[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 29, 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 50s with partly sunny skys and winds 10-20 mph with stronger gusts.

* 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

* Needle Spikerush: Eleocharis acicularis

Rush: Juncus sp. ?

Slender Rush: Juncus tenuis

* Soft Brome: Bromus hordeaceus ssp. hordeaceus

* Ripgut Grass: Bromus diandrus

* Cheatgrass: Bromus tectorum

* Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides

* Idaho Fescue: Festuca idahoensis

Basin Wildrye: Leymus cinereus

Reed Canary Grass: Phalaris arundinacea

* Bulbous Bluegrass: Poa bulbosa

* Bluebunch Wheatgrass: Pseudoroegeneria spicata

Medusa-head: Taeniatherum caput-medusae

Common Cattail: Typha latifolia

Pondweed: Potamogeton sp.

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

* Creek Dogwood: Cornus sericea

California Hazelnut: Corylus cornuta var. californica

Black Cottonwood: Populus trichocarpa

Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana

Narrow-leaf Willow: Salix exigua ?

Scouler's Willow: Salix scouleriana ?

* Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum

* Nevius' Garlic, Nevius' Onion: Allium nevii (Allium douglasii var. nevii) - Dense bloom in dry swales next to Swale Creek.

* 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

Tall Buckwheat: Eriogonum elatum - Forming flower buds.

Strict Buckwheat: Eriogonum strictum (var. proliferum?)

* Douglas' Knotweed: Polygonum douglasii

* Curly Dock: Rumex crispus

* Pallid Springbeauty: Claytonia exigua ssp. glauca

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata ssp. perfoliata

* 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

* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum

* Least Mousetail: Myosurus minimus

* White Water Buttercup: Ranunculus aquatilis

* American Wintercress: Barbarea orthoceras

Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna

Daggerpod: Phoenicaulis cheiranthoides

* Western Yellowcress: Rorippa curvisiliqua

* Tumblemustard: Sisymbrium altissimum

Leiberg's Stonecrop: Sedum leibergii - In bud.

* Small-flowered Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum

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

Wax Currant: Ribes cereum var. cereum

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

Cusick's Serviceberry: Amelanchier alnifolia var. cusickii

* Douglas' Hawthorn: Crataegus douglasii

Oceanspray: Holodiscus discolor

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

* Graceful Cinquefoil: Potentilla gracilis var. gracilis (formerly var. fastigiata)

* Bitter Cherry: Prunus emarginata var. emarginata

* Chokecherry: Prunus virginiana var. melanocarpa

* Domestic Rose: Rosa canina or Rosa multiflora ?

* Pearhip Rose: Rosa woodsii

Blackcap: Rubus leucodermis - Fruits forming.

Annual Burnet: Poteridium annuum

* Hood River Milkvetch: Astragalus hoodianus

* Nevada Deervetch: Acmispon nevadensis var. nevadensis

* Prairie Lupine: Lupinus lepidus var. aridus

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

* Velvet Lupine: Lupinus leucophyllus var. leucophyllus

* Whitish Lupine: Lupinus sulphureus var. bingensis

* Least Hopclover: Trifolium dubium

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

Klamath Weed: Hypericum perforatum

* Oregon Checkermallow: Sidalcea oregana var. procera

* Slender Godetia: Clarkia gracilis

* Tansy-leaved Evening-primrose: Camissonia tanacetifolia

Watson's Willowherb: Epilobium ciliatum ssp. watsonii ?

* Bur Chervil: Anthriscus caucalis

Columbia Desert Parsley: Lomatium columbianum

Fernleaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium dissectum var. dissectum

* Klickitat Desert Parsley: Lomatium klickitatense

Biscuitroot: Lomatium macrocarpum

* Barestem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule

* Broadnineleaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum var. anomalum

Gairdner's Yampah: Perideridia montana

Large-flowered Collomia: Collomia grandiflora

* Bluefield Gilia: Gilia capitata ssp. capitata

* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis

* Least Navarretia: Navarretia leucocephala ssp. minima

* Showy Phlox: Phlox speciosa

Ballhead Desert Parsley: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii

* Silver-leaf Phacelia: Phacelia hastata var. hastata

* Linearleaf Phacelia: Phacelia linearis

* Rigid Fiddleneck: Amsinckia retrorsa

* Yellow and Blue Scorpion Flower: Myosotis discolor

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

Mint: Mentha sp.

* Narrow-leaved Skullcap: Scutellaria angustifolia

Hairy Indian Paintbrush: Castilleja tenuis - In bud.

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora

* Bractless Hedgehyssop: Gratiola ebracteata

* Dalmatian Toadflax: Linaria dalmatica

* Short-flowered Monkeyflower: Erythranthe breviflora

* Common Monkeyflower: Erythranthe guttata

Cutleaf Penstemon: Penstemon richardsonii var. richardsonii

Common Mullein: Verbascum thapsus

Water Speedwell: Veronica anagallis-aquatica

* Purslane Speedwell: Veronica peregrina var. xalpensis

* Annual Bedstraw: Galium aparine

* Manroot: Marah oreganus

Blue Elderberry: Sambucus cerulea

Common Snowberry: Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus

* White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera

* Yarrow: Achillea millefolium

* Narrowleaf Pussytoes: Antennara stenophylla

* Carey's Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza careyana ?

* Bachelor's Button: Centaurea cyanus

* Hoary False Yarrow: Chaenactis douglasii var. douglasii

Chicory: Cichorum intybus

Canada Thistle: Cirsium arvense

Hall's Goldenweed: Columbiadoria hallii

Gray Hawksbeard: Crepis intermedia - In bud.

* Western Hawksbeard: Crepis occidentalis

Gray Rabbitbrush: Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa

Oregon Sunshine: Eriophyllum lanatum var. lanatum

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

Woollyheads: Psilocarphus sp. - In bud.

* Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltaus

Goldenrod: Solidago sp.

* Common Dandylion: Taraxacum officinale

Yellow Salsify: Tragopogon dubius

* Northern Wyethia: Wyethia amplexicaulis


Animals Seen During This Hike:

California Ground Squirrels

Yellow-bellied Marmots

Wild Turkeys

Kestrel

Horned Larks

Barn Swallows

Cliff Swallows

Scrub Jay

Red-winged Blackbirds

Brewer's Blackbirds

Western Meadowlarks

Killdeer

Mourning Doves

Flycatchers

Dark-eyed Junco

Rock Wren ?

Spring Azure

Ochre Ringlets

Woolly Bear caterpillar on Columbia Gorge Lupine

Water Striders


Paul Slichter