[Wildflower bloom in the Columbia River Gorge: 2011]
Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge

BLM and Washington Department of Natural Resources Parcels

Middle Klickitat River Drainage

T4N R14E S16 & S17

Elevation: 1300-1500'

May 8, 2011

Carey's balsamroot and puccoon blooming on DNR lands along Horseshoe Bend Road, Klickitat County, WA..........May 8, 2011.

Carey's balsamroot (Balsamorhiza careyana) and puccoon (Lithospermum ruderale) as seen on Washington Department of Natural Resources lands along Horseshoe Bend Road, western Klickitat County, WA...................May 8, 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.

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii

Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana

* Elk Sedge: Carex geyeri

Cheatgrass: Bromus tectorum

Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides (ssp. ?)

Prairie Junegrass: Koeleria macrantha

* Bulbous Bluegrass: Poa bulbosa

* Leiberg's Bluegrass: Poa leibergii

* Nevada Bluegrass: Poa nevadensis

* Sandberg's Bluegrass: Poa secunda ssp. secunda

Bluebunch Wheatgrass: Pseudoroegneria spicata

Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum - In bud.

* Bicolored Cluster Lily: Triteleia grandiflora ssp. howellii

* Panicle Deathcamas: Toxicoscordion paniculatum

Tall Buckwheat: Eriogonum elatum

* Streambank Springbeauty: Claytonia parviflora

* Jagged Chickweed: Holosteum umbellatum

* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum var. nuttallianum

* Oaks Toothwort: Cardamine nuttallii var. nuttallii - Mostly past bloom.

* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna

Scale Pod: Idahoa scapigera - pods

* Fringepods: Thysanocarpus curvipes

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

* Small-flowered Prairie Stars: Lithophragma parviflorum

Black Hawthorn: Crataegus douglasii

* Small-flowered Lupine: Lupinus micranthus

* Columbia Gorge Lupine: Lupinus latifolius X sericeus - Could also be Wyeth's lupine. Lupines seem to morph from one species to the other through the Klickitat.

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

* Sagebrush Violet: Viola trinervata - A few plants remain in bloom.

* Biscuitroot: Lomatium macrocarpum (yellow flowers)

* Barestem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule

* Suksdorf's Desert Parsley: Lomatium suksdorfii

* Nineleaf Desert Parlsey: Lomatium triternatum var. triternatum

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

* Bolander's Babystars: Leptosiphon bolanderi

* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis

* Showy Phlox: Phlox speciosa

* Ballheaded Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii

* Rigid Fiddleneck: Amsinckia retrorsa

* Weakstem Cryptanth: Cryptantha flaccida

* Intermediate Cryptanth: Cryptantha intermedia

* Puccoon: Lithospermum ruderale

* Small-flowered Scorpionweed: Myosotis micrantha

* Little Combseed: Pectocarya pusilla

* Slender Popcornflower: Plagiobothrys tenellus

* Attenuate Indian Paintbrush: Castilleja attenuata

* Hairy Owl's Clover: Castilleja tenuis

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora

* Common Monkeyflower: Mimulus guttatus

* Small-flowered Tonella: Tonella tenella

* Naked Broomrape: Orobanche uniflora - Many plants are albinos.

* Cleavers: Galium aparine

* White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera

* Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha

* Carey's Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza careyana

* False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides

Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltatus

Animals Seen Along This Route:

Turkey Vulture

Red-tailed Hawk

Raven

Western Meadowlarks

Starlings

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Violet-green Swallows

Western Gopher Snake

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