[Wildflower bloom in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington: 2015]

Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington

Columbia Land Trust Properties

Middle Klickitat River Drainage

April 24, 2015

Margerum Ranch, Columbia Land Trust property in the Klickitat drainage........April 24, 2015.

Flower-filled slopes at the Marjerum Ranch, a Columbia Land Trust property in the Klickitat River drainage...........April 24, 2015.

* indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.

Weather: Partly cloudy with light winds early in the day to passing rain showers with wind gusts to 20 mph. Temps from mid-40s to low 50s.

* Bigleaf Maple: Acer macrophyllum

* Pacific Dogwood: Cornus nuttallii

California Hazelnut: Corylus cornuta var. californica

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii

* Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana

Cowpie Lichen: Diploschistes muscorum

Antlered Perfume: Evernia prunastri

Peacock Vinyl Lichen: Leptogium polycarpum ?

Wolfbane Lichen: Letharia sp.

Pelt Lichen: Peltigera collina or P. malacea or P. rufescens ?

Ragged Lichen: Platismatia glauca

Brown-eyed Sunshine Moss: Vulpicida canadensis

Ostrich Plume Moss: Dendroalsia abietina

Juniper Haircap Moss: Polytrichum juniperinum

Fragile Fern: Cystopteris fragilis

Imbricate Sword Fern: Polystichum imbricans ssp. imbricans ?

Bracken Fern: Pteridium aquilinum var. pubescens

* Elk Sedge: Carex geyeri

* Lemmon's Needlegrass: Achnatherum (lemmonii ?) - Beginning to bloom.

Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides (ssp. ?)

Blue Wild Rye: Elymus glaucus ssp. glaucus

Idaho Fescue: Festuca idahoensis

* Bulbous Bluegrass: Poa bulbosa

* Leiberg's Bluegrass: Poa leibergii

* Nevada Bluegrass: Poa secunda var. juncifolia

* Sandberg's Bluegrass: Poa secunda var. secunda

Bluebunch Wheatgrass: Pseudoroegneria spicata

Medusa-head: Taenitherum caput-medusae

Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum - In bud.

Sagebrush Mariposa: Calochortus macrocarpus var. macrocarpus

Pale-anther Glacier Lily: Erythronium grandiflorum var. pallidum or Mission Bells: Fritillaria affinis - Leaves only.

* Bicolored Cluster Lily: Triteleia grandiflora ssp. howellii - Beginning to bloom.

* Panicle Deathcamas: Toxicoscordion paniculatum - Fading out of bloom.

Grass Widows: Olsynium douglasii var. douglasii - Past bloom.

* Fairy Slipper Orchid: Calypso bulbosa - Fading out of bloom.

* Striped Coralroot: Corallorhiza striata

Rein Orchids: Piperia (elegans or unalascensis ?)

Northern Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum var. compositum

* Sheep Sorrel: Rumex acetosella

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata ssp. intermontana

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata ssp. perfoliata

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

* Linearleaf Montia: Montia linearis - Fading out of bloom.

Jagged Chickweed: Holosteum umbellatum

* Largeleaf Sandwort: Moehringia macrophylla

Common Chickweed: Stellaria media

Shining Starwort: Stellaria nitens

* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum

* White Water Buttercup: Ranunculus aquatilis (var. ?) - Stock pond.

* Shining Oregon Grape: Berberis aquifolium

* Oaks Toothwort: Cardamine nuttallii var. nuttallii - Fading out of bloom.

* Little Western Bittercress: Cardamine oligosperma

* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna

Scale Pod: Idahoa scapigera - pods

* Fringepods: Thysanocarpus curvipes

Thinleaf Alumroot: Heuchera grossulariifolia var. tenuifolia

* Bulblet Prairie Stars: Lithophragma bulbifera - Fading out of bloom.

* Small-flowered Prairie Stars: Lithophragma parviflorum

* Northwestern Saxifrage: Micranthes fragosa

* Pioneer Currant: Ribes lobbii

* Red-flowering Currant: Ribes sanguineum

Mock Orange: Philadelphus lewisii

* Serviceberry: Amelanchier alnifolia (var. semiintegrifolia ?)

