[Wildflower Bloom Reports for the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington: 2018] - [Wildflower Destinations in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]

Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington

Eightmile Creek drainage

Trails between the Dalles Mt. Ranch and Crawford Oaks Trailheads

Columbia Hills Historical State Park

A 2018 WNPS Study Weekend Hike

May 5, 2018

Columbia Gorge lupine & Carey's balsamroot blooming on open slopes along the Military Road Trail, Columbia Hills Historical State Park.......May 5, 2018.

Columbia Gorge lupine & Carey's balsamroot blooming on open slopes along the Military Road Trail, Columbia Hills Historical State Park.......May 5, 2018.

Weather: Mostly sunny, calm in the morning with light winds after lunch time. Temperatures in the mid to high 70s.

* indicates a wildflower currently in bloom.

Comprehensive Plant List for the Crawford Oaks/Eightmile Creek portion of the Columbia Hills State Park.

* Lemmon's Needlegrass: Achnatherum lemmonii ssp. lemmonii - Beginning to bloom.

* Cheatgrass: Bromus tectorum

Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides

Idaho Fescue: Festuca idahoensis

* Needle and Thread: Heterostipa comata

Giant Wildrye: Leymus cinereus

* Bulbous Bluegrass: Poa bulbosa

* Nevada Bluegrass: Poa secunda ssp. juncifolia ?

Sandberg's Bluegrass: Poa secunda ssp. secunda - Past bloom.

Bluebunch Wheatgrass: Pseudoroegneria spicatum - In bud.

Medusahead: Taeniatherum caput-medusae - Nearly in bloom.

* Big-leaf Maple: Acer macrophyllum - Fading out of bloom.

* Creek Dogwood: Cornus sericea - Beginning to bloom along creeks

California Filbert: Corylus cornuta var. californica

* Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana var. garryana

Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum - In bud.

Sagebrush Mariposa: Calochortus macrocarpus var. macrocarpus

Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica - Fruits ripening.

* Bicolor Cluster Lily: Triteleia grandiflora var. howellii

* Panicle Deathcamas: Toxicoscordion paniculatum - Fading out of bloom.

Common Bastard Toadflax: Comandra umbellata var. californica - In bud.

* Heartleaf Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum var. compositum - Beginning to bloom......both cream and yellow-flowered varieties.

Tall Buckwheat: Eriogonum elatum - In bud.

Snow Buckwheat: Eriogonum niveum ?

Curly Dock: Rumex crispus

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata ssp. intermontana - Fading out of bloom.

* Common Chickweed: Stellaria media

* Shining Oregon Grape: Berberis aquifolium

* White Water buttercup: Ranunculus aquatilis

* American Wintergreen: Barbarea orthoceras

Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna -Seed heads.

* Tumblemustard: Sisymbrium altissimum

.* Fringepods: Thysanocarpus curvipes - Distinctive pods visible.

Mock Orange: Philadelphus lewisii

* Small-flowered Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum - Fading out of bloom.

* Peak Saxifrage: Micranthes nidifica - Fading out of bloom along creeks.

* Suksdorf's Hawthorn: Crataegus gaylussacia - Beginning to bloom.

Oceanspray: Holodiscus discolor

Glandular Cinquefoil: Potentilla glandulosa (var. ) - In bud.

* Bittercherry: Prunus emarginata var. emarginata

* Chokecherry: Prunus virginiana var. melanocarpa - Beginning to bloom.

* Yakima Milkvetch: Astragalus reventiformis

* Prairie Lupine: Lupinus lepidus var. aridus - Beginning to bloom.

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

Velvet Lupine: Lupinus leucophyllus

* Small-flowered Lupine: Lupinus micranthus

* Bingen Lupine: Lupinus sulphureus var. subsaccatus

Alfalfa: Medicago sativa

* Rabbit-foot Clover: Trifolium arvense

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

Common St. John's Wort: Hypericum perforatum

Blazing Star: Mentzelia laevicaulis var. laevicaulis

* Slender Clarkia: Clarkia gracilis - Beginning to bloom.

* Chervil: Anthriscus caucalis

* Narrowfruit Biscuitroot: Lomatium brevifolium (L. triternatum var. brevifolium)

* Butterfly-loving (Pungent) Desert Parsley: Lomatium papilioniferum (L. grayii )

Biscuitroot: Lomatium macrocarpum - Past bloom. Cream-flowered form.

* Barestem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule

* Nineleaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum var. triternatum

Desert Shooting Star: Dodecatheon/Primula conjugens

* Large-flowered Collomia: Collomia grandiflora - Beginning to bloom.

* Showy Phlox: Phlox speciosa

* Ballhead Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum v. thompsonii - Fading out of bloom.

* Tarweed Fiddleneck: Amsinckia lycopsoides

* Rigid Fireweed: Amsinckia menziesii var. menziesii

* Weak-stem Cryptanth: Cryptantha flaccida ?

* Yellow and Blue Scorpionweed: Myosotis discolor

* Blue Scorpion Grass: Myosotis micranthus

Slender Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys tenellus

* Attenuate Paintbrush: Castilleja attenuata

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora

* Common Monkey Flower: Erythranthe guttata

Moth Mullein: Verbascum blattaria

Common Mullein: Verbascum thapsus

* Corn Speedwell: Veronica arvensis

* Annual Bedstraw, Cleavers: Galium aparine

Teasel: Dipsacus fullonum

* Manroot: Marah oreganus

Blue Elderberry: Sambucus cerulea

Common Snowberry: Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus

* Long-spur Plectritis: Plectritis ciliosa

* Yarrow: Achillea millefolium - Beginning to bloom.

* Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha

* Carey's Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza careyana - Past their peak on the State Park.

Chicory: Cichorum intybus

Tumble Knapweed: Centaurea diffusa - In bud.

Wavy-leaf Thistle: Cirsium undulatum

Bull Thistle: Cirsium vulgare

Bearded Hawksbeard: Crepis barbigera - Leaves.

* Western Hawsbeard: Crepis occidentalis - Beginning to bloom.

Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule - Just finished blooming.

Gray Rabbitbrush: Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa

Blanketflower: Gaillardia aristata - In bud.

Columbia River Gumweed: Grindelia hirsutula - In bud.

* Least Tarweed: Hemizonella minima - Begining to bloom.

* Lemon-scented Tarweed: Madia citriodora

* Common Tarweed: Madia gracilis - Beginning to bloom

* Pineappleweed: Matricaria discoidea - Beginning to bloom.

Columbia Goldenweed: Pyrrocoma carthamoides var. carthamoides - In bud.

Yellow Salsify: Tragopogon dubius


Animals Seen Along This Route:

California Ground Squirrels

Turkey Vulture

Golden Eagle

Red-tailed Hawks

Ravens

Northern Flickers

Lewis' Woodpecker

Western Meadowlarks

Spotted Towhee

American Robins

Western Bluebirds

Carnivorous Ground Beetles - mating?

Large Bombus bumblebee


Paul Slichter