[ Wildflower Reports for the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington: 2013]

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

April 3, 2013

Columbia Hills Natural Area Preserve and Columbia Hills State Park

Lance-leaf springbeauty (Claytonia lanceolata)

The photo above shows a close-up of the flowers of lance-leaf springbeauty (Claytonia lanceolata) as seen on the moister, upper slopes of the Columbia Hills on April 9, 2005. In some locations, this species is quite numerous, adding color to the slopes of bunchgrass.

* Indicates a wildflower currently in bloom or in a reproductive state.

Weather: Temperature - low to mid 60s. Mostly sunny in the morning with high overcast increasing in the afternoon with light winds!


* Bulbous Bluegrass: Poa bulbifera - Inflorescence opening up and bulbils visible.

* Nevada Bluegrass: Poa juncifolia ssp. juncifolia - Beginning to bloom.

* Pale-anther Glacier Lily: Erythronium grandiflorum var. pallidum - Just beginning to bloom under shrubbery just below the north side of the summit ridge.

* Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica - Fading out of bloom on the upper, north-facing slopes of the ridge.

Scabland Wild Buckwheat: Eriogonum sphaerocephalum var. sublineare - Some were sighted in bloom on Tuesday on ridgetops east of US 97 on the Washington side of the Gorge.

Tall Buckwheat: Eriogonum elatum

Strict Buckwheat: Eriogonum strictum var. proliferum

* Lance-leaf Springbeauty: Claytonia lanceolata

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata (ssp. ?)

Bitterroot: Lewisia rediviva

* Jagged Chickweed: Holosteum umbellatum

* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum

* The Dalles Mt. Buttercup: Ranunculus triternatus - A few still in bloom at the highest elevations and on the north-facing slopes.

* Purple Sicklepod Rockcress: Boechera atrorubens - Beginning to bloom.

* Douglas' Draba: Cusickiella douglasii

* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna

Scale Pod: Idahoa scapigera - Pods only.

* Dagger Pod: Phoenicaulis cheiranthoides - Beginning to bloom at the higher elevations.

* Fringe Pod: Thysanocarpus curvipes - Still in bloom with lots of ripe seed pods.

Bulblet Prairie Star: Lithophragma bulbifera (Now included as part of Lithophragma glabrum.) - In bloom at higher elevations.

* Smooth Prairie Star: Lithophragma glabrum

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

* Brittle-leaved Saxifrage: Micranthes fragosa

Serviceberry: Amelanchier alnifolia - In bud.

Ocean Spray: Holodiscus discolor

* Woolly-pod Milk-vetch: Astragalus purshii

* Yakima Milk-vetch: Astragalus reventiformis - Beginning to bloom.

* Columbia Gorge Broad-leaf Lupine: Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius (formerly var. thompsonianus - Beginning to bloom along the Dalles Mt. Road near Dancing Rock.

* Big-head Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum - Beginning to bloom at lower elevations along the Dalles Mt. Road.

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

* Canby's Desert Parsley: Lomatium canbyi - A few still in bloom at the highest elevations. Mostly going to seed.

* Salt and Pepper: Lomatium gormanii - A few plants in bloom at the highest elevations.

* Klickitat Desert Parsley: Lomatium klickitatense - Abundant bloom (very pungent fragrance) at lower to middle elevations.

* Gray-leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium macrocarpum - White flowered form (with a few yellow-flowered forms), fairly common above 2000'.

* Bare-stem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule - Small plants, but numerous bloom.

* Butterfly-loving (Pungent) Desert Parsley: Lomatium papilioniferum -

* Salt and Pepper: Lomatium piperi - A few plants still in bloom on the upper, north-facing slopes where snow lay late into the spring.

* Nine Leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium tridentatum var. triternatum

* Watson's Desert Parsley: Lomatium watsonii

Gairdner's Yampah: Perideridia montana

* Desert Shooting Star: Dodecatheon conjugens - Beginning to bloom at high elevations.

Columbia Frasera: Frasera albicaulis var. nitida

* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis - A few in bloom on middle elevation slopes.

* Hood's Phlox: Phlox hoodii - Beginning bloom at low and middle elevations.

Showy Phlox: Phlox speciosa - In bud.

* Little Bells Polemonium: Polemonium micranthum

Ball-head Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii

* Fiddleneck: Amsinckia retrorsa - Small plants, not common yet.

* Puccoon: Lithospermum ruderale - Beginning to bloom.

* Slender Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys tenellus

* Harsh Paintbrush: Castilleja hispida var. acuta - A few dozen plants are now beginning to bloom in the moister soils along the road, above the parking area.

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora - Abundant at most elevations.

Hotrock Penstemon: Penstemon deustus var. variabilis

Gairdner's Penstemon: Penstemon gairdneri var. gairdneri

Stickystem Penstemon: Penstemon glandulosus var. chelanensis

* Mountain Kittentails: Veronica missurica ssp. stellata

Common Snowberry: Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus - Beginning to leaf out under the oak trees.

* White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera - Beginning to bloom.

* Big Root, Wild Cucumber: Marah oreganus - Fairly abundant along the Dalles Mt. Road.

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium

* Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha - Fairly common at all elevations.

* Carey's Balsamroot: Balsamhoriza careyana (or Balsamorhiza careyana x deltoidea, I did not key them out.) - Plants are small but numerous below, just beginning to bloom at middle elevations.

Hoary False Yarrow: Chaenactis douglasii var. douglasii - Only basal rosettes of leaves seen.

Hall's Goldenweed: Columbiadoria hallii

Western Hawksbeard: Crepis occidentalis - Basal rosettes of leaves seen.

* Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule - Abundant bloom only at the summit.

Columbia River Gumweed: Grindelia integrifolia ? - Leaves only, and old, withered stems from last year seen.

* False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides - Beginning to bloom at high elevations.

Yellow Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltus - In bud under the oaks at lower elevations.


Animals Seen in the Columbia Hills Natural Area Preserve and Columbia Hills State Park:

Very large bumblebees (Bombus sp.)

Domestic honeybees

Lady bugs

Ravens

Red-tailed Hawks

Harriers (Marsh Hawk)

Kestrels

Turkey Vultures

Horned Larks

Meadow Larks

Dark-eyed Juncos

California Ground Squirrels

Coyote


Paul Slichter