[Wildflower Bloom Reports for the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington: 2016]

Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington

Catherine Creek

April 13, 2016

Carey's balsamroots and Columbia Gorge lupines blooming under Oregon white oaks beneath Rowland Rim, west Catherine Creek.........April 13, 2016.

Carey's balsamroots and Columbia Gorge lupines blooming under Oregon white oaks beneath Rowland Rim, west Catherine Creek.........April 13, 2016.

Comprehensive Catherine Creek Plant List

Weather: Mostly cloudy with light winds to 0-10 mph. Temps in the 50s. Rain threatening at times but holding off until after our departure.

Route: Trail up to west of parking area, to trails above Rowland Lake, then ascending the Upper Labyrinth Trail to the Atwood Road, returning east and descending via the powerline road on upper Sunflower Hill, cutting over to Loose Lucy Trail atop the Rowland Rim back to the trailhead.....5.4 miles.


* Indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.

Glossy Red Bryum Moss: Bryum miniatum - On rocks in the creeks or at seeps.

Wallace's Spikemoss: Selaginella wallacei

Podfern: Aspidotis densa - New foliage emerging.

Fragile Fern: Cystopteris fragilis

Licorice Fern: Polypodium glycyrrhiza

* Bigleaf Maple: Acer macrophyllum - Fading out of bloom.

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

* Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana var. garryana - Trees beginning to leaf out.

* Cheatgrass: Bromus tectorum

* Annual Bluegrass: Poa annua

* Bulbous Bluegrass: Poa bulbosa

Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum - Basal leaves abundant on rock outcrops with shallow soils.

Green-banded Mariposa Lily: Calochortus macrocarpus var. macrocarpus - Basal leaves only. Becoming more common on upland slopes.

Ball-head Cluster Lily: Dichelostemma congestum - Basal leaves only.

* Common Camas: Camassia quamash (var. breviflora ?) - Near peak bloom. Many plants with well-formed flower buds.

* Chocolate Lily: Fritillaria affinis

Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica - Seed pods.

* Bicolored Cluster Lily: Triteleia grandiflora var. howellii - Peak bloom.

* Panicled Death-camas: Toxicoscordion paniculatum - Beginning to bloom high on upper slopes.

* Meadow Death-camas: Toxicoscordion venenosum var. venenosum - Fading out of bloom on the lower slopes.

Grass Widows: Olsynium douglasii var. douglasii - Fruits maturing.

Rein-orchid: Platanthera sp.

Common Bastard Toad Flax: Comandra umbellata var. californica - In bud under the oaks beneath the arch.

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata ssp. intermontana

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata var. perfoliata

* Bitterroot: Lewisia rediviva - Beginning to bloom on lower slopes.

* Water Chickweed: Montia fontana var. tenerrima

* Line-leaf Montia: Montia linearis - Fading out of bloom.

* Sticky Chickweed: Cerastium glomeratum

* Bigleaf Sandwort: Moehringia macrophylla

* Chickweed: Stellaria media

* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum

* White Water Buttercup: Ranunculus aquatilis

* Western Buttercup: Ranunculus occidentalis var. occidentalis

* Shining Oregon Grape: Berberis aquifolium

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

* Spring Whitlow Grass: Draba verna - Fading out of bloom.

* Shepherd's Cress: Teesdalia nudicaulis

* Fringe Pods: Thysanocarpus curvipes

* Small-flowered Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum

* Brittle-leaved Saxifrage: Micranthes fragosa

* Northwestern Saxifrage: Micranthes integrifolia

Mock Orange: Philadelphus lewisii - Beginning to leaf out.

* Serviceberry: Amelanchier alnifolia (var. ?) - Beginning to bloom.

Oceanspray: Holodiscus discolor - Leafing out.

Bittercherry: Prunus emarginata var. emarginata - In bud.

* Few-flowered Pea: Lathyrus pauciflorus

* Spurred Lupine: Lupinus arbustus - Beginning to bloom.

* Bicolored Lupine: Lupinus bicolor - Beginning to bloom under the powerlines east of Catherine Creek.

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

* Columbia Gorge Lupine: Lupinus latifolius x sericeus (Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius)

* Bighead Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum - Past peak bloom.

* Sand Clover: Trifolium oliganthum (formerly Trifolium variegatum) - Peak bloom.

* Dovefoot Geranium: Geranium molle

Poison Oak: Toxicodendron diversilobum - Leafing out.

Slender Godetia: Clarkia gracilis - Leaves only.

* Small-flowered Evening-primrose: Epilobium minutum

* Columbia Desert Parsley: Lomatium columbianum- Past peak bloom.

* Chocolate Tips: Lomatium dissectum var. dissectum - Beginning to bloom.

* Klickitat Desert Parsley: Lomatium klickitatense

* Biscuitroot: Lomatium macrocarpum (yellow-flowered form) - Fading out of bloom at higher elevations.

* Bare-stem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule

* Butterfly-loving Desert Parsley: Lomatium papilioniferum

* Suksdorf's Desert Parsley: Lomatium suksdorfii - Nearly in bloom.

* Nineleaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum var. triternatum

Common Sweet-cicely: Osmorhiza berteroi

Western Snakeroot: Sanicula crassicaulis - In bud.

* Sierra Snakeroot: Sanicula graveolens

* Poet's Shooting Star: Dodecatheon poeticum - Fading out of bloom.

* Baby Stars: Leptosiphon bicolor

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

* Ballhead Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii

* Meadow Nemophila: Nemophila pedunculata

* Rigid Fiddleneck: Amsinckia retrorsa

* Great Houndstongue: Adelinia grandis

* Rusty Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys nothofulvus

* Attenuate Paintbrush: Castilleja attenuata

* Harsh Paintbrush: Castilleja hispida (var. ?) - Blooming along the trail at the western rim to Catherine Creek.

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora

* Few-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia sparsiflora - Excellent bloom especially in the area of last year's fire.

* Chickweed Monkey Flower: Erythranthe alsinoides

* Common Monkey Flower: Erythranthe guttata - Beginning to bloom.

* Barrett's Penstemon: Penstemon barrettiae - Still very early in bloom.

* Tonella: Tonella tenella

* Naked Broomrape: Aphyllon purpureum - A few plants seen.

* Bedstraw, Cleavers: Galium aparine

* Big Root: Marah oreganus

* Long-spurred Plectritis: Plectritis ciliosa - Fading out of bloom.

* Rosy Plectritis: Plectritis congesta - Past peak bloom.

* White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera - Fading out of bloom.

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium - In bud.

* Annual Agoseris: Agoseris heterophylla

Spearleaf Agoseris: Agoseris retrorsa

* Carey's Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza careyana (or Balsamorhiza careyana x deltoidea) - In bloom where there's deeper soil.

* Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule - Fading out of bloom.

* False Agoseris, Prairie Dandylion: Nothocalais troximoides

Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. ochroleucus

* Common Dandylion: Taraxacum officinale


Animals Seen Along This Route Today:

Ospreys fishing over Rowland Lake.

Red-tailed Hawks

Kestrels

Turkey Vultures

Northern Flickers

Stellers Jays

Scrub Jays

Western Meadowlarks

Spotted Towhees

American Robins

Western Bluebirds

Dark-eyed Juncos

Black-capped Chickadees

Violet-green Swallows

Tree Frog Tadpoles

Bumble Bees

Duskywing

Sara's Orangetips

Blue

Lady Bugs


Paul Slichter