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

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

Washington State Highway SR 14

BLM Parcel at T3N R18E S14 SW1/4

April 20, 2011

Dune system on the side of a north-south canyon in the southern Goodnoe Hills, south-central Klickitat County, WA.............April 20, 2011.

Dune system (about 600' high) on the side of a north-south canyon in the southern Goodnoe Hills, south-central Klickitat County, WA.........April 20, 2011. Viewed down canyon towards the Columbia River. Native dune habitat has been slowly disappearing in the gorge as introduced grasses slowly invade and replace the native flora.

* indicates the wildflower is currently blooming.

Field Horsetail: Equisetum arvense

Lace Lipfern: Cheilanthes gracillima

Duckweed: Lemna minor

Tree-of-Heaven: Ailanthus altissima

Netleaf Hackberry: Celtis reticulata

Willow: Salix sp.

Black Cottonwood: Populus trichocarpa

Poison Ivy: Toxicodendron rydbergii

* Douglas' Sedge: Carex douglasii

* Indian Ricegrass: Achnatherum hymenoides - Beginning to bloom.

* Cheatgrass: Bromus tectorum

* Bulbous Bluegrass: Poa bulbosa

* Leiberg's Bluegrass: Poa leibergii

* Sandberg Bluegrass: Poa secunda

Bluebunch Wheatgrass: Pseudoroegneria spicata

Stinging Nettles: Urtica dioica (ssp. gracilis ?)

Bastard Toadflax: Comandra californica (var. pallida ?)

Sagebrush Mariposa: Calochortus macrocarpus var. macrocarpus

* Bicolored Cluster Lily: Triteleia grandiflora ssp. howellii

* Northern Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum (var. compositum ?)

Rock Buckwheat: Eriogonum sphaerocephalum

Strict Buckwheat: Eriogonum strictum (var. ?)

Wiry Knotweed: Polygonum majus - Last year's stems.

Curly Dock: Rumex crispus

* Veiny Dock: Rumex venosus

Prickly Russian Thistle: Salsola tragus - Dried remains of last year's plants.

White Sand-verbena: Abronia mellifera

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

* Sticky Chickweed: Cerastium glomeratum

Franklin's Sandwort: Eremogone franklinii var. franklinii

* Jagged Chickweed: Holosteum umbellatum

Western White Clematis: Clematis ligusticifolia

* Western Tansymustard: Descurainia (incisa ssp. filipes ?)

* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna

* Pale Wallflower: Erysimum occidentale

* Tumble Mustard: Sisymbrium altissimum

* Thick-leaf Thelypody: Thelypodium laciniatum var. laciniatum - Just beginning to bloom.

* Fringepods: Thysanocarpus curvipes

Cursed Buttercup: Ranunculus sceleratus

* Bulblet Prairie Star: Lithophragma bulbifera (Lithophragma glabrum)

Mock Orange: Philadelphus lewisii - Plants beginning to leaf out.

* Western Ladie's-mantle: Aphanes arvensis

* Cherry?: Prunus sp. - Domestic

Chokecherry: Prunus virginiana var. melanocarpa - In bud.

* Antelope Bitterbrush: Purshia tridentata - Just beginning to bloom.

Himalayan Blackberry: Rubus armeniacus

* Woollypod Milkvetch: Astragalus purshii (var. glareosus ?) - Woolly pods present too.

Milkvetch: Astragalus speirocarpus or Astragalus tweedyi ? - Leaves only.

* Soft Lupine: Lupinus sulphureus ssp. subsaccatus

Lanceleaf Scurfpea: Psoralidium lanceolatum

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

Whitestem Blazing Star: Mentzelia albicaulis - In bud.

* Contorted Pod Suncup: Camissonia contorta

Willowherb: Epilobium ciliatum (var. ?)

Pale Evening Primrose: Oenothera pallida

Canby's Desert Parsley: Lomatium canbyi - Past bloom.

Gorman's Desert Parsley: Lomatium gormanii ? - Past bloom.

* Pungent Desert Parsley: Lomatium grayi

* Nineleaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum var. triternatum

* Indian-parsnip: Pteryxia terebinthina var. foeniculaceus

Field Bindweed: Convolvulus arvensis

* Desert Shooting Star: Dodecatheon conjugens - Most plants are past bloom.

* Shy Gilia: Gilia sinuata

* Longleaf Phlox: Phlox longifolia - large swaths of pink covering much of the more naturalized ground.

Silverleaf Phacelia: Phacelia hastata var. hastata - In bud.

* Lineleaf Phacelia: Phacelia linearis - Beginning to bloom.

* Tarweed Fiddleneck: Amsinckia lycopsoides

* Rigid Fiddleneck: Amsinckia retrorsa

* Weakstem Cryptanth: Cryptantha flaccida ? - Small flowers, very thin linear leaves that spread from stem at right angles.

* Wingnut Cryptantha: Cryptantha pterocarya ?

* Slender Popcornflower: Plagiobothrys tenellus

Purple Sage: Salvia dorrii

Attenuate Paintbrush: Castilleja attenuata ? - In bud. Young plants have a purplish hue and appear much like young Triphysaria pusilla.

Common Monkeyflower: Mimulus guttatus

Sand Penstemon: Penstemon acuminatus var. acuminatus - In bud.

Suksdorf's Broomrape: Aphyllon ludovicianum - Last year's dried stems.

Clustered Broomrape: Aphyllon franciscanum - Last year's dried stems.

* Woolly Plantain: Plantago patagonica

* White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium - In bud.

* Annual Agoseris: Agoseris heterophylla

* Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha

Dragon Wormwood: Artemisia dracunculus

* Carey's Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza careyana

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

Green Rabbitbrush: Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus

Wavyleaf Thistle: Cirsium undulatum

* Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule - Beginning to fade out of bloom.

Gray Rabbitbrush: Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa

Threadleaf Fleabane: Erigeron filifolius - In bud.

Cotton-batting Plant: Gnaphalium chilense - Basal leaves only.

Annual Sunflower: Helianthus annuus - Dried stalks of last year's plants.

Match Brush: Gutierrezia sarothrae

Hairy Goldaster: Heterotheca villosa

* White Tidy Tips: Layia glandulosa

Western Goldenrod: Euthamia occidentalis ?

Sow-thistle: Sonchus sp.

* Common Dandylion: Taraxacum officinale

Salsify: Tragopogon dubius


Dune system on the side of a north-south canyon in the southern Goodnoe Hills, south-central Klickitat County, WA.............April 20, 2011. - Dune system on the side of a north-south canyon in the southern Goodnoe Hills, south-central Klickitat County, WA.............April 20, 2011.

Dune system on the side of a north-south canyon in the southern Goodnoe Hills, south-central Klickitat County, WA........April 20, 2011. The trees are hackberry (Celtis reticulata) and black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) while unfortunately, the creek bottom is smothered in himalayan blackberry (Rubus armeniacus).

Paul Slichter