[Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington: 2025]

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

Klickitat State Wildlife Recreation Area (from the Glenwood-Goldendale Highway to the east side of Canyon Creek)

May 17, 2025

A view down Canyon Creek in the Klickitat State Wildlife Recreation Area: May 27, 2009.

A view downstream into Canyon Creek in the Klickitat State Wildlife Recreation Area.......May 27, 2009.

Today the weather was in the upper 50s with partly to mostly cloudy skies and occasional light showers and winds light to medium in the morning, becoming gustier in the afternoon!

* indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii

Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana var. garryana

* Creek Dogwood: Cornus sericea (var. ?)

Scouler's Willow: Salix scouleriana

* Willow: Salix sp.

* Elk Sedge: Carex geyeri

* Spike Rush: Eleocharis sp.

* Toad Rush: Juncus bufonius

Dwarf Rush: Juncus hemiendytus var. hemiendytus - Past bloom.

* Lemmon's Needle Grass: Achnatherum lemmonii var. lemmonii

* Soft Brome: Bromus hordeaceus ssp. hordeaceus

* Cheatgrass: Bromus tectorum

California Oatgrass: Danthonia californica

One-spiked Oatgrass: Danthonia unispicata

Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides

Idaho Fescue: Festuca idahoensis

Prairie Junegrass: Koeleria macrantha

* Bulbous Blue Grass: Poa bulbosa

Bluebunch Wheatgrass: Pseudoroegneria spicata

Medusahead Grass: Taenithermum caput-medusae

* Small Fescue: Vulpia microstachys

* Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum - Beginning to bloom.

* Nevius' Onion: Allium nevii - Beginning to bloom.

Long-bearded Mariposa Lily: Calochortus longebarbatus var. longebarbatus - Only leaves.

Green-banded Mariposa Lily: Calochortus macrocarpus var. macrocarpus - Leaves only.

* Common Camas: Camassia quamash ssp. quamash - Fading out of bloom.

* Bicolored Cluster Lily: Triteleia grandiflorum var. howellii

Hyacinth Cluster Lily: Triteleia hyacinthina

Panicled Death Camas: Toxicoscordion paniculatum - Past bloom.

* Meadow Death Camas: Toxicoscordion venenosum - Peak bloom.

* Striped Coralroot: Corrallorhiza striata

* Mountain Lady Slipper: Cypripedium montanum

Rein Orchid: Platanthera (elegans or unalaschensis) - Basal leaves only. Many plants seen.

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

Tall Buckwheat: Eriogonum elatum

* Scabland Wild Buckwheat: Eriogonum sphaerocephalum var. sublineare

* Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata

* Red Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia rubra

* Water Minerslettuce: Montia chamissoi

Water Montia: Montia fontana

* Lineleaf Montia: Montia linearis - Fading out of bloom.

* Red Columbine: Aquilegia formosa

Meadow Larkspur: Delphinium distichum

* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum - A few plants still in bloom.

* Plantain-leaved Buttercup: Ranunculus alismifolius var. alismifolius

* Western Buttercup: Ranunculus occidentalis var. occidentalis

* Creeping Oregon Grape: Berberis repens

* Small-flowered Prairie Stars: Lithophragma parviflorum

Mock Orange: Philadelphus lewisii

* Serviceberry: Amelanchier alnifolia var. semiintegrifolia - Blooming near the creek at the trailhead.

* Broadpetal Strawberry: Fragaria virginiana ssp. glauca - Beginning to bloom in woods at the trailhead.

Oceanspray: Holodiscus discolor

* Chokecherry: Prunus virginianus var. melanocarpa

* Antelope Bitterbrush: Purshia tridentata

Pearhip Rose: Rosa woodsii ?

Annual Burnet: Poteridium annuum

Hardhack: Spiraea douglasii (var. ?)

Nevada Deervetch: Acmispon nevadensis var. nevadensis

* Hood River Milkvetch: Astragalus hoodianus - Well advanced in bloom. Pistils are covered with hairs.

