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

[Wildflower Destinations in the Columbia River Gorge]


Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge

Dancing Rock

Friends of the Columbia River Gorge Property

April 20, 2012

View east from Dancing Rock over Horsethief Butte towards the eastern Columbia River Gorge...............May 1, 2010.

A view upstream towards Horsethief Butte (on the right) and the eastern Columbia River Gorge as seen from the Dancing Rock property.....................May 1, 2010. Note the biscuit-swale topography in the foreground where the biscuits are deeper vegetated soils while the swales are shallow or rocky, often lightly vegetated soils. The area enclosed by an orange construction fence on the far side of Washington Highway SR14 is a new off highway parking area that should be finished by the end of the summer. Consult with the Friends of the Columbia Gorge before visiting this property (Dancing Rock), especially to avoid trespassing onto neighboring private property.

* indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.

Homalothecium Moss: Homalothecium sp. ?

Haircap Moss: Polytrichum (pilferum ?)

Racomitrium Moss: Racomitrium sp. ?

Wallace's Spikemoss: Selaginella wallacei

Lacefern: Cheilanthes gracillima

Imbricate Sword Fern: Polystichum imbricans

Goldback Fern: Pentagramma triangularis

Brittle Fragilefern: Cystopteris fragilis

* Big-leaf Maple: Acer macrophyllum

California Hazelnut: Corylus cornuta var. californica

Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana

* Peach-leaf Willow: Salix amygdaloides ?

* Booth's Willow: Salix boothii ?

Coyote Willow: Salix exigua (var. ?) - A few leaves appearing.

Needlegrass: Achnatherum sp. - In bud.

Soft Brome: Bromus hordeaceus ssp. hordeaceus

* Cheatgrass: Bromus tectorum

Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides

Basin Wildrye: Leymus cinereus

* Bulbous Bluegrass: Poa bulbosa

* Leiberg's Bluegrass: Poa leibergii

* Nevada Bluegrass: Poa secunda var. juncifolia

* Sandberg's Bluegrass: Poa secunda var. secunda

Bluebunch Wheatgrass: Pseudoroegneria spicata

Medusahead: Taeniatherum caput-medusae

Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum

* Common Camas: Camassia quamash var. breviflora - Beginning to bloom.

Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica - Pods well formed.

* Star-flowered False Solomon Seal: Maianthemum stellatum

Bicolor Cluster Lily: Triteleia grandiflora ssp. howellii - In bud,.

* Panicled Death Camas: Zigadenus paniculatus

Daffodils: Narcisus sp.

* Heartleaf Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum var. compositum - Yellow-flowered form.

Tall Buckwheat: Eriogonum elatum

Strict Buckwheat: Eriogonum strictum (var. proliferum?)

Curly Dock: Rumex crispus

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata ssp. intermontana

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata ssp. perfoliata

Water Chickweed: Montia fontana

* Lineleaf Montia: Montia linearis

* Jagged Chickweed: Holosteum umbellatum

* Common Chickweed: Stellaria media

* Shining Oregon Grape: Berberis aquifolium

Meadow Larkspur: Delphinium distichum

* Least Mousetail: Myosurus minimus

* Shepherd's Purse: Capsella bursa-pastoris

* Little Western Bittercress: Cardamine oligosperma

* Spring Whitlow Grass: Draba verna

Scalepod: Idahoa scapigera - Pods are maturing.

* Fringepods: Thysanocarpus curvipes

Mock Orange: Philadelphus lewisii - Leafing out.

* Bulblet Prairie Star: Lithophragma bulbifera

* Small-flowered Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum

* Northwestern Saxifrage: Saxifraga integrifolia var. claytoniifolia - Fading out of bloom.

* Cusick's Serviceberry: Amelanchier alnifolia var. cusickii

Oceanspray: Holodiscus discolor

* Bitter Cherry: Prunus emarginata var. emarginata

* Chokecherry: Prunus virginiana var. melanocarpa

Himalayan Blackberry: Rubus armeniacus

Douglas' Spiraea: Spiraea douglasii (var. ?)

Columbia Gorge Lupine: Lupinus latifolius x sericeus ?

Prairie Lupine: Lupinus lepidus (var. aridus ?)

* Small-flowered Lupine: Lupinus micranthus

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

Klamath Weed: Hypericum perforatum

Poison Oak: Toxicodendron (diversilobum ?) - Beginning to leaf out.

Chervil: Anthriscus caucalis

* Pungent Desert Parsley: Lomatium grayii

* Barestem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule

* Broadnineleaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum var. anomalum (or L. leptocarpum?)

Gairdner's Yampah: Perideridia gairdnerii

* Creek Dogwood: Cornus sericea

Desert Shooting Star: Dodecatheon conjugens - Past bloom.

* Poet's Shooting Star: Dodecatheon poeticum

Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis

Navarretia: Navarretia sp.

* Ball-head Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii

* Meadow Nemophila: Nemophila pedunculata

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

* Varileaf Phacelia: Phacelia heterophylla

* Tarweed Fiddleneck: Amsinckia lycopsoides

* Rigid Fiddleneck: Amsinckia retrorsa

* Weak-stemmed Cryptanth: Cryptantha flaccida

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

* Small-flowered Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys tenellus

* Attenuate Indian Paintbrush: Castilleja attenuata - Beginning to bloom.

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora

* Common Monkeyflower: Mimulus guttatus

Cutleaf Penstemon: Penstemon richardsonii v. richardsonii

* Corn Speedwell: Veronica arvensis

* Purslane Speedwell: Veronica peregrina var. xalapensis

* Naked Broomrape: Orobanche uniflora var. purpurea

* Bedstraw, Cleavers: Galium aparine var. echinospermum

* Manroot: Marah oreganus

* White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium - In bud.

* Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha

* Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza (careyana ?)

Gray Rabbitbrush: Ericameria nauseosa (v. speciosa?)

Columbia Goldenweed: Ericameria resinosa

* Cushion Fleabane: Erigeron poliospermus - Beginning to bloom.

Scouler's Hawkweed: Hieracium scouleri var. cynoglossoides

* False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides

Yellow Salsify: Tragopogon dubius


Animals Seen at this Site:

California Ground Squirrels

California Quail

Turkey Vultures

Scrub Jays

Western Meadowlarks

Mourning Doves

Dark-eyed Junco

Yellow-rumped Warblers

Violet-green Swallows

Canyon Wren

Lady Bug


A small vernal pond at Dancing Rock, eastern Columbia River Gorge............May 1, 2010. - Rattlesnake seen at Dancing Rock on May 1, 2010.

One of several small vernal ponds that can be seen at the Dancing Rock property, and a two foot long rattlesnake seen just to the right of the photo..................May 1, 2010.

Paul Slichter