[Wildflower bloom in the Columbia River Gorge: 2011]
Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington

BLM and Washington Department of Natural Resources Parcels

Middle Klickitat River Drainage

T4N R14E S16 & S17

Elevation: 1300-1500'

April 12, 2011

A view across the canyon of the Little Klickitat River towards Washington Highway 142 as it winds its way past the mouth of Canyon Creek...........April 12, 2011.

A view across the canyon of the Little Klickitat River towards Washington Highway 142 as it winds its way past the mouth of Canyon Creek...........April 12, 2011. The snow-capped Simcoe Mountains can be seen in the distance at left.
* indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.

Weather: Light overcast with sun trying to shine through the cloud layer. Mt. Adams was clearly visible in by the early afternoon. Temperature was in the 50s with light winds to 4 mph in the afternoon. The Klickitat Canyon was visible from lower Swale Canyon north to Soda Springs. Lower Canyon Creek and the lower Little Klickitat River were also visible. The north side of the Columbia Hills and upper High Prairie were visible and now entirely snow free. The Simcoe Mountains are covered with fresh snow down to about 3000/ but Grayback Mt. several miles directly north is snow free.

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii

Alder: Alnus sp.

Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana

Willow: Salix sp. - In bud.

* Elk Sedge: Carex geyeri

Cheatgrass: Bromus tectorum

Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides (ssp. ?)

Prairie Junegrass: Koeleria macrantha ? (or Pinegrass: Calamagrostis rubescens ?)

* Bulbous Bluegrass: Poa bulbosa

* Sandberg's Bluegrass: Poa sandbergii ?

Bluebunch Wheatgrass: Pseudoroegneria spicata ?

Medusa-head: Taenitherum caput-medusae

Onion: Allium sp.

* Pale-anthered Glacier Lily: Erythronium grandiflorum var. pallidum

* Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica

Bicolored Cluster Lily: Triteleia grandiflora ssp. howellii - In bud.

* Panicle Deathcamas: Toxicoscordion paniculatum - Beginning to bloom.

* Grass Widows: Olsynium douglasii var. douglasii - Fading out of bloom. The swales that cross the flat portions of these parcels were swaths of violet two weeks ago due to the mass of grass widows in bloom.

Rein Orchids: Piperia (elegans or unalascensis ?)

Starwort: Callitriche sp. ?

Northern Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum var. compositum

Tall Buckwheat: Eriogonum elatum

* Red Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia rubra (ssp. rubra ?)

Streambank Springbeauty: Claytonia parviflora

* Montia

* Linearleaf Montia: Montia linearis

* Jagged Chickweed: Holosteum umbellatum

Common Chickweed: Stellaria media

Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum (var. nuttallianum?) - In bud.

* Oaks Toothwort: Cardamine nuttallii var. nuttallii

* Little Western Bittercress: Cardamine oligosperma

* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna

Scale Pod: Idahoa scapigera - pods

* Bulblet Prairie Stars: Lithophragma bulbifera (now Lithophragma glabrum)

* Prairie Stars: Lithophragma glabrum

* Small-flowered Prairie Stars: Lithophragma parviflorum - A few plants in bloom.

* Northwestern Saxifrage: Saxifraga integrifolia var. claytoniifolia

* Northwestern Saxifrage: Saxifraga integrifolia (var. integrifolia ?)

Mock Orange: Philadelphus lewisii

Serviceberry: Amelanchier alnifolia (var. ?) - Leaf buds and flower buds ready to open.

Hawthorn: Crataegus sp.

Oceanspray: Holodiscus discolor

Cinquefoil: Potentilla glandulosa (var. ?)

Pea: Lathyrus sp. (L. pauciflorus ?)

Velvet Lupine: Lupinus leucophyllus

Columbia Gorge Lupine: Lupinus sp. (latifolius X sericeus ?) - Some plants with racemes in bud.

Vetch: Vicia sp.

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

* Sagebrush Violet: Viola trinervata

Valley Violet: Viola vallicola ? - Leaves only. Leaves thin, broad, glabrous.