* Woods Strawberry: Fragaria vesca var. bracteata

Oceanspray: Holodiscus discolor

Annual Burnet: Poteridium annuum

Baldhip Rose: Rosa gymnocarpa

Blackcap: Rubus leucodermis

Thimbleberry: Rubus parviflorus

White Spiraea: Spiraea betulifolia var. lucida

* Hood River Milkvetch: Astragalus hoodianus - Except for the hairy fruits, some look an awful lot like Yakima Milkvetch: Astragalus reventiformis.

* Whitish Lupine: Lupinus bingensis var. subsaccatus

Velvet Lupine: Lupinus leucophyllus

* Columbia Gorge Lupine: Lupinus sp. (latifolius X sericeus ?) or Wyeth's Lupine: Lupinus wyethii, or both.

* Bighead Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum - Fading out of bloom.

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

Poison Oak: Toxicodendron diversilobum

* Valley Violet: Viola vallicola

Deerbrush: Ceanothus integerrimus - In bud.

* Buckbrush: Ceanothus sanguineus

Fireweed: Chamerion angustifolium

Tall Annual Willowherb: Epilobium brachycarpum

* Burr Chervil: Anthriscus caucalis

Columbia Desert Parsley: Lomatium columbianum

Fernleaf Desert Parlsey: Lomatium dissectum (var. dissectum ?)

* Biscuitroot: Lomatium macrocarpum (yellow flowers) - Past their peak.

* Barestem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule

Salt and Pepper: Lomatium piperi (with possibility some were L. gormanii) - Past bloom.

* Suksdorf's Desert Parsley: Lomatium suksdorfii

* Nineleaf Desert Parlsey: Lomatium triternatum var. triternatum

Common Sweet Cicely: Osmorhiza berteroi

Gairdner's Yampah: Perideridia gairdneri

Pinedrops: Pterospora andromedea - Last year's stalks.

Desert Shooting Star: Dodecatheon conjugens - Past bloom.

* Broadleaf Starflower: Trientalis latifolia - Beginning to bloom.

Columbia Frasera: Frasera albicaulis var. columbiana

Dogbane: Apocynum sp.

* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis - Fading out of bloom.

* Showy Phlox: Phlox speciosa

* Ballheaded Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii - Fading out of bloom.

* Woods Nemophila: Nemophila parviflora var. parviflora

* Rigid Fireweed: Amsinckia menziesii var. menziesii

* Common Cryptanth: Cryptantha intermedia

Great Houndstongue: Cynoglossum grande

Common Houndstongue: Cynoglossum officinale

* Puccoon: Lithospermum ruderale

* Blue Scorpiongrass: Myosotis micrantha

* Little Combseed: Pectocarya pusilla

* Slender Popcornflower: Plagiobothrys tenellus

* Narrowleaf Owlclover: Castilleja attenuata

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora

* Rattan's Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia rattanii

Sticky-stem Penstemon: Penstemon glandulosus var. glandulosus

* Small-flowered Tonella: Tonella tenella

* Naked Broomrape: Orobanche uniflora

* Cleavers: Galium aparine

* White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera

Orange Honeysuckle: Lonicera ciliosa

Blue Elderberry: Sambucus cerulea

* Common Snowberry: Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus

Creeping Snowberry: Symphoricarpos mollis

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis - In bud.

* Annual Agoseris: Agoseris heterophylla

Spearleaf Agoseris: Agoseris retrorsa

Pearly Everlasting: Anaphalis margaritacea

* Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha

* Woodrush Pussytoes: Antennaria luzuloides

* Heartleaf Arnica: Arnica cordifolia - Beginning to bloom.

* Carey's Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza careyana

* Silvercrown: Cacaliopsis nardosmia var. glabrata

Canada Thistle: Cirsium arvense

Smooth Hawksbeard: Crepis capillaris ? - Weedy.

Western Hawksbeard: Crepis occidentalis

* Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule

White-flowered Hawkweed: Hieracium albiflorum

Scouler's Hawkweed: Hieracium scouleri

False Dandylion: Hypochaeris radicata

Wall Lettuce: Mycelis muralis

* False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides

Columbia Goldenweed: Pyrrocoma carthamoides var. carthamoides

Yellow Salsify: Tragopogon dubius

* False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides

Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltatus

Common Dandylion: Taraxacum officinale

Salsify: Tragopogon dubius


Animals Seen Along This Route:

Common Raven

Western Meadowlarks

Western Kingbirds

Western Bluebirds

Chipping Sparrows

Darke-eyed Juncos

Yellow-rumped Warblers

Treefrogs (adults and tadpoles)

Bumblebees



Paul Slichter E-mail