[Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge: 2010]

Wildflowers Currently in Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge

Upper Swale Canyon (Accessed from Harms Road)

May 8, 2010

View east towards windfarms from near upper Swale Canyon.............April 23, 2010.

A view east at the wind farms at the eastern end of the Columbia Hills from grasslands beginning to blossum near upper Swale Canyon.......April 23, 2010.

Today the weather was in the low 60s with partly sunny skys and very light winds in the morning, becoming partly cloudy (with thundrstorms passing to the north) and stronger winds by mid-afternoon.

* indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.

Comprehensive Klickitat Trail: Upper Swale Canyon Plant List.

Common Horsetail: Equisetum arvense

Scouring-rush Horsetail: Equisetum hyemale

* Nebraska Sedge: Carex nebrascensis

* Sedge: Carex sp.

Daggerleaf Rush: Juncus ensifolius ?

* Soft Brome: Bromus hordeaceus ssp. hordeaceus

* Cheatgrass: Bromus tectorum

Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides

* Idaho Fescue: Festuca idahoensis

Basin Wildrye: Leymus cinereus ?

* Bulbous Bluegrass: Poa bulbosa

Bluebunch Wheatgrass: Pseudoroegeneria spicata

* Needle and Thread: Heterostipa comata ssp. comata ?

Medusa-head: Taeniatherum caput-medusae

Common Cattail: Typha latifolia

Pondweed: Potamogeton sp.

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa - Small trees planted along the old railroad bed.

Creek Dogwood: Cornus sericea

* California Hazelnut: Corylus cornuta var. californica - Beginning to bloom.

Black Cottonwood: Populus trichocarpa

* Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana var. garryana

* Scouler's Willow: Salix scouleriana

Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum - In bud.

* Nevius' Garlic, Nevius' Onion: Allium nevii (Allium douglasii var. nevii)

* Common Camas: Camassia quamash var. breviflora

* Bicolored Cluster Lily: Triteleia grandiflora ssp. howellii

* Meadow Deathcamas: Toxicoscordion venenosum var. venenosum

Western Blue Flag: Iris missouriensis

* Heartleaf Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum var. compositum Both cream and yellow-flowered plants.

Scabland Wild Buckwheat: Eriogonum sphaerocephalum var. sublineare - Many with bright red flower buds.

Tall Buckwheat: Eriogonum elatum

Strict Buckwheat: Eriogonum strictum (var. proliferum?)

Douglas' Knotweed: Polygonum douglasii

* Curly Dock: Rumex crispus

* Willowleaf Dock: Rumex salicifolius (var. ?)

Chamisso's Springbeauty: Claytonia chamissoi

* Pale Springbeauty: Claytonia exigua ssp. exigua

* Pallid Springbeauty: Claytonia exigua ssp. glauca

* Streambank Springbeauty: Claytonia parviflora ?

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata ssp. intermontana

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata ssp. perfoliata

* Erubescent Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia rubra ssp. rubra

* Water Chickweed: Montia fontana

* Lineleaf Montia: Montia linearis

* Jagged Chickweed: Holosteum umbellatum

* Common Chickweed: Stellaria media

Western White Clematis: Clematis ligusticifolia

Meadow Buttercup: Delphinium distichum - In bud.

* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum

* Bristly Mousetail: Myosurus aristatus ?

* Mousetail: Myosurus clavicaulis ?

* Least Mousetail: Myosurus minimus

* White Water Buttercup: Ranunculus aquatilis

* Little Buttercup: Ranunculus uncinatus

* Creeping Oregon Grape: Berberis repens

* American Wintercress: Barbarea orthoceras

* Shepherd's Purse: Capsella bursa-pastoris

* Hairy Bittercress: Cardamine hirsuta

* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna

Scale Pod: Idahoa scapigera - Pods maturing.

* Daggerpod: Phoenicaulis cheiranthoides

Tumblemustard: Sisymbrium altissimum

* Fringepods: Thysanocarpus curvipes

Leiberg's Stonecrop: Sedum leibergii - In bud.

* Bulblet Prairie Star: Lithophragma bulbifera (now L. glabrum)

* Small-flowered Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum

* Northwestern Saxifrage: Micranthes integrifolia - Most plants have faded out of bloom.

* Wax Currant: Ribes cereum var. cereum - Fading out of bloom.

Mock Orange: Philadelphus lewisii - A few plants with buds forming.

* Cusick's Serviceberry: Amelanchier alnifolia var. cusickii

* Douglas' Hawthorn: Crataegus douglasii

Oceanspray: Holodiscus discolor

Cultivated Apple: Malus x domestica ?

Sticky Cinquefoil: Potentilla glandulosa (var. ?) - Buds forming.

Sulphur Cinqueflower: Potentilla recta

* Bitter Cherry: Prunus emarginata var. emarginata

* Chokecherry: Prunus virginiana var. melanocarpa - Beginning to bloom.

Annual Burnet: Poteridium annuum

Douglas' Spiraea: Spiraea douglasii (var. ?)

