[Wildflower Bloom Reports for the Columbia River Gorge: 2012]

Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington

Informal Trail from Memaloose to Rowena and Vicinity

April 15, 2012

View northeast towards the mouth of the Klickitat River from the Memaloose-Rowena Trail........April 15, 2012.

View northeast towards the mouth of the Klickitat River (at Lyle, WA) from the Memaloose-Rowena Trail........April 15, 2012. The Memaloose-Rowena Trail is an unofficial trail (or several trails) stretching between Memaloose and the lower portion of Rowena. Be prepared for numerous ticks, abundant poison oak (as the trail is not kept clear at all points), and it helps to be competent of route finding as you cross several deep canyons which are forested and filled with poison oak.

* Indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.

Dog Lichen: Peltigera sp. - grayish surface.

Red Glossy Bryum Moss: Bryum miniatum

Juniper Haircap Moss: Polytrichum juniperinum

Polytrichum Moss: Polytrichum pilferum

Elongate Racomitrium Moss: Racomitrium (elongatum ?)

Wallace's Spikemoss: Selaginella wallacei

Field Horsetail: Equisetum arvense

Fragile Fern: Cystopteris fragilis

Licorice Fern: Polypodium glycyrrhiza

Gold Back Fern: Pentagramma triangularis ssp. triangularis

Imbricate Sword Fern: Polystichum imbricans ssp. imbricans

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

* Big-leaf Maple: Acer macrophyllum - Beginning to bloom.

Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana

Quaking Aspen: Populus tremuloides - New foliage is striking in the morning light.

Common Cattail: Typha latifolia

Soft Rush: Juncus effusus ssp. pacificus - Diffuse inflorescence.

* Long-anthered Woodrush: Luzula macrantha

* Meadow Foxtail: Alopecurus (pratensis?)

Soft Brome: Bromus hordeaceus

Bristly Dog's-tail Grass: Cynosurus echinatus

Orchard Grass: Dactylis glomerata

Prairie Junegrass: Koehleria macrantha

* Bulbous Blue Grass: Poa bulbosa

* Leiberg's Blue Grass: Poa leibergii - Probably the largest population of this attractive grass I've seen so far in the Gorge!

* Nevada Bluegrass: Poa secunda ssp. juncifolia - Fairly numerous.

* Sandberg's Bluegrass: Poa secunda ssp. secunda - A few plants seen.

Bluebunch Wheatgrass: Pseudoroegneria spicatum - Common away from the cultivated fields areas that were heavily grazed.

Medusahead Wildrye: Taeniatherum caput-medusae

* Daffodils: Narcissus sp. - This area had an old homestead on it.

Sagebrush Mariposa: Calochortus macrocarpus var. macrocarpus - Numerous basal leaves.

Common Camas: Camassia quamash - Plants in bud.

Ookow, Ball-head Cluster Lily: Dichelostemma congestum

* Pale-anthered Glacier Lily: Erythronium grandiflorum var. pallidum - Fading out of bloom.

* Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica - Fading out of bloom.

Bicolored Cluster Lily: Triteleia grandiflora ssp. howellii - Several plants in bud.

* Grass Widows: Olsynium douglasii (old var. douglasii) - Fading out of bloom.

Long-spurred Rein Orchid: Piperia elegans ? - (basal leaves only, so this could also be Piperia unalascensis or one of the other 3 rein orchids)

Common Bastard Toad-flax: Comandra umbellata var. californica - In bud.

Heart-leaf Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum var. compositum

Tall Buckwheat: Eriogonum elatum

Strict Buckwheat: Eriogonum strictum var. proliferum

Sheep Sorrel: Rumex acetosella

Curly Dock: Rumex crispus

* Little Springbeauty: Claytonia exigua (ssp. exigua ?)

* Streambank Springbeauty: Claytonia parviflora

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata ssp. perfoliata

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

* Water Chickweed: Montia fontana

* Line-leaf Montia: Montia linearis

* Chickweed: Cerastium sp.

* Jagged Chickweed: Holosteum umbellatum

* Chickweed: Stellaria media

* Shiny Starwort: Stellaria nitens

* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum var. nuttallianum - Beginning to bloom.

* Western Buttercup: Ranunculus occidentalis var. occidentalis - Numerous.

* Shining Oregon Grape: Berberis aquifolium

* American Wintercress: Barbarea orthoceras - Beginning to bloom.

* Dutchman's Breeches: Dicentra cucullaria

* Oaks Toothwort: Cardamine nuttallii - Fading out of bloom.

* Little Western Bittercress: Cardamine oligosperma

* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna var. boerhaavii

Scale Pod: Idahoa scapigera - Pods well-developed.

* Fringe Pod: Thysanocarpus curvipes - Numerous.

* Smooth Praire Star: Lithophragma glabrum

* Small-flowered Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum

* Peak Saxifrage: Saxifraga nidifica var. claytoniifolia

* Northwestern Saxifrage: Saxifraga integrifolia var. integrifolia

* Rustyhair Saxifrage: Saxifraga rufidula

Mock Orange: Philadelphus lewisii - Beginning to leaf out.

* Cusick's Serviceberry: Amelanchier alnifolia (var. cusickii ?) - Beginning to bloom.

Ocean Spray: Holodiscus discolor - Beginning to leaf out.