Deerbrush: Ceanothus integerrimus

Slender Clarkia: Clarkia gracilis ? or (Small-flowered Godetia: Clarkia purpurea ssp. quadrivulnera ?)

Tall Annual Willowherb: Epilobium brachycarpum

Stiff Spike-primrose: Epilobium strictum - ?

Burr Chervil: Anthriscus caucalis ?

* Columbia Desert Parsley: Lomatium columbianum

* Fernleaf Desert Parlsey: Lomatium dissectum (var. multifidum ?)

* Biscuitroot: Lomatium macrocarpum (yellow flowers) - Beginning to bloom.

* Pungent Desert Parlsey: Lomatium grayi

* Barestem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule

* Salt and Pepper: Lomatium piperi (with possibility some were L. gormanii) - Corms were palatible. Some plants were caulescent, others seemed to be acaulescent. Fading out of bloom except in shades places.

* Suksdorf's Desert Parsley: Lomatium suksdorfii

* Nineleaf Desert Parlsey: Lomatium triternatum var. triternatum

Gairdner's Yampah: Perideridia gairdneri

* Desert Shooting Star: Dodecatheon conjugens

* Poet's Shooting Star: Dodecatheon poeticum

Columbia Frasera: Frasera albicaulis var. columbiana - Some plants in bud.

* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis

Needleleaf Navarretia: Navarretia intertexta (ssp. ?)

* Showy Phlox: Phlox speciosa - A few plants beginning to bloom.

* Ballheaded Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii

* Meadow Nemophila: Nemophila pedunculata

Puccoon: Lithospermum ruderale - Many plants in bud.

* Slender Popcornflower: Plagiobothrys tenellus

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora

Small-flowered Tonella: Tonella tenella - In bud.

Dwarf Owl-clover: Triphysaria pusilla - In bud.

Cleavers: Galium aparine

* White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera

Snowberry: Symphoricarpos sp. - Leaf buds breaking.

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis

Spearleaf Agoseris: Agoseris retrorsa

* Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha

Woodrush Pussytoes: Antennaria (luzuloides ?)

Heartleaf Arnica: Arnica cordifolia

* Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza (careyana?) - Beginning to bloom.

Knapweed: Centaurea (diffusa?)

Hawksbeard: Crepis sp.

Hawksbeard: Crepis sp.

* Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule

Gray Rabbitbrush: Ericameria nauseosa (var. ?)

Yellow Salsify: Tragopogon dubius

Blanketflower: Gaillardia aristata ?

* False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides - Beginning to bloom.

Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus (var. exaltatus or var. ochroleucus ?) - In bud.

Earth Stars (Geastraceae)

Animals Seen Along This Route:

California Ground Squirrels

Mule Deer

Red-tailed Hawk

Kesterel

Ravens

Stellers Jays

Northern Flickers

Hairy Woodpecker - Male

Long-billed Curlew

Western Meadowlarks

Starlings

American Robins - numerous

Townsend's Solitaire

Western Bluebirds

Dark-eyed Juncos

Chickadee

Violet-green Swallows

Anise Swallowtails

A view north towards Mt. Adams from the DNR parcel at T4N R14E S16................April 12, 2011. - A view north towards the Klickitat River and the mouth of the Little Klickitat River (at right) from the DNR parcel at T4N R14E S16................April 12, 2011. - A view southwest towards the mouth of Swale Canyon and the Klickitat River at Wahkiacus from the heights at the west end of the BLM parcel at T4N R14E S17...............April 12, 2011.

The photo at right shows a view north towards Mt. Adams from the DNR parcel at T4N R14E S16................April 12, 2011. The photo at center shows a view north towards the Klickitat River and the mouth of the Little Klickitat River (at right) from the DNR parcel at T4N R14E S16................April 12, 2011. The last photo shows a view southwest towards the mouth of Swale Canyon and the Klickitat River at Wahkiacus from the heights at the west end of the BLM parcel at T4N R14E S17...............April 12, 2011.
Paul Slichter E-mail