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

Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington

Weldon Wagon Trail, White Salmon Oak Natural Resources Conservation Area

April 19, 2018

Weldon Wagon Road, White Salmon Oak Natural Resource Conservation Area.........April 19, 2018.

DNR lands and the White Salmon Oak NRCA as viewed northwest from the Weldon Wagon Road.........April 19, 2018. The peak on the horizon at center is Monte Carlo, the peak towards the right is Monte Carlo. We could also see the eastern summit of Little Huckleberry Mountain further west from higher portions of the trail.

* Indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.

Weather: Mostly sunny with light winds to 0-5 mph at mid-day with temps in the mid-50s. The skies clouded up with a drop in temp by late afternoon.

Fragile Fern: Cystopteris fragilis

Western Sword Fern: Polystichum munitum

* Bigleaf Maple: Acer macrophyllum

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 (formerly Brodiaea congesta) - Basal leaves only.

* Chocolate Lily: Fritillaria affinis

Western Wakerobin: Trillium ovatum - Past bloom.

Bicolored Cluster Lily: Triteleia grandiflora var. howellii - In bud

Grass Widows: Olsynium douglasii (old var. douglasii) - Fruits maturing.

Striped Coralroot: Corallorhiza striata - In bud.

Rein-orchid: Piperia sp.

Common Bastard Toad Flax: Comandra umbellata var. californica - In bud.

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata ssp. intermontana

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata var. perfoliata

* Water Chickweed: Montia fontana var. tenerrima

* Bigleaf Sandwort: Moehringia macrophylla

* Chickweed: Stellaria media

* Western Buttercup: Ranunculus occidentalis var. occidentalis

* Shining Oregon Grape: Berberis aquifolium

* Cascade Oregon Grape: Berberis nervosa

* 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

* Bulblet Prairie Star: Lithophragma bulbifera - Fading out of bloom.

* Small-flowered Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum

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

Oceanspray: Holodiscus discolor - Leafing out.

* Bittercherry: Prunus emarginata var. emarginata - Beginning to bloom.

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

Columbia Gorge Lupine: Lupinus latifolius x sericeus (Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius) - In bud.

Bighead Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum - Beginning to bloom.

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

* Dovefoot Geranium: Geranium molle

Poison Oak: Toxicodendron diversilobum - Leafing out.

Diamond Clarkia: Clarkia rhomboidea - Leaves only.

* 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

* 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

* Sierra Snakeroot: Sanicula graveolens

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

* Baby Stars: Leptosiphon bicolor

* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis

* Ballhead Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii

* Meadow Nemophila: Nemophila pedunculata

* Rigid Fiddleneck: Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia

* Great Houndstongue: Cynoglossum grande

* Rusty Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys nothofulvus

* Slender Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys tenellus

* Attenuate Paintbrush: Castilleja attenuata - Beginning to bloom.

* Large-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia grandiflora

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora

* Rattan's Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia rattanii

* Few-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia sparsiflora ?

* Tonella: Tonella tenella

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

Cleavers: Galium aparine

* Big Root: Marah oreganus

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

* White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium - In bud.

* Annual Agoseris: Agoseris heterophylla

* Deltoid Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza deltoidea

* Nodding Microseris: Microseris nutans

Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. ochroleucus

* Common Dandylion: Taraxacum officinale


Animals Seen Along This Route Today:

White Pelicans

Red-tailed Hawk

Northern Flickers

Pileated Woodpecker

Stellers Jays

Spotted Towhees

American Robins

Dark-eyed Juncos

Black-capped Chickadees

Violet-green Swallows

Western Fence Lizard

Bumble Bees

Propertius Duskywing

Julia's Orangetips


Paul Slichter