From Sevenmile Road, this route climbs along a narrow strip of USFS lands to the ridgeline of Sevenmile Hill. Know your route before going to avoid trespassing on neighboring private lands. Pull completely off Sevenmile Road as vehicles travel fairly fast down this road or know where the dirt access road (on USFS land) is to park at a wide spot uphill about 100 meters above Sevenmile Road. Watch for rattlesnakes and ticks along the route up the hill.
Weather: Partly cloudy skies early turning to hazy in the afternoon. Temperatures in the upper 50s. Winds light. A very comfortable day except for a cool breeze from the northwest at the top of the ridge!
Here's a more complete plant list for Sevenmile Hill.
Cowpie Lichen: Diploschistes muscorum
Antlered Perfume: Evernia prunastri
Navel Lichen: Umbilicaria phaea
Haircap Juniper Moss: Polytrichum juniperinum
Fragile Fern: Cystopteris fragilis - Found under the oaks atop the ridge.
* Elk Sedge: Carex geyeri - Beginning to bloom under the oaks atop the ridge.
* Long-anthered Woodrush: Luzula macrantha - Beginning to bloom.
* Lemmon's Needlegrass: Achnatherum lemmonii var. lemmonii - Beginning to bloom.
* Cheatgrass: Bromus tectorum
Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides
Idaho Fescue: Festuca idahoensis
* Bulbous Bluegrass: Poa bulbosa - Bulbils visible.
* Nevada Bluegrass: Poa secunda ssp. juncifolia
* Sandberg's Bluegrass: Poa secunda ssp. secunda
* Leiberg's Bluegrass: Poa leibergii
Bluebunch Wheatgrass: Pseudoroegneria spicata
Medusahead: Taenitherum caput-medusae - Last year's heads.
* Bigleaf Maple: Acer macrophyllum
Black Cottonwood: Populus trichocarpa - Beginning to leaf out along the creek at the lowest elevations.
* Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana var. garryana - Beginning to bloom & leaf out.
Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa - Only at the ridgetop.
Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii - Only at the ridgetop.
Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum - In bud.
Sagebrush Mariposa: Calochortus macrocarpus var. macrocarpus - Numerous basal leaves.
Ball-headed Cluster Lily: Dichelostemma congestum - In bud.
* Pale-anther Glacier Lily: Erythronium grandiflorum var. pallidum - In bloom under shrubbery just below the north side of the summit ridge.
* Chocolate Lily: Fritillaria affinis - Still in bloom under the oaks at the top of the ridge.
Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica - Pods maturing. Fairly common on upper slopes. Numerous young plants
* Bicolored Cluster Lily: Triteleia grandiflora var. howellii
Hyacinth Cluster Lily: Triteleia hyacinthina - In bud.
Common Bastard Toadflax: Comandra umbellata var. californica
Heartleaf Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum var. compositum - In bud on lower, south-facing slopes.
Tall Buckwheat: Eriogonum elatum
* Sheep Sorrel: Rumex acetosella
Curly Dock: Rumex crispus
* Winter Purslane: Claytonia perfoliata ssp. intermontana
* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata ssp. perfoliata
* Red Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia rubra ssp. rubra
* Line-leaf Montia: Montia linearis - Fading out of bloom.
* Sticky Chickweed: Cerastium glomeratum
* Jagged Chickweed: Holosteum umbellatum - Fading out of bloom.
* Chickweed: Stellaria media
Shining Chickweed: Stellaria nitens - Past bloom.
* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum
* Western Buttercup: Ranunculus occidentalis var. occidentalis - Fairly common at all elevations where wet.
Shining Oregon Grape: Berberis aquifolium
* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna - Only blooming on the ridgetop.
* Rough Wallflower: Erysimum capitatum - Beginning to bloom.
Scale Pod: Idahoa scapigera - Pods.
* Fringe Pod: Thysanocarpus curvipes - Still in bloom with lots of ripe seed pods.
* Bulblet Prairie Star: Lithophragma glabrum (the former L. bulbifera form) - In bloom at higher elevations.
* Small-flowerd Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum
* Northwestern Saxifrage: Micranthes integrifolia - Fading out of bloom.
Mock Orange: Philadelphus lewisii - Beginning to leaf out.
Ocean Spray: Holodiscus discolor - Beginning to leaf out.
Pearhip Rose: Rosa woodsii var. ultramontana - Leafing out.
* Hood River Milk-vetch: Astragalus hoodianus
* Howell's Milk-vetch: Astragalus howellii
* Few-flowered Pea: Lathyrus pauciflorus var. pauciflorus
* Spurred Lupine: Lupinus arbustus
* Bicolor Lupine: Lupinus bicolor
* Columbia Gorge Broad-leaf Lupine: Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius (Lupinus latifolius x sericeus or L. latifolius var thompsonianus)
* Small-flowered Lupine: Lupinus micranthus
* Rabbit's-foot Clover: Trifolium arvense - Beginning to bloom on disturbed soils at low elevation.
* Big-head Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum - Fading out of bloom.
* Spring Pea: Vicia lathyroides
* Common Vetch: Vicia sativa
Annual Cow Vetch: Vicia villosa
* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium
Poison Oak: Toxicodendron diversilobum
Deer Brush: Ceanothus integerrimus
Slender Godetia: Clarkia gracilis - In bud.
