[Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington: 2014]

Wildflowers Currently in Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington8

Klickitat State Wildlife Recreation Area (from the Glenwood-Goldendale Highway)

March 21, 2014

Unidentified buttercup from the Klickitat Wildlife Area........March 21, 2014.

A view of a mystery buttercup seen in the Klickitat Wildlife Recreation Area. A few plants are similar in appearance to obscure buttercup (Ranunculus tridentatus), but most seem to be intermediate in form between the latter species and the sagebrush buttercup (Ranunculus glaberrimus).

Today the weather was in the upper 40s to low 50s with brilliantly sunny skies and just a faint breeze.

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii

Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana var. garryana

Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum - Basal leaves only.

* Scilla-like Onion: Allium scilloides

* Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica

Panicled Death Camas: Toxicoscordion paniculatum

* Grass Widows: Olsynium douglasii var. douglasii - Beginning to bloom.

Heartleaf Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum var. compositum

* Western Buttercup: Ranunculus occidentalis var. occidentalis

* Unidentified Buttercup: Ranunculus sp. or perhaps a cross with Ranunculus glaberrimus? - The photos shown from this link show this buttercup as seen at this location as well as comparisons to both the obscure buttercup and sagebrush buttercup.

Creeping Oregon Grape: Berberis repens

* Oaks Toothwort: Cardamine nuttallii

* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna - Numerous.

* Bulblet Prairie Star: Lithophragma glabrum (Synonym: Lithophragma bulbifera)

* Smooth Prairie Star: Lithophragma glabrum

* Clayton's Saxifrage, Northwestern Saxifrage: Micranthes fragosa - Beginning to bloom.

Annual Burnet: Poteridium annuum

Hood River Milkvetch: Astragalus hoodianus - Numerous mounds of leaves emerging from the ground.

Common Broad-leaf Lupine: Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius

Mahala Mat: Ceanothus prostratus

* Sagebrush Violet: Viola trinervata - Beginning to bloom.

* Columbia Desert Parsley: Lomatium columbianum

* Klickitat (Pungent) Desert Parsley: Lomatium klickitatense

* Salt and Pepper: Lomatium piperi

Biscuitroot: Lomatium macrocarpum - Yellow-flowered form.

Barestem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule

Butterfly-loving (Pungent) Desert Parsley: Lomatium papilioniferum

Suksdorf's Desert Parsley: Lomatium suksdorfii - Leaves emerging from the ground.

Kinnickinick: Arctostaphylos nevadensis

Creek Dogwood: Cornus sericea (var. ?)

Hesperochiron: Hesperochiron pumilus - Basal leaves.

Ballhead Desert Parsley: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii - Basal leaves.

* Meadow Nemophila: Nemophila pedunculata

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium

* Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha - Beginning to bloom.

* Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule - Fairly numerous on upper south-facing slopes.

False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides - Basal leaves.


Animals Seen During This Hike:

Mule Deer herd

Western Gray Squirrel

California Ground Squirrels

Red-tailed Hawks

Ravens

Northern Flickers

Canyon Wren

Western Bluebirds

Dark-eyed Juncos


Paul Slichter