[Columbia River Gorge Wildflower Reports]

Currently Blooming Wildflowers in the Columbia River Gorge

Three Bench Loop (east of Lyle, WA at MP 79 on SR-14)

March 14, 1998

 


The photo at right shows the flowers of upland larkspur (Delphinium nuttalianum).
A Native Plant Society of Oregon Field Trip

1. Grass Widow: Sisyrinchium douglasii var. douglasii -Abundant although it's late in its bloom.

2. Spring Whitlow-grass: Draba verna var. boerhaavii -Abundant.

3. Smooth Prairie Star: Lithophragma glabra -Abundant.

4. Northwestern Saxifrage: Saxifraga integrifolia var. integrifolia -Moderate bloom.

5. Northwest Balsamroot: Balsamhoriza deltoidea -Sparse bloom, primarily in south facing slopes with rocky cliffs behind them, near the highway.

8. Gold Stars: Crocidium multicaule _Abundant only on western slopes.

9. Fringe Pod: Thysanocarpus curvipes -Fairly abundant.

10. Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora -Moderate bloom.

12. Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica -Moderate bloom.

13. Canby's Desert Parsley: Lomatium canbyi -Several in bloom.

6. Columbia Desert Parsley: Lomatium columbianum -Abundant.

15. Pungent Desert Parsley: Lomatium grayi -Abundant.

14. Bare-stem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule -One in bloom, others nearly so.

7. Salt & Pepper or Piper's Desert Parsley: Lomatium piperi -Sparse.

11. Nine-leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum -Few in bloom.

12. Naked Broomrape: Orobanche uniflora var. purpurea -Scattered, but numerous.

13. Panicled Death-camas: Zigadenus paniculatus -Abundant, but few in bloom.

14. Ball-head Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii Abundant under trees at low altitude.

15. Fiddleneck: Amsinckia species- Abundant, small plants to 3 or 4 inches.

16. Rusty Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys nothofulvus -Abundant.

17. Slender Popcorn Flower: Plagiobothrys tenellus -Abundant.

18. Big Root/ Wild Cucumber: Marah oreganus -Abundant, but vines are very short.

19. Filaree: Erodium cicutarium -Abundant.

20. Little Western Bitter Cress: Cardamine oligosperma -Abundant.

21. Poet's Shooting Star: Dodecatheon poeticum -Moderate bloom.

22. Tansy Mustard: Descurainia richardsonii -Few plants.

23. Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata (formerly Montia perfoliata) - Abundant.

24. Bulblet Prairie Star: Lithophragma bulbifera -A few plants.

25. Small-flowered Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflora -Abundant.

26. Woolly-pod Milk-vetch: Astragalus purshii -Several scattered plants.

27. Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis -Numerous.

28. White Plectritis: Plectritis macrocera -Several.

29. Chickweed Monkey-flower: Mimulus alsinoides -Several.

30. Annual Bedstraw: Galium aparine -Abundant.

31. Big-leaf Maple: Acer macrophyllum -Many plants with flowers beginning to burst forth from bud.

32. Horned-head Buttercup: Ranunculus testiculatus -Few.......weed along SR-14.

33. Little-leaf Rock Cress: Arabis microphylla -A few plants still in bloom.

34. Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum -One patch of about 30 blooming in the middle of poison oak.


Paul Slichter