* Burr Chervil: Anthriscus caucalis
* Western Hedgeparsley: Yabea microcarpa
* Columbia Desert Parsley: Lomatium columbianum - A feware still in bloom. Mostly going to seed.
* Chocolate Tips, Fern-leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium dissectum var. dissectum
Largeseed Biscuitroot: Lomatium macrocarpum - Yellow-flowered form, fruits developing.
* Bare-stem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule - Small plants, but numerous bloom.
Salt and Pepper: Lomatium piperi - Going to seed.
* Nine Leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum var. anomalum
* Nine Leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium tridentatum var. triternatum
Common Sweet Cicely: Osmorhiza berteroi - Under the oaks atop the ridge.
Yampah: Perideridia gairdneri (Perideridia montana)
* Poet's Shooting Star: Dodecatheon poeticum - Blooming on moist, grassy slopes under the oaks atop the ridge.
Columbia Frasera: Frasera albicaulis var. nitida - In bud.
Spreading Dogbane: Apocynum androsaemifolium (var. ?)
Large-flowered Collomia: Collomia grandiflora
* Babystars: Leptosiphon bicolor - Beginning to bloom.
* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis - Fading out of bloom.
* Ball-head Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii - Still blooming amongst the oaks at the ridgetop.
* Meadow Nemophila: Nemophila pedunculata - Blooming where moist on the upper half of the ridge.
Woods Nemophila: Nemophila parviflora var. austiniae - In bud under the oaks.
* Silverleaf Phacelia: Phacelia hastata var. hastata - Beginning to bloom.
* Varileaf Phacelia: Phacelia heterophylla ssp. virgata - Beginning to bloom.
* Menzie's Fiddleneck: Amsinckia menziesii
* Gromwell: Buglossoides arvensis
* Puccoon: Lithospermum ruderale
* Blue and Yellow Scorpionweed: Myosotis discolor
* Blue Scorpiongrass: Myosotis micrantha (Myosotis stricta)
* Little Pectocarya: Gruvelia pusilla
* Rusty Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys nothofulvus
* Slender Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys tenellus
* Henbit: Lamium amplexicaule
* Narrowleaf Paintbrush: Castilleja attenuata
* Harsh Paintbrush: Castilleja hispida var. hispida
* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora - Fading out of bloom. Very numerous, covering burned ground in places. Many white-flowered forms too!
* Common Monkeyflower: Erythranthe guttata
Sticky-stem Penstemon: Penstemon glandulosus var. chelanensis - Some stems nearing the height for flower buds to start developing.
* Small-flowered Tonella: Tonella tenella
* Dwarf Owl-clover: Triphysaria pusilla
Common Mullein: Verbascum thapsus - On the lower slopes.
* Corn Speedwell: Veronica arvensis
* Naked Broomrape: Aphyllon purpureum (formerly var. occidentalis)
* Naked Broomrape: Aphyllon purpureum (formerly var. purpurea)
* Common Bedstraw: Galium aparine
Common Snowberry: Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus - Beginning to leaf out.
* Long-spurred Plectritis: Plectritis ciliosa
* White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera
* Big Root, Wild Cucumber: Marah oreganus
* Yarrow: Achillea millefolium - Beginning to bloom.
* Annual Agoseris: Agoseris heterophylla
Heartleaf Arnica: Arnica cordifolia
* Carey's Balsamroot: Balsamhoriza careyana (or a hybrid with B. deltoidea ?)
Bachelor's Buttons: Centaurea cyanus
Diffuse Knapweed: Centaurea diffusa - Fairly common on disturbed, lower slopes.
Hall's Goldenweed: Columbiadoria hallii
Smooth Hawksbeard: Crepis capillaris
Gray Hawksbeard: Crepis (intermedia ?) - Under the oaks along the summit ridge.
Western Hawksbeard: Crepis occidentalis ? - Basal rosettes of leaves seen.
Oregon Sunshine: Eriophyllum lanatum var. lanatum - In bud. Blooming along I-84 adjacent to the Discovery Center.
Scouler's Hawkweed: Hieracium scouleri (former var. cynoglossoides ?)
Prickly Lettuce: Lactuca serriola
* Slender Tarweed: Madia gracilis ? - Blooming on the lower slopes.
* False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides - Blooming at high elevations.
Rayless Goldenweed: Pyrrocoma carthamoides var. carthamoides
* Yellow Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltus - A few plants beginning to bloom under the oaks at higher elevations.
* Common Dandelion: Taraxacum officinale
Salsify: Tragopogon dubius
California Ground Squirrels
Turkey Vultures
Red-tailed Hawks
Cooper's Hawks
Turkeys - Feathery remains of someone's dinner.
Killdeer - Heard from farms near Sevenmile Road
Starling
Common Ravens
Western Meadowlarks
Spotted Towhees
Western Bluebirds
Anna's Hummingbird
Horned Lizard
Tree Frogs
California Tortoiseshells
Sara's Orangetips
Carnivorous Ground Beetles
Bumble Bees - Several species (Including a very large species)
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