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

Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington

Catherine Creek

A Native Plant Society of Oregon Field Trip (on April 7th)

April 3 & 7, 2012

False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides

False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides

* Indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.

Comprehensive Catherine Creek Plant List

Earth Stars: Geaster sp.

Wolf Lichen: Letharia vulpina

Antlered Perfume: Evernia prunastri

Glossy Red Bryum Moss: Bryum miniatum

Fire Moss: Ceratodon purpureus

Homalothecium Moss: Homalothecium sp.

Juniper Haircap Moss: Polytrichum juniperinum

Polytrichum Moss: Polytrichum pilferum

Elongate Racomitrium Moss: Racomitrium elongatum

Wallace's Spikemoss: Selaginella wallacei

Podfern: Aspidotis densa - New foliage emerging.

Fragile Fern: Cystopteris fragilis

Licorice Fern: Polypodium glycyrrhiza

Imbricate Fern: Polystichum imbricans

Sword Fern: Polystichum munitum - Restricted to the floor of oak and conifer forests here.

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana var. garryana

* Long-anthered Woodrush: Luzula macrantha

* Bulbous Blue Grass: Poa bulbosa

* Leiberg's Bluegrass: Poa leibergii

* Nevada Bluegrass: Poa secunda ssp. juncifolia

* Sandberg's Bluegrass: Poa secunda ssp. secunda

Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum - Basal leaves abundant on rock outcrops with shallow soils.

Ball-head Cluster Lily: Dichelostemma congestum - Basal leaves only.

* Common Camas: Camassia quamash (var. breviflora ?) - One plant seen in bloom. Many plants with well-formed flower buds.

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

Chocolate Lily: Fritillaria affinis - Many plants with well-formed flower buds.

* Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica - Fading out of bloom at low elevation. Still a decent bloom at elevations above the top of the arch.

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

* Meadow Death-camas: Toxicoscordion venenosum var. venenosum - Beginning to bloom.

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

Rein-orchid: Platanthera sp.

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata ssp. intermontana

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata ssp. perfoliata - Beginning to bloom.

Bitterroot: Lewisia rediviva - A few plants with small flower buds.

* Dwarf Montia: Montia dichotoma

* Water Chickweed: Montia fontana var. tenerrima

* Line-leaf Montia: Montia linearis

* Chickweed: Stellaria media

Shiny Starwort: Stellaria nitens - In bud along old Highway 8.

* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum - Mostly in bud, but one plant was beginning to flower along the road north towards the Arch.

* Western Buttercup: Ranunculus occidentalis var. occidentalis

* Shining Oregon Grape: Berberis aquifolium

* Dutchman Breeches: Dicentra cucullaria

* Oaks Toothwort: Cardamine nuttallii

* Little Western Bittercress: Cardamine oligosperma - Fading out of bloom except in shaded places.

* Spring Whitlow Grass: Draba verna

Scale Pod: Idahoa scapigera - Pods visible.

* Shepherd's Cress: Teesdalia nudicaulis

* Smooth Praire Star: Lithophragma glabrum

* Small-flowered Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum - Beginning to bloom.

Brittle-leaved Saxifrage: Micranthes fragosa - In bud.

* Northwestern Saxifrage: Micranthes integrifolia

* Rusty-hair Saxifrage: Micranthes rufidula

Mock Orange: Philadelphus lewisii - Beginning to leaf out.

Oceanspray: Holodiscus discolor

Annual Burnet: Poteridium annuum

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

Columbia Gorge Lupine: Lupinus latifolius x sericeus (Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius) - Some plants with budding racemes visible near Catherine Creek.

Bighead Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum

* Sand Clover: Trifolium oliganthum (formerly Trifolium variegatum) - A few plants beginning to bloom on the downhill side of old Highway 8.

* Cutleaf Violet: Viola sheltonii - Beginning to bloom.

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

Dovefoot Geranium: Geranium molle

Poison Oak: Toxicodendron diversilobum - A few plants with signs they are about to leaf out.

* Columbia Desert Parsley: Lomatium columbianum - Past peak bloom.

* Klickitat Desert Parsley: Lomatium klickitatense

* Biscuitroot: Lomatium macrocarpum (yellow-flowered form)

Bare-stem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule

* Butterfly-loving Desert Parsley: Lomatium papilioniferum

* Salt and Pepper: Lomatium piperi - Fading out of bloom.

Suksdorf's Desert Parsley: Lomatium suksdorfii - Nearly in bloom.

* Nineleaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum var. triternatum - Beginning to bloom.

Common Sweet-cicely: Osmorhiza berteroi

Western Snakeroot: Sanicula crassicaulis

* Sierra Snakeroot: Sanicula graveolens

* Desert Shooting Star: Dodecatheon conjugens

* Poet's Shooting Star: Dodecatheon poeticum - Still a week or two from peak bloom.

* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis

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

Woods Nemophila: Nemophila parviflora (var. austiniae ?) - Leaves observed at the locations having glacier lilies and dutchman's breeches.

* Meadow Nemophila: Nemophila pedunculata

* Rigid Fiddleneck: Amsinckia retrorsa

* Common Cryptanth: Cryptantha intermedia - Beginning to bloom.

* Great Houndstongue: Adelinia grandis

* Rusty Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys nothofulvus

* Slender Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys tenellus

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora

* Few-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia sparsiflora - Beginning to bloom.

* Chickweed Monkey Flower: Erythranthe alsinoides

* Common Monkey Flower: Erythranthe guttata - Beginning to bloom.

Barrett's Penstemon: Penstemon barrettiae

Dwarf Owl-clover: Triphysaria pusilla

* Naked Broomrape: Aphyllon purpureum

Bedstraw, Cleavers: Galium aparine

Big Root: Marah oreganus

* Long-spurred Plectritis: Plectritis ciliosa

* Rosy Plectritis: Plectritis congesta

* White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium - In bud along Old Highway 8.

Spearleaf Agoseris: Agoseris retrorsa

* Northwest Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza deltoidea x sagittata - A few plants beginning to bloom.

* Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule

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

Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltatus - Basal leaves only.

* Common Groundsel: Senecio vulgaris

* Common Dandylion: Taraxacum officinale


Animals Seen Along This Route Today:

Red-tailed Hawks

Kestrels

Turkey Vultures

Northern Flicker

Lewis' Woodpecker

Stellers Jays

Scrub Jays

Western Meadowlarks

American Robins

Western Bluebirds

Dark-eyed Juncos

Violet-green Swallows

Water Striders


Paul Slichter