[Wildflower Bloom Reports for the Columbia River Gorge: 2021]

Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington

Ridges Between The Dalles, OR and Lookout Mountain

April 3, 2021

The photo at left shows Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams as seen from a high ridge outside The Dalles, OR..........April 3, 2021. The photo at right shows Mt. Hood as seen from a high ridge outside The Dalles, OR..........April 3, 2021. Mt. St. Helens was also visible to the northwest as was the Simcoe Mountains to th north.

* Indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.

Weather: Partly to mostly sunny with high, thin clouds providing filtered sunshine at times. Temps in the mid 50s in morning rising to mid to the low 60s by mid-afternoon. No wind in the morning to a light breeze by mid-afternoon.

Note: We were monitoring for rare plants for the land owner, so the specific location is not given.

Cowpie Lichen: Diploschistes muscorum ?

Wolfbane Lichen: Letharia vulpina

Polytrichum Moss: Polytrichum pilferum

Fragile Fern: Cystopteris fragilis

Licorice Fern: Polypodium glycyrrhiza

Grand Fir: Abies grandis

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii

Golden Chinquapin: Chrysolepis chrysophylla var. chrysophylla

Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana var. garryana - Buds swelling.

Scouler's Willow: Salix scouleriana

* Elk Sedge: Carex geyeri - Beginning to bloom.

Cheatgrass: Bromus tectorum

Fescue: Festuca sp.

Prairie Junegrass: Koehleria macrantha

Bulbous Blue Grass: Poa bulbosa

* Leiberg's Blue Grass: Poa leibergii

Bluebunch Wheatgrass: Pseudoroegneria spicata

Bristly Dogtail: Cynosurus echinatus

Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum ?

* Pale-anther Glacier Lily: Erythronium grandiflorum var. pallidum - Beginning to bloom.

* Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica

* Grass Widows: Olsynium douglasii var. douglasii

Heart-leaf Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum var. compositum

Tall Buckwheat: Eriogonum elatum

Douglas' Buckwheat: Eriogonum douglasii var. douglasii ? or Scabland Wild Buckwheat: Eriogonum sphaerocephalum var. sublineare ?

Strict Buckwheat: Eriogonum strictum var. proliferum ?

Pale Springbeauty: Claytonia exigua ssp. exigua

* Western Springbeauty: Claytonia lanceolata

Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata ssp. perfoliata

Red Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia rubra ssp. rubra

* Line-leaf Montia: Montia linearis

* Jagged Chickweed: Holosteum umbellatum

Field Chickweed: Cerastium arvense ssp. strictum

Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum

Shining Oregon Grape: Berberis aquifolium - In bud.

* Oaks Toothwort: Cardamine nuttallii

* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna

Broadleaf Stonecrop: Sedum spathulifolium

Wormleaf Stonecrop: Sedum stenopetalum ssp. stenopetalum

Alpine Alumroot: Heuchera (cylindrica ?)

Bulblet Prairie Star: Lithophragma bulbifera

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

Nesting Saxifrage: Micranthes nidifica - In bud.

Mock Orange: Philadelphus lewisii - Beginning to leaf out.

* Saskatoon Serviceberry: Amelanchier alnifolia (var. alnifolia ?) - Buds swelling.

Ocean Spray: Holodiscus discolor

Bittercherry: Prunus emarginata var. emarginata

Antelope Bitterbrush: Purshia tridentata

Rose: Rosa sp.

Lupine: Lupinus (arbustus or sulphureus var. bingensis ?)

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

Deerbrush: Ceanothus integerrimus

Klamathweed: Hypericum perforatum

Clarkia: Clarkia sp. - Dried stems from 2020.

Nineleaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium brevifolium

* Columbia Desert Parsley: Lomatium columbianum - Still an early bloom.

Bare-stem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule - Early leaves

* Pungent Desert Parsley: Lomatium papilioniferum

* Piper's Salt and Pepper: Lomatium piperi

California Hedge Parsley: Yabea microcarpa

Pinemat Manzanita: Arctostaphylos nevadensis

* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis

Spreading Phlox: Phlox diffusa or Hood's Phlox: Phlox hoodii ?

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

Meadow Nemophila: Nemophila pedunculata

Silverleaf Phacelia: Phacelia hastata var. hastata ?

* Slender Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys tenellus - Beginning to bloom.

* Harsh Paintbrush: Castilleja hispida (var. acuta ?) - Beginning to bloom.

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora

* Few-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia sparsiflora var. bruceae

Stickystemp Penstemon: Penstemon glandulosus (var. glandulosus ?)

Common Mullein: Verbascum thapsus

Bedstraw: Galium aparine

Elderberry: Sambucus sp.

Common Snowberry: Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus - Beginning to leaf out.

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium

Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha

Carey's Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza careyana ? - In bud. These don't appear to be B. sagittata.

Silvercrown: Cacaliopsis nardosmia ssp. glabrata

Diffuse Knapweed: Centaurea diffusa

Rush Skeletonweed: Chondrilla juncea

Columbia Goldenweed: Columbiadoria hallii

Smooth Hawksbeard: Crepis capillaris

* Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule

Scouler's Hawkweed: Hieracium scouleri

False Agoseris, Prairie Dandelion: Nothocalais troximoides

Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltatus

Salsify: Tragopogon dubius

Animals Seen Along This Route Today:

Mule Deer ? - scat

Grouse - booming

Turkey Vultures

Red-tailed Hawks

Sharp-shinned Hawks

Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker

Ravens

Stellers Jays

Spotted Towhees

American Robins

Western Bluebird

Dark-eyed Juncos

Chickadees

Several views of Rowena Creek in Rowena Dell, Columbia River Gorge..........April 5, 2014. At the moment, public access to this portion of Rowena Dell is restricted by private land. Several of us are considering a public route to this location, but currently the route is extremely populated with poison oak and ticks, with the possibility of encountering rattlesnakes!

Paul Slichter