[Wildflower Bloom Reports for the Columbia River Gorge: 2014]

Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington

Catherine Creek

April 2, 2014

False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides

False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides

Comprehensive Catherine Creek Plant List

Weather: Sunny with winds to 20 mph. Temps upper 40s in the morning rising to upper 50s in the afternoon. Areas exposed to wind were cold, those protected from wind were comfortable.


* Indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.

Antlered Perfume: Evernia prunastri

Wolf Lichen: Letharia vulpina

Glossy Red Bryum Moss: Bryum miniatum

Homalothecium Moss: Homalothecium sp.

Juniper Haircap Moss: Polytrichum juniperinum

Polytrichum Moss: Polytrichum pilferum

Elongate Racomitrium Moss: Racomitrium elongatum

Wallace's Spikemoss: Selaginella wallacei

Fragile Fern: Cystopteris fragilis

Licorice Fern: Polypodium glycyrrhiza

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

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 ?) - Blooming along the paved trail. Many plants with well-formed flower buds above Highway 8.

* Pale-anther 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 wwp. perfoliata - Beginning to bloom.

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

* Water Chickweed: Montia fontana var. tenerrima

* Line-leaf Montia: Montia linearis

* Chickweed: Stellaria media

* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum

* 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.

Northwestern 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 - Beginning to leaf out.

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

* Columbia Gorge Lupine: Lupinus latifolius x sericeus (Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius) - One plant with a full, blooming raceme along old Highway 8 adjacent to Rowland Lake.

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.

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

Dovefoot Geranium: Geranium molle

Poison Oak: Toxicoscordion 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

* 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.

* Meadow Nemophila: Nemophila pedunculata

* 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 - Very numerous.

* 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 - Beginning to bloom.

* White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium

Spearleaf Agoseris: Agoseris retrorsa

* Carey's Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza careyana (or Balsamorhiza careyana x deltoidea) - 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 Dandylion: Taraxacum officinale


Animals Seen Along This Route Today:

Red-tailed Hawks

Turkey Vultures

Northern Flickers

Lewis' Woodpeckers

Stellers Jays

Scrub Jays

Western Meadowlarks

American Robins

Western Bluebirds

Dark-eyed Juncos

Violet-green Swallows


Paul Slichter