[Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington: 2009]

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

Klickitat State Wildlife Recreation Area (from the Glenwood-Goldendale Highway)

May 8, 2009

View of Simcoe Mts from the Klickitat State Wildlife Recreation Area:  April 23, 2009.

A view of the western Simcoe Mountains from the Klickitat State Wildlife Recreation Area........April 23, 2009.

Today the weather was in the mid to high 60s with clear, sunny skies and a light wind!

* indicates the plant is currently in bloom.

Brittle Fern: Cystopteris fragilis

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii

* Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana var. garryana

* Willow: Salix sp.

Mistletoe: Arceuthobium americanum or A. campylopodum - Several individuals on the ground beneath ponderosa pines.

Rush: Juncus effusus (var. ?)

Rush #2: Juncus sp. - Getting ready to bloom.

* Field Woodrush: Luzula macrantha

* Soft Brome: Bromus hordeaceus ssp. hordeaceus

* Cheatgrass: Bromus tectorum

Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides

Idaho Fescue: Festuca idahoensis

* Bulbous Blue Grass: Poa bulbosa

Medusahead: Taeniatherum caput-medusae

Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum - ? In bud.

Nevius' Onion: Allium nevii - ? In bud.

Long-bearded Mariposa Lily: Calochortus longebarbatus var. longebarbatus - If not, then this will be Calochortus subalpinus.

Green-banded Mariposa Lily: Calochortus macrocarpus var. macrocarpus

* Common Camas: Camassia quamash - A few plants just beginning to bloom.

* Pale-anthered Glacier Lily: Erythronium grandiflorum var. pallidum - Only a few remain in bloom in shady, moist places.

* Bicolored Cluster Lily: Triteleia grandiflora var. howellii - Beginning to bloom.

* Panicled Death Camas: Zigadenus paniculatum

Meadow Death Camas: Toxicoscordion venenosum - In bud.

Grass Widows: Olsynium douglasii var. douglasii - Past bloom.

Rein Orchid: Platanthera (elegans or unalaschensis) - Basal leaves only.

Heartleaf Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum var. compositum - In bud.

Scabland Wild Buckwheat: Eriogonum sphaerocephalum var. sublineare - Colorful buds forming.

Tall Buckwheat: Eriogonum elatum

Strict Buckwheat: Eriogonum strictum var. proliferum

Sheep Sorrel: Rumex acetosella

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata

* Red Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia rubra

Water Montia: Montia fontana

* Lineleaf Montia: Montia linearis

* Jagged Chickweed: Holosteum umbellatum

* Chickweed: Stellaria media

Red Columbine: Aquilegia formosa

Meadow Larkspur: Delphinium distichum

* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum

* Western Buttercup: Ranunculus occidentalis var. occidentalis

* Creeping Oregon Grape: Berberis repens ?

* Bitter Wintercress: Barbarea vulgaris ?

Mountain Tansymustard: Descurainia incana ssp. viscosa - ? In bud.

* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna - Fading out of bloom.

Scalepod: Idahoa scapigera - Pods are drying and releasing their seeds.

* Bulblet Prairie Star: Lithophragma glabrum (Synonym: Lithophragma bulbifera)

* Small-flowered Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum

* Clayton's Saxifrage, Northwestern Saxifrage: Micranthes fragosa

* Northwestern Saxifrage: Micranthes integrifolia

Mock Orange: Philadelphus lewisii

* Cusick's Serviceberry: Amelanchier cusickii

* Broadpetal Strawberry: Fragaria virginiana ssp. platypetala - Beginning to bloom in woods at the trailhead.

Oceanspray: Holodiscus discolor

Sticky Cinquefoil: Potentilla glandulosa (var. ?)

Slender Cinquefoil: Potentilla gracilis (var. pulcherrima ?)

* Bittercherry: Prunus emarginatus var. emarginatus

Chokecherry: Prunus virginianus var. melanocarpa - In bud.

Antelope Bitterbrush: Purshia tridentata

Litle Wild Rose: Rosa gymnocarpa

Pearhip Rose: Rosa woodsii

Annual Burnet: Poteridium annuum

* Hood River Milkvetch: Astragalus hoodianus - Beginning to bloom. Pistils are covered with hairs.

* Few-flowered Pea: Lathyrus pauciflorus - Beginning to bloom.

Nevada Deervetch: Acmispon nevadensis var. nevadensis

* Columbia Gorge Lupine: Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius - One plant just beginning to bloom.

* Small Lupine: Lupinus micranthus

* Bighead Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

Oregon Checkermallow: Sidalcea oregana var. oregana

Sticky Geranium: Geranium viscosissimum var. incisum

Deer Brush: Ceanothus integerrimus

* Mahala Mat: Ceanothus prostratus

* Hooked Spur Violet: Violat adunca

Cutleaf Violet: Viola sheltonii

* Sagebrush Violet: Viola trinervata - A few plants remain in bloom.

