[2009 Columbia River Gorge Wildflower Reports]

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

Columbia Hills Natural Area Preserve (Stacker Butte)

April 19, 2009

Scabland Wild Buckwheat: Eriogonum sphaerocephalum var. sublineare

Scabland Wild Buckwheat: Eriogonum sphaerocephalum var. sublineare

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


* Indicates a wildflower currently in bloom.

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

* Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica- Fading out of bloom 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 -

* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum -

* 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 shrubbery on the north side of the ridge.

* 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 (Now included as part of Lithophragma glabrum) - In bloom at lower elevations.

* Small-flowerd Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum - Beginning to bloom.

Brittle-leaved Saxifrage: Micranthes fragosa - In bud.

Serviceberry: Amelanchier alnifolia - In bud.

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) - In bud along the Dalles Mt. Road.

* Big-head Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum - Beginning to bloom.

Lanceleaf springbeauty: Claytonia lanceolata

The photo above shows a close-up of the flowers of lance-leaf springbeauty as seen on the moister, upper slopes of the Columbia Hills on April 9, 2005. In some locations, this species is quite numerous, adding color to the slopes of bunchgrass.

* 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.

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

* 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. nitida

* Poet's Shooting Star: Dodecatheon poeticum - Fairly good bloom at the highest elevations.

* Midget Phlox: Phlox gracilis (formerly 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 -

* Mountain Kittentails: Veronica missurica ssp. stellata -

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

* White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera - Beginning to bloom.

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

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium -

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

* Northwest Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza careyana x deltoidea - Plants are small but numerous below, just beginning to bloom at middle 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. California Tortoiseshells (butterfly)

2. Blues (butterfly)

3. Western Green Hairstreak

4. Very large bumblebees (Bombus sp.)

5. Ravens

6. Red-tailed Hawk

7. Harriers (Marsh Hawk)

8. Golden Eagle

9. Horned Larks

10. Meadow Larks

11. American Robins

12. California Ground Squirrels


Paul Slichter