[Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington: 2021]

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

April 15, 2021

Simcoe Mountains Unit of the Klickitat Wildlife Area

View upstream along Rock Creek, Klickitat County, WA.....April 15, 2021. - View downstream along Rock Creek, Klickitat County, WA.....April 15, 2021.

The photo at left shows a view upstream while the photo at right shows the view downstream in Rock Creek Canyon BLM lands adjacent to the Simcoe Mountains Unit of the Klickitat Wildlife Area...........April 151, 2021.

Note: Most of this hike was taken between the elevations of 23-2700'.

Weather: Mostly sunny with moderate breeze and temps in the low 50s in the morning rising to the mid to upper 60s in the afternoon. In wind sheltered spots, it felt quite warm!


* Indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.

Antlered Perfume: Evernia prunastri

Brown-eyed Wolf Lichen: Letharia columbiana

Brown-eyed Sunshine Lichen: Vulpicida canadensis

Fragile Fern: Cystopteris fragilis

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana var. garryana

Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides

Bulbous Bluegrass: Poa bulbosa - Bulbils forming in the inflorescence.

* Leiberg's Bluegrass: Poa leibergii - Numerous.

Nevada Bluegrass: Poa secunda ssp. juncifolia ? - Inflorescences forming.

Sandberg's Bluegrass: Poa secunda ssp. secunda - Numerous. Beginning to bloom.

Bluebunch Wheatgrass: Pseudoroegneria spicata

Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum

Nevius' Onion: Allium nevii ?

* Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica - Fading out of bloom.

* Panicle Death Camas: Toxicoscordion paniculatum - Beginning to bloom.

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

* Grass Widows: Olsynium douglasii var. inflatum - Fading out of bloom.

Heart-leaf Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum var. compositum

Douglas' Buckwheat: Eriogonum sphaerocephalum var. sublineare - In bud.

Tall Buckwheat: Eriogonum elatum

Strict Buckwheat: Eriogonum strictum var. prolferum

* Erubescent Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia rubra ssp. rubra

Bitterroot: Lewisia rediviva

* Linear Leaf Montia: Montia linearis

Meadow Larkspur: Delphinium distichum

* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum

* Sagebrush Buttercups: Ranunculus glaberrimus var. glaberrimus

* Oaks Toothwort: Cardamine nuttallii

* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna - Fading out of bloom.

Scale Pod: Idahoa scapigera - Maturing pods.

Fringepods: Thysanocarpus curvipes - Maturing pods.

* Bulblet Prairie Star: Lithophragma bulbifera (now included as part of Lithophragma glabrum)

* Smooth Prairie Star: Lithophragma glabrum

*Small-flowered Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum

* Nesting Saxifrage: Micranthes nidifica - Beginning to bloom.

* Wax Currant: Ribes cereum var. cereum

Antelope Bitterbrush: Purshia tridentata

* Yakima Milkvetch: Astragalus reventiformis - Beginning to bloom.

Bog Deervetch: Hosackia pinnata

* Few-flowered Pea: Lathyrus pauciflorus var. pauciflorus - Beginning to bloom.

Broad-leaf Lupine: Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius - Beginning to bloom.

Stony Ground Lupine: Lupinus polyphyllus var. saxosus - Beginning to bloom.

* Soft Lupine: Lupinus sulphureus var. bingensis - Beginning to bloom.

* Big-head Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum - Beginning to bloom.

* Sagebrush Violet: Viola trinervata

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

Tall Annual Evening Primrose: Epilobium brachycarpum

Nine Leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium brevifolium (L. tridentatum var. triternatum)

Canby's Desert Parsley: Lomatium canbyi - Past bloom.

* Pungent Desert Parsley: Lomatium papilioniferum - Numerous

* Salt and Pepper: Lomatium piperi

* Gray-leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium macrocarpum - Yellow-flowered form.

* Bare-stem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule

Gairdner's Yampah: Perideridia montana (Perideridia gairdneri)

California Hedge Parsley: Yabea microcarpa

Columbia Frasera: Frasera albicaulis var. columbiana

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

* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis

* Douglas' Phlox: Phlox caespitosa

* Showy Phlox: Phlox speciosa

* Annual Polemonium: Polemonium micranthum

* Ball-head Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii - Many creamy-flowered forms.

* Rancher's Fiddleneck: Amsinckia retrorsa

* Corn Gromwell: Buglossoides arvensis

* Slender Popcornflower: Plagiobothrys tenellus

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora

Common Mullein: Verbascum thapsus

Cleavers: Galium aparine

Common Snowberry: Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus

* White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium

* Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha

Stiff Sagebrush: Artemisia rigida

* Carey's Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza careyana

* Hybrid Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza careyana X hookeri

* Hooker's Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza hookeri var. hookeri - Very numerous

Rough Eyelashweed: Blepharipappus scaber ?

Dustymaidens: Chaenactis douglasii var. douglasii

Baker's Hawksbeard: Crepis bakeri - In bud.

Smooth Hawksbeard: Crepis capillaris

Western Hawksbeard: Crepis occidentalis - Basal leaves

* 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 - Beginning to bloom.

* Common Dandelion: Taraxacum officinale

Northern Mule's Ears: Wyethia amplexicaulis - In bud.


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

Turkey Vultures

Red-tailed Hawk

Raven

Western Meadowlarks

Spotted Towhees

American Robin

Townsend's Solitaires ?

Western Bluebirds

Casssin's Finches - Overflying

Dark-eyed Juncos

White-crowned Sparrow

Black-capped Chickadees

Mountain Chickadees

Vaux's Swifts

Western Fence Lizards

Anise Swallowtails

Julia's Orangetips

Propertius Duskywings

Silvery Blue


Paul Slichter