Directions and Plant Lists to the Crawford Oaks Trailhead, Columbia Hills State Park
Directions and Plant Lists to The Dalles Mt. Ranch Trailhead, Columbia Hills State Park
Weather: Today, the weather began cool and mostly sunny. Winds were light and temps were in the mid 40s. After lunch, the skies cleared and became sunny, with winds remaining light and temps climbing into the low 50s.
Note: The snow has finally melted atop the Columbia Hills, but the water table is still high and thus Eightmile Creek is running near flood stage (making for a beautiful waterfall above the Crawford Oaks Trailhead). High water means that it is not possible to cross Eightmile Creek without getting very wet for the next 2 weeks. Remember: Display your Discover Pass ($10 per day, available at both trailheads.). The trailheads are checked by all park personnel, and they will ticket anyone parked along The Dalles Mt. Road or on the road up to the Natural Area Preserve trailhead if you are within the boundary of the park. Keep dogs on leash to protect ground nesting birds. $99 fine.
Goldback Fern: Pentagramma triangularis
Wallace's Spikemoss: Selaginella wallacei
Bigleaf Maple: Acer macrophyllum
Tree-of-Heaven: Ailanthus altissima
Red-osier Dogwood: Cornus sericea
Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana var. garryana
Smooth Sumac: Rhus glabra
Poison Oak: Toxicoscordion diversilobum - Bare stems only.
Ripgut: Bromus diandrus
Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides
Great Basin Wildrye: Leymus cinereus
Leiberg's Bluegrass: Poa leibergii
Bluebunch Wheatgrass: Pseudoroegneria spicata
Cereal Rye: Secale cereale
Medusa Head: Taenitherum caput-medusae
Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum - Leaves only.
* Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica - Beginning to bloom (2 weeks late this year.).
Panicled Death Camas: Toxicoscordion paniculatum - Only leaves.
* Douglas' Grass Widows: Olsynium douglasii var. douglasii - Moderate bloom. Peaking in 7-14 days in the lower half of the park.
Heartleaf Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum var. compositum
Tall Buckwheat: Eriogonum elatum
Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum - Leaves only.
* Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna - Becoming numerous.
* Smooth Prairie Stars: Lithophragma glabrum
* Small-flowered Prairie Stars: Lithophragma parviflorum - One plant spotted in bloom.
* Northwestern Saxifrage: Micranthes fragosa - Beginning to bloom.
Mock Orange: Philadelphus lewisii
Black Hawthorn: Crataegus douglasii
Bittercherry: Prunus emarginata var. emarginata
Small-flowered Lupine: Lupinus latifolius X latifolius (Synonym: Lupinus latifolius var. thompsonianus) - Leaves emerging from the ground.
* Filaree: Erodium cicutarium - One plant in bloom.
Blazing Star: Mentzelia laevicaulis - Dry stems from last year's bloom.
* Gorman's Salt and Pepper: Lomatium gormanii - At or just past peak bloom.
* Large-fruit Biscuitroot: Lomatium macrocarpum - A few cream-flowered plants beginning to bloom.
* Barestem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule - A few plants barely in bloom.
* Butterfly-loving (Pungent) Desert Parsley: Lomatium papilioniferum
Nine-leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum var. triternatum - Still only leaves.
* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis - Beginning to bloom.
Ball-head Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii - Leaves only. No sign yet of flower buds.
Cutleaf Penstemon: Penstemon richardsonii var. richardsonii
Yarrow: Achillea millefolium
Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza deltoidea x careyana - Several plants observed with leaves and flower buds emerging from the ground.
Rush Skeletonweed: Chondrilla juncea
* Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule - Fairly numerous in the lower half of the park.
Gray Rabbitbrush: Ericameria nauseosa var. speciosa