[Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington: 2017]

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

April 11, 2017

Simcoe Mountains Unit of the Klickitat Wildlife Area

Habitats of East Simcoe Mountains Addition, Klickitat Wildlife Area........April 11, 2017.

A dry scabland with large amounts of scilla-like onion, salt and pepper, gold stars and bitteroot at the Simcoe Mountains Unit of the Klickitat Wildlife Area, at roughly 3500' elevation...........April 11, 2017.This is a view northeast towards the bunchgrass slopes on the summit ridgeline of Bickleton Ridge, the eastern extension of the Simcoe Mountains in north-central Klickitat County, Washington.

Note: Most of this hike was taken between the elevations of 35-3600'.

Weather: Partly cloudy with moderate breeze and temps in the low 40s in the morning rising to the mid 40s with increasing clouds and cold wind in the afternoon, with rain arriving about 4pm.


* Indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.

Horse Hair Lichen: Bryoria sp.

Antlered Perfume: Evernia prunastri

Bone Lichen: Hypogymnia sp.

Brown-eyed Wolf Lichen: Letharia columbiana

Tufted Foxtail: Nodobryoria abbreviata

Brown-eyed Sunshine Lichen: Vulpicida canadensis

Fragile Fern: Cystopteris fragilis

Western Juniper: Juniperus occidentalis var. ocidentalis

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

Coast Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii

Mock Orange: Philadelphus lewisii

Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana var. garryana

Willow: Salix sp - In bud. In creeks or moist swales with sub-surface water. Clonal?

Scouler's Willow: Salix scouleriana ?

* Elk Sedge: Carex geyeri - Beginning to bloom.

Common Spike-rush: Eleocharis palustris ?

One-spike Oatgrass: Danthonia unispicata

Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides

Mannagrass: Glyceria sp.

* Leiberg's Bluegrass: Poa leibergii

Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum

Nevius' Onion: Allium nevii ? - In bud in moist swales.

* Scilla-like Onion: Allium scilloides

Sagebrush Mariposa: Calochortus macrocarpus var. macrocarpus - Leaves

Common Camas: Camassia quamash (ssp. breviflora ?) - Leaves.

Pale-anther Glacier Lily: Erythronium grandiflorum var. pallidum - In bud.

* Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica - Beginning to bloom.

Panicle Death Camas: Toxicoscordion paniculatum

Bicolored Cluster Lily: Triteleia grandiflora var. howellii

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

Rein Orchid: Piperia sp.

Heart-leaf Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum var. compositum

Douglas' Buckwheat: Eriogonum sphaerocephalum var. sublineare

Tall Buckwheat: Eriogonum elatum

Strict Buckwheat: Eriogonum strictum var. proliferum

* Dwarf Montia: Montia dichotoma

* Spring Water Chickweed: Montia fontana

* Jagged Chickweed: Holosteum umbellatum

Meadow Larkspur: Delphinium distichum

Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum - In bud.

American Wintercress: Barbarea orthoceras

* Black-flowered Rockcress: Boechera atrorubens - Beginning to bloom.

* Oaks Toothwort: Cardamine nuttallii - Beginning to bloom.

* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna

*Scale Pod: Idahoa scapigera - Blooming, with some plants with maturing pods.

Bulblet Prairie Star: Lithophragma bulbifera or Smooth Prairie Star: Lithophragma glabrum ?

Small-flowered Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum

Northwestern Saxifrage: Micranthes fragosa ?

Northwestern Saxifrage: Micranthes integrifolia ?

Mock Orange: Philadelphus lewisii

Cinquefoil: Drymocallis sp.

Ocean Spray: Holodiscus discolor

Annual Burnet: Poteridium annuum

Antelope Bitterbrush: Purshia tridentata

Rose: Rosa sp.

Yakima Milkvetch: Astragalus reventiformis - Only leaves.

Leafy Pea: Lathyrus lanszwertii or Lathyrus nevadensis ?

Lupine: Lupinus sp.

Big-head Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum - A few plants in bud.

Vetch: Vicia sp. ?

* Sagebrush Violet: Viola trinervata - Beginning to bloom.

Buck Brush: Ceanothus sanguineus

Snowbrush: Ceanothus velutinus var. velutinus

Oregon Checker-mallow: Sidalcea oregana var. oregana

Tall Annual Evening Primrose: Epilobium brachycarpum

* Canby's Desert Parsley: Lomatium canbyi

* Gormann's Desert Parsley: Lomatium gormannii or Salt and Pepper: Lomatium piperi

Gray-leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium macrocarpum - Cream-flowered form.

* Bare-stem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule - Beginning to bloom.

Nine Leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium tridentatum var. triternatum

* Watson's Desert Parsley: Lomatium watsonii

Sweet-cicely: Osmorhiza sp. ?

Gairdner's Yampah: Perideridia montana (Perideridia gairdneri)

Pipsissewa: Chimaphila umbellata

Pine Drops: Pterospora andromedea - Last years' stalks.

White-vein Wintergreen: Pyrola picta

Columbia Frasera: Frasera albicaulis var. columbiana

* Desert Shooting Star: Dodecatheon/ Primula conjugens - Beginning to bloom.

Poet's Shooting Star: Dodecatheon/Primula poeticum - In bud.

* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis - Beginning to bloom.

Hood's Phlox: Phlox hoodii ?

Showy Phlox: Phlox speciosa

Ball-head Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. (?)

Silverleaf Phacelia: Phacelia hastata var. hastata

Slender Popcornflower: Plagiobothrys tenellus ? - Basal leaves.

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora - Beginning to bloom.

Fine-tooth Penstemon: Penstemon subserratus

Common Mullein: Verbascum thapsus

Cleavers: Galium aparine

Common Snowberry: Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium

Spear-leaf Agoseris: Agoseris retrorsa

Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha

Woodrush Pussytoes: Antennaria luzuloides ? - Leaves.

Hooker's Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza hookeri var. hookeri - One plant with flower buds.

Silvercrown: Cacaliopsis nardosmia

Dustymaidens: Chaenactis douglasii var. douglasii

Smooth Hawksbeard: Crepis capillaris ?

Gray Hawksbeard: Crepis intermedia ?

Western Hawksbeard: Crepis occidentalis ?

* Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule

Rubber Rabbitbrush: Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa

Scouler's Hawkweed: Hieracium scouleri

False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides

Yellow Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus (var. exaltus ?) - In bud.


Animals Seen at the Simcoe Mountains Unit of the Klickitat Wildlife Area:

Sharp-shinned Hawk ?

Western Bluebirds - Heard

Casssin's Finches

Dark-eyed Juncos

Mountain Chickadees

White-breasted Nuthatches

Yellow-rumped Warbler


Paul Slichter