Today the weather was partly cloudy with occasional light showers with moderate winds gusting to 30 mph. Temperatures were in the 40s to low 50s. Wind protective clothing and an extra sweater or light coat were needed to stay warm when standing still.
* indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.
Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum - Leaves only.
* Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica
Heartleaf Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum var. compositum
Douglas' Buckwheat: Eriogonum sphaerocephalum var. sublineare
* Western Spring Beauty: Claytonia lanceolata
Bitterroot: Lewisia rediviva - Basal leaves present.
* Jagged Chickweed: Holosteum umbellatum
* Obscure Buttercup, The Dalles Mt. Buttercup: Ranunculus triternatus
* Douglas' Draba: Cusickiella douglasii - Beginning to bloom.
* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna - Very numerous.
* Smooth Prairie Stars: Lithophragma glabrum
* Woollypod Milkvetch: Astragalus purshii - A few plants in bloom.
Small-flowered Lupine: Lupinus latifolius X sericeus (Synonym: Lupinus latifolius var. thompsonianus) - Leaves emerging from the ground. A few plants with racemes in bud.
Bighead Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum - Basal leaves only. Blooming along the Dalles Mountain Road near Dancing Rock.
* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium
* Canby's Desert Parsley: Lomatium canbyi - Fading out of bloom.
* Biscuitroot: Lomatium macrocarpum - Beginning to bloom. Cream-flowered plants.
* Bare-stem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule - Beginning to bloom.
* Buttefly-loing (Pungent) Desert Parsley: Lomatium papilioniferum
* Salt and Pepper: Lomatium piperi - Beginning to fade out of bloom.
Nine-leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum var. triternatum - Basal leaves only.
* Watson's Desert Parsley: Lomatium watsonii
* Desert Shooting Star: Dodecatheon conjugens - Beginning to bloom in the NAP.
Columbia Frasera: Frasera albicaulis var. nitida - Basal leaves only.
* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis - A few small plants were seen in bloom.
* Hood's Phlox: Phlox hoodii - A few plants with a couple flowers each.
Ballhead Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii
Harsh Paintbrush: Castilleja hispida var. acuta - Purplish stems arising from the ground.
* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora
* Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza deltoidea x careyana - Beginning to bloom on south-facing slopes in the upper Columbia Hills State Park.
* Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule - Fairly numerous.
False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides - Numerous basal leaves.
Animals Seen Along This Route Today:
California Ground Squirrels
Yellow-bellied Marmots
Immature Bald Eagle
Turkey Vultures
Rough-legged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawks
Ravens
Northern Flickers
Lewis' Woodpeckers
Stellers Jays
Scrub Jays
Western Meadowlarks
Spotted Towhees
American Robins
Western Bluebirds
Dark-eyed Juncos
Violet-green Swallows
The Uncle (small, colorful moth) - Numerous
Domestic honey bees