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

Weather: Temperature - high 70s to low 80s. Mostly sunny with very light winds!

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Click here for a very extensive list of wildflowers found in the Columbia Hills (US 97 west to the Klickitat River, from WA SR 14 north to the Lyle-Centerville Rd).

* Indicates a wildflower currently in bloom.

Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana var. garryana -

* Soft Brome: Bromus hordeaceus -

* Cheatgrass: Bromus tectorum -

Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides -

Idaho Fescue: Festuca idahoensis -

* Bulbous Bluegrass: Poa bulbosa -

Medusa Head: Taeniatherum caput-medusae -

Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum - In bud.

* Pale-anthered Glacier Lily: Erythronium grandiflorum var. palllidum - Just fading out of bloom under shrubbery just below the north side of the summit ridge.

Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica - Forming seed pods.

* Bicolored Cluster Lily: Triteleia grandiflora ssp. howellii -

Heart-leaf Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum var. compositum - In bud.

Scabland Wild Buckwheat: Eriogonum sphaerocephalum var. sublineare - Several plants seen in bloom.

Tall Buckwheat: Eriogonum elatum -

Strict Buckwheat: Eriogonum strictum var. proliferum -

* Pale Montia: Claytonia exigua - Fading out of bloom.

* Lance-leaf Springbeauty: Claytonia lanceolata - Only in bloom on north-facing slopes near the ridge summit.

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata ssp. perfoliata -

Bitterroot: Lewisia rediviva - In bud.

Franklin's Sandwort: Arenaria franklinii var. franklinii - In bud.

* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum -

* White Water Buttercup: Ranunculus aquatilis - Beginning to bloom in small ponds.

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

Shining Oregon Grape: Berberis aquifolium -

* Sicklepod Rockcress: Boechera atrorubens - Fading out of bloom.

* Oaks Toothwort: Cardamine nuttallii - Fading out of bloom under shrubbery on the north side of the ridge.

* Douglas Draba: Cusickiella douglasii - One plant still seen in bloom.

* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna - Only in bloom at the top of the ridge.

Scale Pod: Idahoa scapigera - Pods only.

* Clasping Pepperweed: Lepidium perfoliatum -

* Dagger Pod: Phoenicaulis cheiranthoides - Full bloom at the middle and higher elevations.

Fringe Pod: Thysanocarpus curvipes - Lots of ripe seed pods.

Lanceleaf Stonecrop: Sedum lanceolatum -

Leiberg's Stonecrop: Sedum leibergii - In bud.

* Bulblet prairie Star: Lithophragma bulbifera (Now included into Lithophragma glabrum.) - Fading out of bloom at the highest elevations.

* Small-flowerd Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum -

Brittle-leaved Saxifrage: Micranthes fragosa - Past bloom.

* Serviceberry: Amelanchier alnifolia - Beginning to bloom.

* Oldman's Whiskers, Prairie Smoke: Geum triflorum var. ciliatum - Beginning to bloom at the highest elevations.

Ocean Spray: Holodiscus discolor -

* Bitter Cherry: Prunus emarginata var. emarginata - Beginning to bloom

* Hood River Milkvetch: Astragalus hoodianus -

* Yakima Milkvetch: Astragalus reventiformis -

* Few-flowered Pea: Lathyrus pauciflorus var. pauciflorus - Beginning to bloom near the summit.

* Spurred Lupine: Lupinus arbustus - Beginning to bloom.

* Columbia Gorge Broad-leaf Lupine: Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius (formerly var. thompsonianus) - Moderate bloom.

* Whitish Lupine: Lupinus sulphureus var. bingenensis - Beginning to bloom.

* Stony Ground Lupine: Lupinus saxosus - The earliest blooming lupine at this location. Still in bloom.

* Big-head Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum - Fading out of bloom at low eleavtions, peak bloom at the highest elevations.

* Gray-leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium macrocarpum - White flowered form (with a few yellow-flowered forms), fairly common at the highest elevations.

* Bare-stem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule - Fairly numerous bloom.

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

Columbia Frasera: Frasera albicaulis var. nitida - .In bud.

Poet's Shooting Star: Dodecatheon poeticum - Past bloom.

Large-flowered Collomia: Collomia grandiflora - Not in bloom yet.

* Hood's Phlox: Phlox hoodii - Good bloom at middle and higher elevations.

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

* Little Bells Polemonium: Polemonium micranthum - A few plants still in bloom.

* Ball-head Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii - Only in bloom on north-facing slopes near the summit.

* Fiddleneck: Amsinckia retrorsa - Fairly common.

* Gromwell: Buglossoides arvensis -

* Puccoon: Lithospermum ruderale -

* Small-flowered Forget-me-not: Myosotis stricta -

* Slender Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys tenellus - A few plants still in bloom.

* Narrow-leaf Owl-clover: Castilleja attenuata -

* Harsh Paintbrush: Castilleja hispida var. acutus - Moderately abundant (with attendant (calliope?) hummingbirds).

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora - Moderately abundant on north-facing slopes at the highest elevations.

Hotrock Penstemon: Penstemon deustus var. variabilis -

Sticky-stem Penstemon: Penstemon glandulosus (var. ?) - Some plants in bud.

Mountain Kittentails: Veronica missurica ssp. stellata - Seed pods forming.

* Naked Broomrape: Aphyllon purpureum -

* Cleavers, Annual Bedstraw: Galium aparine -

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

* White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera - Good bloom at the highest eleavtions.

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

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium - In bud.

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

* Heartleaf Arnica: Arnica cordifolia - A few plants beginning to bloom under the oak trees.

* Carey's Balsamroot: Balsamhoriza careyana x deltoidea - Plants are fading below and just beginning to reach their peak at the upper elevations.

* Hoary False Yarrow: Chaenactis douglasii var. douglasii - One plant beginning to bloom.

Bearded Hawksbeard: Crepis barbigera - Basal rosettes of leaves seen.

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

* Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule - Moderate bloom only at the summit (especially where shady).

* Woolly Sunflower: Eriophyllum lanatum var. integrifolium - A few plants beginning to bloom at the summit.

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

Scouler's Hawkweed: Hieracium scouleri - Basal leaves only.

* False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides - Only in bloom near the summit.

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

* Common Dandylion: Taraxacum officinale -

California Tortoiseshells

Anise Swallowtails

Pale Swallowtails

Snowberry Checkerspots

Blues (unidentified)

Western Green Hairstreaks

Sara's Orangetips

Ochre Ringlets

Propertius Duskywings

Very large bumblebees (Bombus sp.)

Crane Flies

Large Carniverous Ground Beetles

Ravens

Golden Eagle

Turkey Vultures

Red-tailed Hawk

Harriers

Horned Larks

Meadow Larks

Savannah Sparrows

Western Bluebirds

Yellow-rumped Warblers

Western Kingbirds

Says Phoebe (seen at the ranch atop fence railings)

Calliope Hummingbirds ?

Mourning Dove

Barn Swallows (seen at the ranch)

Hun

Western Fence Lizards

Short-horned Lizards

Twenty-three Mule Deer

California Ground Squirrels

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