[Wildflower Bloom Reports for the Columbia River Gorge: 2013] - [Wildflower Destinations in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]

Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington

Chenoweth Table

Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area (USFS)

March 28, 2013

Vernal pools atop Chenoweth Table, USFS near The Dalles, Oregon.......March 28, 2013.

Vernal pools atop Chenoweth Table, USFS near The Dalles, Oregon.......March 28, 2013.

Vernal pools atop Chenoweth Table, USFS near The Dalles, Oregon.......March 28, 2013.

Vernally moist swale atop Chenoweth Table, USFS near The Dalles, Oregon.......March 28, 2013.

* indicates a wildflower currently in bloom.

This hike is mostly on public (USFS) lands with some trails. Because the site is surrounded by hostile land owners, one should know the boundaries, or at least have visited with someone who knows the routes to avoid potential conflicts. Because there is a trail through it, don't assume the land is public! The area is also visited by equestrians (local land owners) and increasingly by mountain bikers, so some sort of intervention will soon be needed to prevent this area from being degraded.

Wolfbane Lichen: Letharia vulpina

Navel Lichen: Umbilicaria (phaea ?)

Glossy Red Bryum Moss: Bryum miniatum

Funaria Moss: Funaria hygrometrica ?

Polytrichum Moss: Polytrichum pilferum

Fragile Fern: Cystopteris fragilis

* Elk Sedge: Carex geyeri

Cheatgrass: Bromus tectorum

* Bulbous Bluegrass: Poa bulbosa

* Leiberg's Bluegrass: Poa leibergii

* Sandberg's Bluegrass: Poa secunda var. secunda

Medusahead: Taeniatherum caput-medusae

Big-leaf Maple: Acer macrophyllum - Terminal buds swelling.

Deerbrush: Ceanothus integerrimus

Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana var. garryana

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

Poison Oak: Toxicodendron diversilobum (or hybrid with T. rydbergii ?)

Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum

* Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica

Bicolored Cluster Lily: Triteleia grandiflora var. howellii - In bud.

* Grass Widows: Olsynium douglasii var. douglasii

Curly Dock ? : Rumex crispus

Willow Dock: Rumex salicifolius

* Pale Springbeauty: Claytonia exigua ssp. exigua

* Streambank Springbeauty: Claytonia parviflora

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata ssp. intermontana

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

* Dwarf Miners Lettuce: Montia dichotoma

* Lineleaf Montia: Montia linearis

* Jagged Chickweed: Holosteum umbellatum

* Common Chickweed: Stellaria media

Shining Chickweed: Stellaria nitens - In bud.

* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum

* Tiny Mousetail: Myosurus minimus

* Western Buttercup: Ranunculus occidentalis var. occidentalis

Shining Oregon Grape: Berberis aquifolium - In bud.

* Oaks Toothwort: Cardamine nuttallii

* Little Western Bittercress: Cardamine oligosperma

* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna

Scale Pod: Idahoa scapigera - Pods well formed.

* Fringe Pods: Thysanocarpus curvipes

California Poppy: Eschscholzia californica

* Bulblet Prairie Star: Lithophragma bulbiferum (Now lumped in with Lithophragma glabrum)

* Smooth Prairie Star: Lithophragma glabrum

* Small-flowered Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum

* Peak Saxifrage: Micranthes fragosa

Serviceberry: Amelanchier sp. - Leafing out.

Creambush Oceanspray: Holodiscus discolor

Antelope Bitterbush: Purshia tridentata

Little Wild Rose: Rosa gymnocarpa ?

Douglas' Spiraea: Spiraea douglasii (var. menziesii ? )

Spurred Lupine: Lupinus arbustus

Columbia Gorge Lupine: Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius (formerly var. thompsonianus)

Small-flowered Lupine: Lupinus micranthus

Vetch: Vicia sp. ?

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

Clarkia: Clarkia sp.

* Columbia Desert Parsley: Lomatium columbianum

* Biscuitroot: Lomatium macrocarpum - Yellow-flowered form.

* Barestem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule

* Salt and Pepper: Lomatium piperi

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

Gairdner's Yampah: Perideridia montana (P. gairdneri ssp. borealis)

* Poet's Shooting Star: Dodecatheon poeticum

Navarretia: Navarretia sp.

* Ballhead Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii

Variedleaf Phacelia: Phacelia heterophylla - In bud.

* Rancher's Fireweed: Amsinckia retrorsa

* Rusty Popcornflower: Plagiobothrys nothofulvus

Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys scouleri var. penicillatus

* Slender Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys tenellus

Narrowleaf Owlclover: Castilleja attenuata

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora

* Few-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia sparsiflora var. bruceae

* Chickweed Monkeyflower: Erythranthe alsinoides - Beginning to bloom.

Sticky Penstemon: Penstemon glandulosus var. chelanensis

Cutleaf Penstemon: Penstemon richardsonii var. richardsonii

* Naked Broomrape: Aphyllon purpureum (former var. occidentalis form)

Annual Bedstraw, Cleavers: Galium aparine

Common Snowberry: Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium

* Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha

* Carey's Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza careyana ? or hybrid with B. deltoidea?

Rush Skeletonweed: Chondrilla juncea

Hall's Goldenweed: Columbiadoria hallii

* Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule - Fading

Gray Rabbitbrush: Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa

Oregon Sunshine: Eriophyllum lanatum var. lanatum

Gumweed: Grindelia sp. ?

Scouler's Hawkweed: Hieracium scouleri

False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides - In bud.

Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltatus - In bud.

* Common Dandylion: Taraxacum officinale


Animals Seen Along This Route:

Coyotes - howling on Seven Mile Hill

California Ground Squirrel

Turkey Vulture

Mallards

Raven

Scrub Jays

Northern Flicker

White-winged Doves ? - Pets

Western Meadowlarks

Spotted Towhees

American Robins

Western Bluebirds

Horned Larks

House Sparrows

Dark-eyed Juncos

Ruby-crowned Kinglets

Frogs - croaking

Tree Frog

Sara's Orange Tip

Domestic Honeybee

Syrphid Fly ? on Lithophragma glabrum


Paul Slichter