Bog Deervetch: Hosackia pinnata

* Desert Pea: Lathyrus lanszwertii var. aridus

* Columbia Gorge Lupine: Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius

* Small Lupine: Lupinus micranthus

* Bighead Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum - A few plants still in bloom.

* American Vetch: Vicia americana

* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium

* Sticky Geranium: Geranium viscosissimum var. incisum - Beginning to bloom.

Deer Brush: Ceanothus integerrimus - A few plants in bud.

* Mahala Mat: Ceanothus prostratus - Full bloom.

Cutleaf Violet: Viola sheltonii

Sagebrush Violet: Viola trinervata - Only the leaves remain.

Slender Clarkia: Clarkia gracilis - In bud.

Diamond Clarkia: Clarkia rhomboidea - Leaves.

Columbia Desert Parsley: Lomatium columbianum - Past bloom.

Fernleaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium dissectum var. dissectum

Klickitat Desert Parsley: Lomatium klickitatense - Numerous. Past bloom.

Biscuitroot: Lomatium macrocarpum - Yellow-flowered form. Long past bloom.

* Barestem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule - Common.

* Suksdorf's Desert Parsley: Lomatium suksdorfii

* Nineleaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum var. triternatum

Sweet Cicely: Osmorhiza berteroi

Gairdner's Yampah: Pterideridia montana (Perideridia gairdneri) - Basal leaves only.

Kinnickinick: Arctostaphylos nevadensis

Pinedrops: Pterospora andromedea - Stalks of the past season still visible.

Flytrap Dogbane: Apocynum androsaemifolium

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

Large-flowered Collomia: Collomia grandiflora var. hendersonii - Beginning to bloom.

* Baker's Linanthus: Leptosiphon bolanderi

* Least Navarretia: Navarretia leucocephala ssp. minima

* Showy Phlox: Phlox speciosa - Fading out of bloom.

Ballhead Desert Parsley: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii - Past bloom.

* Common Cryptanth: Cryptantha intermedia var. hendersonii

* Cryptanth: Cryptantha sp. - Smaller flowers than above. Possibly Cryptantha flaccida ?

* Puccoon: Lithospermum ruderale - Fading out of bloom.

* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis var. gracilis

* Small-flowered Forget-me-not: Myosotis micrantha

* Scouler's Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys scouleri

* Hairy Indian Paintbrush: Castilleja tenuis

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora - A few plants still in bloom along streams.

* Rattan's Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia rattanii - Nice bloom.

English Plantain: Plantago lanceolata

Common Plantain: Plantago major

*Naked Broomrape: Aphyllon purpureum

* Cleavers, Annual Bedstraw: Galium aparine

* White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera - Fading out of bloom.

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium - In bud.

* Annual Agoseris: Agoseris heterophylla - Fading out of bloom.

Spearleaf Agoseris: Agoseris retrorsa - In bud.

Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha - Most plants going to seed.

* Howell's Pussytoe: Antennaria howellii ssp. howellii

* Woodrush Pussytoes: Antennaria luzuloides - Beginning to blom.

* Carey's Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza careyana x deltoidea

Oregon Sunshine: Eriophyllum lanatum var. lanatum - In bud.

Scouler's Hawkweed: Hieracium scouleri - In bud.

Cut-leaved Microseris?: Microseris laciniata - Basal leaves only.

* Nodding Microseris: Microseris nutans

* Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltatus

* Common Dandylion: Taraxacum officinale

Yellow Salsify: Tragopogon dubius


Animals Seen During This Hike:

California Ground Squirrels

Deer

Western Fence Lizards

Southern Alligator Lizard

Racer

Pacific Tree Frog

Anise Swallowtail

Pale Tiger Swallowtail

Western Tiger Swallowtail

California Tortoiseshells

Propertius Duskywings - common

Blue - unidentified


Paul Slichter