Pearhip Rose: Rosa woodsii var. ultramontana ?

Himalayan Blackberry: Rubus armeniacus

Annual Burnet: Sanguisorba annua

Few-flowered Pea: Lathyrus pauciflorus var. pauciflorus ? - Leaflets long and thin. Plants 6-12" tall.

Common Broad-leaf Lupine: Lupinus latifolius var. thompsonianus - In bud.

* Small-flowered Lupine: Lupinus micranthus - Beginning to bloom.

Bighead Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum

Vetch: Vicia sp.

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

Poison Oak: Toxicodendron diversiloba - A few plants beginning to leaf out.

Slender Clarkia: Clarkia gracilis ? - Dried stems of last year's plants.

Chervil: Anthriscus scandicina

* Columbia Desert Parsley: Lomatium columbianum

* Fern-leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium dissectum var. dissectum - Beginning to bloom.

* Pungent Desert Parsley: Lomatium grayi

* Biscuitroot: Lomatium macrocarpum (yellow-flowered form)

* Bare-stem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule - Beginning to bloom.

* Nineleaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum var. triternatum

Yampah: Perideridia gairdneri

Western Snakeroot: Sanicula crassicaulis

* Sierra Snakeroot: Sanicula graveolens - Beginning to bloom.

* Desert Shooting Star: Dodecatheon conjugens - Fading out of bloom.

* Poet's Shooting Star: Dodecatheon poeticum

Columbia Frasera: Frasera albicaulis var. columbiana

Narrow-leaf Milkweed: Asclepias fascicularis

* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis

* Ball-head Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii - Beginning to bloom.

Woods Nemophila: Nemophila parviflora

* Meadow Nemophila: Nemophila pedunculata

Silverleaf Phacelia: Phacelia hastata var. hastata

* Rigid Fiddleneck: Amsinckia retrorsa

* Common Cryptanth: Cryptantha intermedia - Beginning to bloom.

* Puccoon: Lithospermum ruderale - Beginning to bloom.

* Eastside Popcornflower: Plagiobothrys hispidulus (P. scouleri)

* Rusty Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys nothofulvus

* Slender Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys tenellus

* Red Deadnettle: Lamium purpureum

* Attenuate Indian Paintbrush: Castilleja attenuata (Orthocarpus attenuatus) - Beginning to bloom.

* Harsh Paintbrush: Castilleja hispida var. hispida - A few plants beginning to show some color.

* Large-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia grandiflora - Beginning to bloom.

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora

* Few-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia sparsiflora

* Chickweed Monkeyflower: Mimulus alsinoides

* Common Monkey Flower: Mimulus guttatus - Beginning to bloom.

Cutleaf Penstemon: Penstemon richardsonii

* Small-flowered Tonella: Tonella tenella

Dwarf Owl-clover: Triphysaria pusilla (Orthocarpus pusillus)

* Naked Broomrape: Orobanche uniflora

Common Plantain: Plantago major

* Bedstraw: Galium aparine var. echinospermum

Big Root: Marah oreganus -

Common Snowberry: Symphoricarpos albus - Beginning to leaf out.

* Long-spurred Plectritis: Plectritis ciliosa

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium

* Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha

Common Burdock: Arctium minus

* Northwestern Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza deltoidea (or B. careyana?, or a hybrid between the two?) - Beginning to bloom.

Bachelor's Button: Centaurea cyanus

Bull Thistle: Cirsium vulgare

Columbia Goldenweed: Columbiadora hallii

Gray Hawksbeard: Crepis intermedia

* Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule

Woolly Sunflower: Eriophyllum lanatum (var. ?)

Columbia Gumweed: Grindelia nana var. discoidea (G. columbiana) ? - Basal leaves and last year's dried stems.

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

False Dandylion: Hypochaeris radicata

* False Agoseris, Prairie Dandelion: Nothocalais troximoides - Beginning to bloom.

Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus (var. exaltatus ?)

* Common Dandelion: Taraxacum officinale

Yellow Salsify: Tragopogon dubius


Animals Seen Along This Route Today:

California Ground Squirrels

Mule Deer (or hybrid with Black-tailed Deer ?)

Turkey Vultures

Red-tailed Hawks

Hen Turkey

California Quail

Northern Flicker

Red-winged Blackbirds

Ravens

Crows

Scrub Jays

Stellers Jays

Western Meadowlarks

Spotted Towhees

American Robins

Western Bluebird

House Finches

Black-capped Chickadees

Yellow-rumped Warblers

Tree Frogs - Numerous, fleeing our heavy footsteps through the grass!

Sara's Orangetips - Numerous. Observed nectaring on Phlox gracilis.

Propertius Duskywing - Nectaring on Lomatium columbianum

Large Bumble Bees - numerous (yellow head and tail, black body)

Domestic Honey Bees

Hoover Flies

Deer Ticks (tiny)

Dog Ticks (larger)


View west towards the Memaloose Rest Area along Interstate 84 from along the Memaloose-Rowena Trail.........April 15, 2012. - View west towards the Memaloose Rest Area from the Memaloose-Rowena Trail..........April 15, 2012.

Two views west towards the Memaloose Rest Area along Interstate 84 with poison oak beginning to leaf out and both bigleaf maple and Cusick's serviceberry in bloom. Note the hills of Catherine Creek in the distance across the Columbia River.


Paul Slichter