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

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

along roads behind a locked gate heading west from the Soda Springs Road to the South Klickitat Breaks

Klickitat State Wildlife Recreation Area

March 6, 2016

Snow-capped Simcoe Mountains from the Klickitat Breaks, Klickitat Wildlife Area......March 6, 2016.

The snow-capped Simcoe Mountains looming about 10 miles northeast from the Klickitat Breaks, Klickitat Wildlife Area......March 6, 2016.

Today the weather was in the upper 40s to low 50s with partly to mostly sunny skies and 5-10 mph breeze. No rain in the past 2 weeks as far as I can tell.

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii

Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana var. garryana

* Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica - Beginning to bloom.

Panicled Death Camas: Toxicoscordion paniculatum - Leaves.

* Grass Widows: Olsynium douglasii var. douglasii - Beginning to bloom.

Heartleaf Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum var. compositum

* Scalepod: Idahoa scapigera

* Smooth Prairie Star: Lithophragma glabrum - Beginning to bloom.

Hood River Milkvetch: Astragalus hoodianus - Numerous mounds of leaves emerging from the ground.

* Sagebrush Violet: Viola trinervata - Beginning to bloom.

* Columbia Desert Parsley: Lomatium columbianum - Beginning to bloom.

* Klickitat (Pungent) Desert Parsley: Lomatium klickitatense - Beginning to bloom.

Biscuitroot: Lomatium macrocarpum - Leaves are up.

Barestem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule

* Butterfly-loving (Pungent) Desert Parsley: Lomatium papilioniferum ? - Beginning to bloom.

* Salt and Pepper: Lomatium piperi -

Suksdorf's Desert Parsley: Lomatium suksdorfii - Leaves emerging from the ground.

Ballhead Desert Parsley: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii - Basal leaves.

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium

Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha

Carey's Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza careyana - Leaves are coming up.

* Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule - Fairly numerous on upper south-facing slopes.


Animals Seen During This Hike:

Lots of deer and elk sign (tracks and scat)

California Ground Squirrels

Western Gray Squirrels

Turkey Vulture - my first for the year!

Golden Eagle pair

Red-tailed Hawks

Ravens

Lewis' Woodpeckers

Dark-eyed Juncos


Paul Slichter