* Hood River Milkvetch: Astragalus hoodianus - Very early in bloom.

Nevada Deervetch: Lotus nevadensis

* Prairie Lupine: Lupinus lepidus var. aridus

* Columbia Gorge Lupine: Lupinus latifolius x sericeus (Lupinus latifolilus var. latifolius)

Velvet Lupine: Lupinus leucophyllus var. leucophyllus

* Small-flowered Lupine: Lupinus micranthus

* Whitish Lupine: Lupinus sulphureus var. bingenensis

* Valley Yellow Violet: Viola nuttallii var. praemorsa

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

Western St. John's Wort: Hypericum scouleri ?

Klamath Weed: Hypericum perforatum

Oregon Checkermallow: Sidalcea oregana var. oregana - A few plants in bud.

* Spike-primrose: Boisduvalia sp.

Fireweed: Chamaenerion angustifolium

Slender Godetia: Clarkia gracilis ? - In bud.

* Bur Chervil: Anthriscus caucalis

* Columbia Desert Parsley: Lomatium columbianum

* Fernleaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium dissectum var. dissectum

* Klickitat Desert Parsley: Lomatium klickitatense

* Biscuitroot: Lomatium macrocarpum - Both cream and yellow-flowered forms. Second bloom due to recent rains.

* Barestem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule

* Broadnineleaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum var. anomalum

Gairdner's Yampah: Perideridia montana

Large-flowered Collomia: Collomia grandiflora

* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis - Fading out of bloom.

Pincushionplant: Navarretia intertexta ?

* Least Navarretia: Navarretia leucocephala ssp. minima

* Showy Phlox: Phlox speciosa

*Annual Polemonium: Polemonium micranthum

* Ballhead Desert Parsley: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii - Fading out of bloom.

* Meadow Nemophila: Nemophila pedunculata

* Silver-leaf Phacelia: Phacelia hastata var. hastata

* Linearleaf Phacelia: Phacelia linearis

* Rigid Fiddleneck: Amsinckia retrorsa

* Common Cryptanth: Cryptantha intermedia

* Yellow and Blue Scorpion Flower: Myosotis discolor

* Scouler's Popcorn Flower: Plagiogothrys scouleri (var. ?)

* Slender Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys tenellus

Narrow-leaved Skullcap: Scutellaria angustifolia

* Narrowleaved Owlclover: Castilleja attenuata

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora

* Short-flowered Monkeyflower: Erythranthe breviflora

* Common Monkeyflower: Erythranthe guttata

Cutleaf Penstemon: Penstemon richardsonii var. richardsonii

* Dwarf Owlcover: Triphysaria pusilla

Common Mullein: Verbascum thapsus

Water Speedwell: Veronica anagallis-aquatica

* Corn Speedwell: Veronica arvensis

* Purslane Speedwell: Veronica peregrina var. xalpensis

* Naked Broomrape: Aphyllon purpureum

* Annual Bedstraw: Galium aparine

* Manroot: Marah oreganus

Blue Elderberry: Sambucus cerulea

Common Snowberry: Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus

* White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium - In bud.

* Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha - Fading out of bloom.

* Narrowleaf Pussytoes: Antennara stenophylla

* Carey's Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza careyana or B. careyana x deltoidea ?

Hoary False Yarrow: Chaenactis douglasii var. douglasii - In bud.

Chicory: Cichorum intybus

Canada Thistle: Cirsium arvense

Hall's Goldenweed: Columbiadoria hallii

Gray Hawksbeard: Crepis intermedia - In bud.

Western Hawksbeard: Crepis occidentalis

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

Gray Rabbitbrush: Ericameria nauseosum

Oregon Sunshine: Eriophyllum lanatum var. lanatum

Scouler's Hawkweed: Hieracium scouleri (var. cynoglossoides?)

* Lemon-scented Tarweed: Madia citriodora ?

* False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides

* Sweet Marsh Goundsel: Senecio hydrophiloides

* Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltaus

* Common Dandylion: Taraxacum officinale

Yellow Salsify: Tragopogon dubius

* Northern Wyethia: Wyethia amplexicaulis


Animals Seen During This Hike:

California Ground Squirrels

Yellow-bellied Marmots

Gophers/ Moles

Turkey Vultures

Red-tailed Hawk

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Kestrel

Great Horned Owl

Magpies

Common Raven

Horned Larks

Cliff Swallows

Red-winged Blackbirds

Brewer's Blackbirds

Western Meadowlarks

Common Snipe

Chukar

Curlew

Killdeer

Mallards

Mourning Doves

Flycatchers

American Pipits

Orange-crowned Warblers

Yellow-rumped Warblers

White-crowned Sparrows

Dark-eyed Junco

Western Rattlesnake (2 feet long)

Pacific Tree Frog

Frogs croaking

Small fish in small side creek

Spring Azure

Ochre Ringlets

Mustard Whites

Large Bumblebee (yellow thorax, black abdomen)

Carnivorous Ground Beetles

Lady Bugs

Water Striders


Paul Slichter