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

Currently Blooming Wildflowers in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington

March 8, 2015

Sevenmile Hill from Sevenmile Road (USFS Right of Way)

Summit ridge of Sevenmile Hill looking across the burned area towards The Dalles, OR.......February 13, 2015.

A view across the southeast-facing slopes of Sevenmile Hill, Columbia River Gorge with The Dalles, OR in the distance.........February 13, 2015. The grasslands and oak forest here were burned by last summer's wildfire.

* Indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.

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. Watch for rattlesnakes along the route up the hill from spring through fall.

Weather: Brilliantly blue, clear skies! Temperatures to the mid to upper 60s. Winds light or often still. The warmest day so far!

Cowpie Lichen: Diploschistes muscorum ?

Antlered Perfume: Evernia prunastri

Navel Lichen: Umbilicaria phaea

Haircap Juniper Moss: Polytrichum juniperinum

Bluebunch Wheatgrass: Pseudoroegneria spicata

Medusahead: Taenitherum caput-medusae - Last year's heads.

Bigleaf Maple: Acer macrophyllum

Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana var. garryana

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa - Only at the ridgetop.

Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii - Only at the ridgetop.

Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum - Basal leaves.

Sagebrush Mariposa: Calochortus macrocarpus var. macrocarpus - Basal leaves.

Ball-headed Cluster Lily: Dichelostemma congestum - Leaves emerging from the ground.

* Pale-anther Glacier Lily: Erythronium grandiflorum var. pallidum - A few plants with flower buds under the oaks atop the ridge.

* Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica - Many giant plants in areas burned by the fire last summer.

Bicolored Cluster Lily: Triteleia grandiflora var. howellii - Numerous basal leaves.

Hyacinth Cluster Lily: Triteleia hyacinthina - Basal leaves.

* Grass Widows: Olsynium douglasii var. douglasii - Fading out of bloom.

Rein Orchids: Platanthera sp. - Basal leaves only.

Heartleaf Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum var. compositum

Tall Buckwheat: Eriogonum elatum

Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata ssp. perfoliata - In bud.

Red Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia rubra ssp. depressa ?

* Red Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia rubra ssp. rubra - Beginning to bloom.

* Jagged Chickweed: Holosteum umbellatum

* Chickweed: Stellaria media

* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum - Beginning to bloom.

* Western Buttercup: Ranunculus occidentalis var. occidentalis

* Oaks Toothwort: Cardamiine nuttallii - Blooming under oaks at the ridgetop.

* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna - Beginning to bloom along the road to the parking area.

* Fringe Pod: Thysanocarpus curvipes

* Bulblet Prairie Star: Lithophragma glabrum (the Lithophragma bulbifera form) - Beginning to bloom.

* Smooth Prairie Star: Lithophragma glabrum (non-bulblet form)

* Fleshy-leaved Saxifrage: Micranthes fragosa

Hood River Milk-vetch: Astragalus hoodianus - Leaves emerging from the ground.

Few-flowered Pea: Lathyrus pauciflorus var. pauciflorus - Basal leaves.

Columbia Gorge Broad-leaf Lupine: Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius (formerly var. thompsonianus) - Some plants with flower buds.

Small-flowered Lupine: Lupinus micranthus - Basal leaves.

Big-head Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum - Some plants with flower buds.

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

Poison Oak: Toxicodendron diversilobum

Burr Chervil: Anthriscus caucalis

* Columbia Desert Parsley: Lomatium columbianum

* Chocolate Tips, Fern-leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium dissectum var. dissectum

* Largeseed Biscuitroot: Lomatium macrocarpum (yellow-flowered form)

* Bare-stem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule

* Salt and Pepper: Lomatium piperi - Plants with a stem leaf. Fading out of bloom except at the highest elevations.

* Nine Leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium tridentatum var. triternatum - Leaves emerging from the ground.

Yampah: Perideridia gairdneri (Perideridia montana) - Leaves emerging from the ground.

Columbia Frasera: Frasera albicaulis var. nitida- Leaves emerging from the ground.

* Desert Shooting Star: Dodecatheon conjugens - Beginning to bloom under the oaks atop the ridge.

* Poet's Shooting Star: Dodecatheon poeticum - Beginning to bloom on moist, grassy slopes atop the ridge.

* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis

* Ball-head Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii - Beginning to bloom.

* Meadow Nemophila: Nemophila pedunculata

Silverleaf Phacelia: Phacelia hastata var. hastata

Fiddleneck: Amsinckia menziesii (var. retrorsa form) - Leaves emerging from the ground.

Puccoon: Lithospermum ruderale - Leaves coming up.

* Blue Scorpiongrass: Myosotis micrantha (M. stricta)

* Rusty Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys nothofulvus

* Slender Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys tenellus

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora - Very numerous, covering burned ground in places.

Sticky-stem Penstemon: Penstemon glandulosus var. chelanensis - Basal leaves.

Common Bedstraw: Galium aparine

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium - Leaves emerging from the ground.

* Carey's Balsamroot: Balsamhoriza careyana (or a hybrid with B. deltoidea ?)

Bachelor's Buttons: Centaurea cyanus - Leaves emerging from the ground.

Diffuse Knapweed: Centaurea diffusa - Leaves emerging from the ground.

Hall's Goldenweed: Columbiadoria hallii

Smooth Hawksbeard: Crepis capillaris - Leaves emerging from the ground.

Western Hawksbeard: Crepis occidentalis - Basal rosettes of leaves seen.

Oregon Sunshine: Eriophyllum lanatum var. lanatum - Leaves only.

False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides - In bud.

Yellow Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltus - Leaves emerging from the ground.

Common Dandelion: Taraxacum officinale - Leaves emerging from the ground.

Salsify: Tragopogon dubius - Leaves emerging from the ground.


Animals Seen at This Location:

Elk - Tracks

Mule Deer herd

Bald Eagles

Golden Eagles

Red-tailed Hawks

Gray Partridge

Common Ravens

Scrub Jay

Northern Flicker

Horned Larks

Western Meadowlarks

Spotted Towhees

American Robins

Western Bluebirds

Golden-crowned Sparrows

Bushtits


 

F

Paul Slichter