Columbia Desert Parsley: Lomatium columbianum - Past bloom.

Fernleaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium dissectum var. dissectum

* Klickitat Desert Parsley: Lomatium klickitatense - Numerous.

Biscuitroot: Lomatium macrocarpum - Yellow-flowered form.

* Barestem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule - Common.

Salt and Pepper: Lomatium piperi - Acaulescent. Fruits forming.

* Suksdorf's Desert Parsley: Lomatium suksdorfii

* Nineleaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum var. triternatum

Sweet Cicely: Osmorhiza sp. -

Mountain Yampah: Pterideridia montana (Perideridia gairdneri) - Basal leaves only.

Kinnickinick: Arctostaphylos nevadensis

Pinedrops: Pterospora andromedea - Stalks of the past season still visible.

* Poet's Shooting Star: Dodecatheon poeticum - Numerous along stream edges (those streams that have very little slope or descent to them).

Narrow-leaved Collomia: Collomia linearis

* Baker's Linanthus: Leptosiphon bolanderi (Synonym: Linanthus bakeri) - Common on open, dry slopes.

* Showy Phlox: Phlox speciosa - Common.

* Hesperochiron: Hesperochiron pumilus

* Ballhead Desert Parsley: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii

Great Basin Nemophila: Nemophila breviflora

* Woods Nemophila: Nemophila parviflora - Fading out of bloom.

* Meadow Nemophila: Nemophila pedunculata - Fading out of bloom.

* Rigid Fiddleneck: Amsinckia retrorsa

* Common Cryptanth: Cryptantha intermedia

* Cryptanth: Cryptantha sp. - Smaller flowers than above. Possibly Cryptantha flaccida ?

* Puccoon: Lithospermum ruderale - Beginning to bloom.

* Yellow and Blue Forget-me-not: Myosotis discolor

* Scouler's Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys scouleri - Beginning to bloom at edges of shallow puddles in old road beds.

* Slender Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys tenellus

* Narrow-leaf Owl-clover: Castilleja attenuata

Common Paintbrush: Castilleja miniata var. miniata

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora

* Chickweed Monkeyflower: Erythranthe alsinoides - Fading out of bloom.

* Common Monkeyflower: Erythranthe guttata

* Small-flowered Tonella: Tonella tenella

Common Mullein: Verbascum thapsus

* Naked Broomrape: Aphyllon purpureum

* Cleavers, Annual Bedstraw: Galium aparine

Kelloggia: Kelloggia galioides

* Man Root, Wild Cucumber: Marah oreganus - Only 2 plants seen, both in bloom.

Blue Elderberry: Sambucus cerulea

Common Snowberry: Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus

* White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera

* Corn Salad: Valerianella locusta

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium - Some plants at lower elevation in the canyon are in bud.

* Annual Agoseris: Agoseris heterophylla - Fading out of bloom.

Spearleaf Agoseris: Agoseris retrorsa

* Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha

* Field Pussytoes: Antennaria howellii ssp. neodioica - Beginning to bloom.

* Woodrush Pussytoes: Antennaria luzuloides - Beginning to bloom.

* Heartleaf Arnica: Arnica cordifolia - Beginning to bloom.

* Carey's Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza careyana ?

Bull Thistle: Cirsium vulgare

Gray Hawksbeard: Crepis intermedia

Western Hawksbeard: Crepis occidentalis

* Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule - Fading out of bloom.

Oregon Sunshine: Eriophyllum lanatum var. lanatum

Scouler's Hawkweed: Hieracium scouleri

Cut-leaved Microseris?: Microseris laciniata - Basal leaves only.

Nodding Microseris: Microseris nutans

* False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides

* Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltatus - Beginning to bloom.

* Common Dandylion: Taraxacum officinale

Salsify: Tragopogon sp. - Basal leaves only.


Animals Seen During This Hike:

Mule Deer - 19 bucks, mostly laying in the shade under trees

2 Western Gray Squirrels

Douglas Squirrel

Turkey Vultures

Kestrel

Northern Flickers - calling and drumming

Lewis Woodpeckers

Ravens

Stellers Jays

Western Meadowlarks

Robins

Swainsons Thrushes - calling

Black-headed Grosbeaks - calling

Spotted Towhees - calling

Green Towhee

Mourning Doves

Dark-eyed Juncos

Chipping Sparrows

Red-breasted Nuthatches

Violet-green Swallows

(Vauxs ?) Swifts - 1 pair

Western Fence Lizards ?

Garter Snake

Western Rattlesnake - About one foot long.

Pacific Tree Frog

Anise Swallowtail

Indra Swallowtail

California Tortoiseshells

Propertius Duskywings

Sara's Orangetip

Blue - unidentified

Honeybees

Bumblebees: Bombus sp.

Water Striders

Black Widow - female guarding eggs under rock


Paul Slichter