beginning bloom at the highest elevations, especially at the tops of north-facing slopes.
* Hood River Milk-vetch: Astragalus hoodianus - More common at lower elevations, with some seen going to fruit at higher elevations.
Woolly-pod Milk-vetch: Astragalus purshii - Most plants forming numerous, fuzzy seed pods at the higher elevations.
* Yakima Milk-vetch: Astragalus reventiformis - In sparse bloom at all elevations.
* Columbia Gorge Broad-leaf Lupine: Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius (formerly var. thompsonianus) Still in bloom.
* Spurred Lupine: Lupinus arbustus - Beginning to bloom.
* Whitish Lupine: Lupinus sulphureus var. bingenensis - A few in bloom.
* Big-head Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum - (bloomed out below, but still a a few in bloom near the summit on north-facing slopes)
* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium
* Prairie Violet: Viola nuttallii var. praemorsa - A few in bloom on north-facing slopes at the uppermost elevations.
* Chervil: Anthriscus scandicina - A few small plants in bloom.
* Fern-leaved Desert Parsley: Lomatium dissectum - Begining bloom in the oak forest above.
Butterfly-loving (Pungent) Desert Parsley: Lomatium papilioniferum - Past bloom.
* Gray-leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium macrocarpum - White flowered form, a few still in fading bloom at the summit of Stacker Butte.
* Bare-stem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule - Common bloom.
*Nine-leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum var. triternatum - A few in bloom at higher elevations.
Watson's Desert Parsley: Lomatium watsonii - Only in seed.
Desert Shooting Star: Dodecatheon conjugens - Past bloom on north-facing slopes at the uppermost elevations.
Columbia Frasera: Frasera albicaulis var. nitida - In bud.
*Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis - A few in bloom.
*Hood's Phlox: Phlox hoodii- Moderate bloom above.
* Showy Phlox: Phlox speciosa- Moderate bloom.
* Ball-head Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii - A few in bloom only in the oak forest on the north side of the Columbia Hills.
Woods Nemophila: Nemophila parviflora - Past bloom in the oak woods.
* Fiddleneck: Amsinckia retrorsa-
* Common Cryptantha: Cryptantha intermedia
* uccoon: Lithospermum ruderale - Beginning to bloom.
* Small-flowered Forget-me-not: Myosotis stricta - Very numerous!
* Harsh Paintbrush: Castilleja hispida var. acuta - Brilliant, massed bloom in scattered locations.
* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora - Fairly abundant in the oak forest.
* Dwarf Monkeyflower: Diplacus nana - Only a few plants seen in bloom.
* Common Monkeyflower: Erythranthe guttata - Only in bloom at small stock pond near lowermost microwave station.* Gairdner's Penstemon: Penstemon gairdneri var. gairdneri - A number of plants at very scattered locations beginning to bloom.
* Naked Broomrape: Aphyllon purpureum - In bloom only at the summit.
* Annual Bedstraw: Galium aparine - Only in bloom on the uppermost slopes.
* White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera - Fading out except on north-facing slopes.
* Yarrow: Achillea millefolium - Nearing bloom at mid-slope.
* Annual Agoseris: Agoseris heterophylla - A few still in bloom at the uppermost portions of the Columbia Hills.
Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha - Mostly out of bloom.
* Heart-leaf Arnica: Arnica cordifolia - A few beginning to bloom.
* Northwest Balsamroot: Balsamhoriza careyana x deltoidea - Common, but beginning to fade from bloom at lower elevations.
Hoary False Yarrow: Chaenactis douglasii var. douglasii - So far, only basal leaves have been seen for this species.
* Western Hawksbeard: Crepis occidentalis - In bloom at lower elevations.
* Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule - A few in bloom only at the summit.
Gray Rabbitbrush: Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa - Several plants seen within the switchbacks above the upper parking area. This species appears to have largely disappeared from this area, perhaps due to agricultural practices.
* Yellow Desert Daisy: Erigeron linearis - A few beginning to bloom.
* Woolly Sunflower: Eriophyllum lanatum var. integrifolium - Several in bloom near the summit.
* False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides - A few still in bloom at the summit.
* Yellow Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltus - Beginning to bloom.
* Common Dandylion: Taraxacum officinale - A few in bloom along the road or in very disturbed places.
1. Ravens
2. Horned Larks
3. Meadow Larks
5. Several Spotted Towhee
6. Unidentified sparrow (vesper?)
7. Flock of Chipping Sparrows
8. 2 Hummingbird
9. Kestrel
10. Red-tailed Hawk
11. Two Prairie Falcons
12. Harrier
14. Mule Deer
Butterflies:
a) Ochre Ringlet ? : Coenonympha tullia
b) Snowberry Checkerspot ? : Euphydryas chalcedona
c) Field Crescent ? : Phyciodes pratensis
d) Anise Swallowtail: Papilio zelicaon
e) Blues
f) Whites