[Wildflower Bloom Reports for the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington: 2023]

Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington

USFS Lands Along Rowena Creek Canyon West of Dell Road

April 13, 2023

Upland Larkspurs (Delphinium nuttallianum) and Gold Stars (Crocidium multicaule) blooming along a mossy, rocky slope between Memaloose and Rowena, Columbia River Gorge..........April 5, 2014.

Upland Larkspurs (Delphinium nuttallianum) and Gold Stars (Crocidium multicaule) blooming along a mossy, rocky slope between Memaloose and Rowena, Columbia River Gorge..........April 5, 2014.

* Indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.

Weather: Partly sunny. Temps in the mid 40s with gusty winds from the west out of the canyon. A light breeze in the canyon..

Note: This was a cross-country hike. Access is mostly through game trails on public lands with routes crossing some steep, talus slopes. Also, the poison oak is pretty thick along this route! Private property blocks access both from US Highway 30 and upstream along Rowena Dell. The easiest access is to park along Dell Road and then hike to the west rim of Rowena canyon and find a route down to the creek.

Fragile Fern: Cystopteris fragilis

Imbricate Sword Fern: Polystichum imbricans ssp. imbricans

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana var. garryana

* Willow: Salix sp.

* Long-anthered Woodrush: Luzula macrantha ?

Hairy Chess: Bromus commutatus or Soft Chess: Bromus hordeaceus - Only leaves.

Cheatgrass: Bromus tectorum

Bristly Dogtail: Cynosurus echinatus

Prairie Junegrass: Koeleria macrantha

* Bulbous Blue Grass: Poa bulbosa

Bluebunch Wheatgrass: Pseudoroegneria spicata

Common Bastard Toadflax: Comandra umbellata ssp. californica

Common Camas: Camassia quamash (ssp. quamash ?) - Only leaves.

* Pale-anther Glacier Lily: Erythronium grandiflorum var. pallidum - Still in bloom on north-facing slopes.

* Chocolate Lily: Fritillaria affinis - Beginning to bloom.

* Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica - Past peak bloom.

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

Rein Orchid: Platanthera sp.

Heart-leaf Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum var. compositum

Sheep Sorrel: Rumex acetosella

Curly Dock: Rumex crispus

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata ssp. perfoliata

* Line-leaf Montia: Montia linearis

* Chickweed: Stellaria media

Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum - In bud.

* Western Buttercup: Ranunculus occidentalis var. occidentalis

Shining Oregon Grape: Berberis aquifolium

* Oregon Fairy Poppies: Meconella oregana

American Wintercress: Barbarea orthoceras

* Oaks Toothwort: Cardamine nuttallii

* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna

Scale Pod: Idahoa scapigera - Pods maturing.

* Bulblet Prairie Star: Lithophragma bulbifera (no included as part of Lithophragma glabrum)

* Smooth Praire Star: Lithophragma glabrum

* Small-flowered Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum

* Northwestern Saxifrage: Micranthes integrifolia

Columbia Saxifrage: Micranthes nidifica

Mock Orange: Philadelphus lewisii - Along Rowena Creek

Sticky Cinquefoil: Drymocallis glandulosa var. glandulosa ? - Only leaves.

Ocean Spray: Holodiscus discolor

Spurred Lupine: Lupinus arbustus ? - Only leaves.

Common Broad-leaf Lupine: Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius (formerly var. thompsonianus)

Bighead Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum

Common Vetch: Vicia sativa

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

Poison Oak: Toxicodendron diversilobum

Fern-leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium dissectum var. dissectum

* Klickitat Desert Parsley: Lomatium klickitatense

* Biscuitroot: Lomatium macrocarpum (yellow-flowered form)

Bare-stem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule

* Nineleaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum var. triternatum

Pacific Snakeroot: Sanicula crassicaulis

Sierra Snakeroot: Sanicula graveolens

Columbia Frasera: Frasera albicaulis var. nitida (formerly var. columbiana)

* Desert Shooting Star: Dodecatheon/Primula conjugens

* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis

* Ball-head Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii

* Meadow Nemophila: Nemophila pedunculata

Silverleaf Phacelia: Phacelia hastata var. hastata

Great Houndstongue: Adelinia grandis - In bud.

* Rusty Popcornflower: Plagiobothrys nothofulvus

* Slender Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys tenellus

Attenuate Paintbrush: Castilleja attenuata

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora

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

Common Monkeyflower: Erythranthe guttata ?

* Naked Broomrape: Aphyllon purpureum

Bedstraw: Galium aparine

Big Root: Marah oreganus

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

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium

Bachelor's Buttons: Centaurea cyanus

Columbia Goldenweed: Columbiadoria hallii

* Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule

Scouler's Hawkweed: Hieracium scouleri (formerly var. cynoglossoides ?)

Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltatus

* Dandelion: Taraxacum officinale


Animals Seen Along This Route Today:

Mule Deer herd

Great Blue Heron - Flying along the Columbia River.

Turkey Vultures

Red-tailed Hawks

Ravens

Scrub Jays

Spotted Towhee

Dark-eyed Juncos


 


Paul Slichter