[2009 Wildflower Bloom Reports for the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]

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

The Mosier Twin Tunnels Trail (from the Mosier Trailhead)

April 29, 2010

View west from the Twin Tunnels trail towards Bingen, WA. The area in the foreground was burned by a wildfire during the early fall of 2009.

A view west towards Bingen, WA across slopes burned by a wildfire during the early fall of 2009. Taken from the eastern end of the Twin Tunnels trail......April 29, 2010. Many of the ponderosa pines died when the fire swept into their crown, while others may die a slower death, either directly from the fire or due to insect damage resulting from the fire. The fate of the Oregon white oaks in the photo is likewise not clear since they are only beginning to leaf out. Some show no signs of growth while others show only a small amount of leaf growth in the tops of the trees.

* Indicates the wildflower is blooming.

Podfern: Aspidotis densa

Fragile Fern: Cystopteris fragilis

Goldback Fern: Pentagramma triangularis

Licorice Fern: Polypodium glycyrrhiza

Imbricate Sword Fern: Polystichum imbricans ssp. imbricans

Common Sword Fern: Polystichum munitum ?

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii

* Big-leaf Maple: Acer macrophyllum

* Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana var. garryana

Scouler's Willow: Salix scouleriana

* Cheatgrass: Bromus tectorum

* Bulbous Bluegrass: Poa bulbosa

Ookow, Ball-head Cluster Lily: Dichelostemma congestum - In bud.

Chocolate Lily: Fritillaria affinis

* Bicolored Cluster Lily: Triteleia grandiflora ssp. howellii

Long-spurred Rein Orchid: Platanthera elegans - (basal leaves only, so this could also be Piperia unalascensis)

* Common Bastard Toad-flax: Commandra umbellata var. californica

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

Tall Buckwheat: Eriogonum elatum

Strict Buckwheat: Eriogonum strictum var. proliferum

Sheep Sorrel: Rumex acetosella

* Pale Springbeauty: Claytonia exigua ssp. exigua

* Streambank Springbeauty: Claytonia parviflora ssp. parviflora

* Cushion Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia rubra ssp. depressa ?

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata ssp. perfoliata

* Chickweed: Stellaria media

* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum

* Western Buttercup: Ranunculus occidentalis var. occidentalis

Shining Oregon Grape: Berberis aquifolium

California Poppy: Eschscholzia californica

* Mouse-ear Cress: Arabidopsis thaliana

* Hairy Bittercress: Cardamine hirsuta

Oaks Toothwort: Cardamine nuttallii

* Flixweed: Descurainia sophia

Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna

* Rough Wallflower: Erysimum capitatum

* Plains Mustard: Schoenocrambe linifolia

Tumble Mustard: Sisymbrium altissimum

* Fringe Pod: Thysanocarpus curvipes

Leiberg's Stonecrop: Sedum leibergii - In bud.

* Broad-leaf Stonecrop: Sedum spathulifolium

* Gooseberry-leaved Alumroot: Heuchera grossulariifolia var. tenuifolia

* Small-flowered Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum

* Northwestern Saxifrage: Micranthes integrifolia

* Peak Saxifrage: Micranthes fragosa

* Fringecups: Tellima grandiflora

Mock Orange: Philadelphus lewisii

* Cusick's Serviceberry: Amelanchier alnifolia var. cusickii

Ocean Spray: Holodiscus discolor

* Bitter Cherry: Prunus emarginata var. emarginata

Choke Cherry: Prunus virginiana var. melanocarpa - Racemes in bud.

Himalayan Blackberry: Rubus armeniacus

Thimbleberry: Rubus parviflorus

* Spurred Lupine: Lupinus arbustus ?

* Bicolor Lupine: Lupinus bicolor

* Common Broad-leaf Lupine: Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius (formerly var. thompsonianus)

* Whitish Lupine: Lupinus sulphureus ssp. subsaccatus

* Hairy Vetch: Vicia hirsuta

* Common Vetch: Vicia sativa

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

Poison Oak: Toxicodendron diversilobum

Deer Brush: Ceanothus integerrimus

* Small-flowered Willowherb: Epilobium minutum

* Chervil: Anthriscus caucalis

Columbia Desert Parsley: Lomatium columbianum

* Fernleaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium dissectum var. dissectum

* Pungent Desert Parsley: Lomatium papilioniferum ?

* Broadnineleaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum var. anomalum

Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis

* Ball-head Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii

* Woods Nemophila: Nemophila parviflora

* Silverleaf Phacelia: Phacelia hastata var. hastata

* Rigid Fiddleneck: Amsinckia menziesii (A. retrorsa form)

* Weakstem Cryptanth: Cryptantha flaccida

* Common Cryptanth: Cryptantha intermedia

* Great Hound's Tongue: Adelinia grandis

* Yellow and Blue Scorpion Grass: Myosotis discolor

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora

Common Monkey Flower: Erythranthe guttata

Cutleaf Penstemon: Penstemon richardsonii var. richardsonii

* Small-flowered Tonella: Tonella tenella

* Bedstraw: Galium aparine

Blue Elderberry: Sambucus mexicana ssp. cerulea

Common Snowberry: Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus

* White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera

* Big Root: Marah oreganus

* Yarrow: Achillea millefolium

* Northwestern Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza deltoidea (or B. careyana?)

* Bachelor's Button: Centaurea cyanus

Columbia Goldenweed: Columbiadoria hallii

* Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule

Oregon Sunshine: Eriophyllum lanatum var. integrifolium

Blanketflower: Gaillardia aristata

* White Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. ochroleucus

* Common Groundsel: Senecio vulgaris

* Common Dandylion: Taraxacum officinale

Yellow Salsify: Tragopogon dubius

View west along the Twin Tunnels trail at wildfire damage (from early fall 2009) from an area to the east of the tunnels. - Wildfire damage as viewed along the Mosier Twin Tunnels trail as seen to the east of the tunnels............April 29, 2010. - Wildfire damage as seen from the Mosier Twin Tunnels trail.............April 29, 2010.

Additional views of the area swept by wildfire along the Mosier Twin Tunnels Trail during the early fall of 2009. All photos were taken along the trail between the Mosier Trailhead and the Twin Tunnels themselves..............April 29, 2010. The ground remains blackened although hidden by the rampant growth of weedy grasses and forbs and those natives that survived. It is currently unclear how many of the trees survived the fire. The fire was spread by sparks, so there are often patches of forest left unburned while others were charred pretty heavily, with other sections showing less sign of impact. It is evident that many ponderosa pines did not survive, although others that initially survived the fire are now showing stress and are turning brown. Some oaks were burned heavily while others show some regrowth in their crowns. We may need to wait several months to see whether other oaks that haven't resprouted leaves have survived or not. Many smaller shrubs (like mock orange, bitter cherry and chokecherry) were heavily burned but are now sending up new suckers.
Paul Slichter