[2008 Columbia River Gorge Wildflower Reports]

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

April 11, 2008

Columbia Hills (Stacker Butte)

Stony ground lupine (Lupinus polyphylllus var. saxosus) as seen in the Columbia Hills.......April 7, 2007.

The photo above shows a close-up view of stony ground lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus var. saxosus) as seen in the Columbia Hills.......April 7, 2007.

Weather: Temperature - high 60s to low 70s. Mostly sunny with very light winds!

* Indicates a wildflower currently in bloom.

* Sandberg's Blue Grass: Poa secunda ssp. secunda

* Pale-anthered Glacier Lily: Erythronium grandiflorum var. pallidum - Just beginning to bloom under the oak trees just below the north side of the summit ridge.

* Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica - Good bloom yet on the upper, north-facing slopes of the ridge.

Heart-leaf Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum var. compositum

Scabland Wild Buckwheat: Eriogonum sphaerocephalum var. sublineare

Tall Buckwheat: Eriogonum elatum

Strict Buckwheat: Eriogonum strictum var. proliferum

* Lance-leaf Springbeauty: Claytonia lanceolata

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata

Bitterroot: Lewisia rediviva

Franklin's Sandwort: Arenaria franklinii var. franklinii - No blooms yet.

* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum - Just beginning to bloom at lower elevations.

* The Dalles Mt. Buttercup: Ranunculus triternatus - A few still in bloom at the highest elevations and on the north-facing slopes.

* Oaks Toothwort: Cardamine nuttallii - Beginning to bloom under the oak trees.

* Douglas' Draba: Cusickiella doulgasii - Still in fairly good bloom.

* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna

Scale Pod: Idahoa scapigera -Pods only.

* Dagger Pod: Phoenicaulis cheiranthoides - Beginning to bloom at the higher elevations.

* Fringe Pod: Thysanocarpus curvipes - Still in bloom with lots of ripe seed pods.

* Bulblet prairie Star: Lithophragma bulbifera - In bloom at lower elevations.

Small-flowerd Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflora -In bud.

Northwestern Saxifrage: Micranthes integrifolia - In bud.

Serviceberry: Amelanchier alnifolia

Ocean Spray: Holodiscus discolor

* Woolly-pod Milk-vetch: Astragalus purshii - A few plants seen in bloom.

* Columbia Gorge Broad-leaf Lupine: Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius (formerly var. thompsonianus) - Beginning to bloom along the Dalles Mt. Road.

Stony-ground Lupine: Lupinus polyphyllus var. saxosus - Several plants with racemes filled with buds.

* Big-head Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum - Many plants in bloom, although bloom at the higher elevations is a week or two away.

* Canby's Desert Parsley: Lomatium canbyi - A few still in bloom at the highest elevations. Mostly going to seed.

Salt and Pepper: Lomatium gormanii - A few plants in bloom at the highest elevations.

* Gray-leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium macrocarpum - White flowered form (with a few yellow-flowered forms), fairly common above 2000'.

* Bare-stem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule - Small plants, but numerous bloom.

* Butterfly-loving (Pungent) Desert Parsley: Lomatium papilioniferum - Abundant bloom (very pungent fragrance) at lower to middle elevations.

* Salt and Pepper: Lomatium piperi - A few plants still in bloom on the upper, north-facing slopes where snow lay late into the spring.

* Nine Leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium tridentatum var. triternatum - Fairly common.

* Watson's Desert Parsley: Lomatium watsonii - Very much in bloom.

Columbia Frasera: Frasera albicaulis var. nidida

* Desert Shooting Star: Dodecatheon conjugens - Fairly good bloom at the highest elevations.

* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis - A few in bloom on middle elevation slopes.

* Hood's Phlox: Phlox hoodii- Beginning bloom at low and middle elevations.

* Showy Phlox: Phlox speciosa- Beginning to bloom at middle elevations.

Little Bells Polemonium: Polemonium micranthum

Ball-head Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii

* Fiddleneck: Amsinckia retrorsa - Small plants, not common yet.

* Slender Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys tenellus -A few plants seen.

* Harsh Paintbrush: Castilleja hispida var. acuta - A few dozen plants are now beginning to bloom in the moister soils along the road, above the parking area.

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora - Abundant at most elevations.

Hotrock Penstemon: Penstemon deustus var. variabilis

Common Snowberry: Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus - Beginning to leaf out under the oak trees.

* White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera - Beginning to bloom.

* Wild Cucumber: Marah oreganus - Fairly abundant along the Dalles Mt. Road.

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium

* Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha - Fairly common at all elevations.

* Carey's Balsamroot: Balsamhoriza careyana x deltoidea - Plants are small but numerous below, just beginning to bloom at middle elevations.

Tumble Knapweed: Centaurea diffusa - A few basal rosettes of leaves found along the access road to the microwave towers (all at medium to higher elevations).

Hoary False Yarrow: Chaenactis douglasii var. douglasii - Only basal rosettes of leaves seen.

Western Hawksbeard: Crepis occidentalis - Basal rosettes of leaves seen.

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

Columbia River Gumweed: Grindelia nana var. integrifolia ? - Leaves only, and old, withered stems from last year seen.

False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides

Yellow Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltus -


Animals Seen in the Columbia Hills/ Stacker Butte:

1. Carnivorous Ground Beetles (standing on their heads!)

2. California Tortoiseshells (butterfly)

3. Blues (butterfly)

4. Western Green Hairstreak

5. Very large bumblebees (Bombus sp.)

6. Western Fence Lizards

7. Ravens

8. Red-tailed Hawk

9. Harriers (Marsh Hawk)

10. Prairie Falcon

11. Horned Larks

12. Meadow Larks

13. American Robins

14. Says Phoebe

15. Juncos

16. Turkeys

17. California Ground Squirrels


Paul Slichter