Natural History Wanderings

Three Recent Wildflower Reports from Oregon Wildflowers

Canyon Creek Meadows (Mount Jefferson Wilderness) Oregon Cascades – Central 7/15/12

 The wildflowers have not yet started blooming at this location. There is still a fair amount of snow above the first meadow.

Echo Basin (Willamette National Forest) Western Cascades 7/14/12

 As usual, the meadows are a bit muddy in the areas without boardwalks, but it is worth the effort to see these flowers! I expect that they should still be blooming for several weeks.
Blooming in the forest: thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus), western white anemone (Anemone deltoidea), bunchberry (Cornus pumila), candyflower (Claytonia sibirica), goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus), Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium carneum), vanilla leaf (Achlys triphylla), Pacific bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa), salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), valerian (Valeriana sp.), queen’s cup (Clintonia uniflora), starry false Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum stellatum), foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), woods strawberry (Fragaria vesca), and Youth-On-Age (Tolmiea mensziesii).

Blooming in the meadows: elephanthead lousewort (Pedicularis groenlandica), western bistort (Polygonum bistortoides), few-flowered shooting star (Dodecatheon pulchellum), western columbine (Aquilegia formosa), Menzies’ larkspur (Delphinium menziesii), arrow-leaf groundsel (Senecio triangularis), tall bluebells (Mertensia paniculata), yellow monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus), harsh paintbrush (Castilleja hispida), Lewis’ monkeyflower (Mimulus lewisii), Oregon saxifrage (Saxifraga oregana), and cow parsnip (Heracleum maximum). False Hellebore (Veratrum californicum) just starting.

Silver Star Mountain  Columbia Gorge (west) 7/11/12

It’s a great time to visit Silver Star Mountain! It’s even worth dealing with the horrible road to the north trailhead to witness this kaleidoscopic display.
Although this is not a banner year for Bear grass (Xerophyllum tenax), there are some nice specimens intermingled with everything else. Varieties currently blooming along the Ed’s Trail loop include: Inside-Out Flower (Vancouveria hexandra), Candyflower (Claytonia sibirica), Western bistort (Polygonum bistortoides), Broadleaf lupine (Lupinus latifolius), Tiger lily (Lilium columbianum), Western columbine (Aquilegia formosa), Indian paintbrush (Castilleja miniata), Mountain golden-pea (Thermopsis montana), Cascade aster (Aster ledophyllus), Long-beaked hawkweed (Hieracium longiberbe), Oregon sunshine (Eriophyllum lanatum), Subalpine mariposa lily (Calochortus subalpinus), Woodland penstemon (Nothochelone nemorosa), Cardwell’s penstemon (Penstemon cardwellii), Cliff penstemon (Penstemon rupicola), Nuttall’s larkspur (Delphinium nuttallii), Rosy spiraea (Spiraea splendens), Sitka valerian (Valeriana sitchensis), Oregon iris (Iris tenax), Small-flowered paintbrush (Castilleja parviflora), Pacific Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa), Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus), Mountain Wallflower (Erysimum arenicola), Spreading phlox (Phlox diffusa), Columbia Lewisia (Lewisia columbiana), Western serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia), Bunchberry (Cornus unalaschkensis), Western Sweetvetch (Hedysarum occidentale), Queen’s cup (Clintonia uniflora), Rusty Saxifrage (Saxifraga ferruginea), and Explorer’s Gentian (Gentiana calycosa).

Blooming in forested areas at higher elevations: Evergreen Violet (Viola sempervirens), Columbia Windflower (Anemone deltoidea), Foamflower (Tierella trifoliata), and lots of Avalanche lily (Erythronium montanum).

See all the reports from Oregon Wildflowers at: http://oregonwildflowers.org/findreport.php

 

There are also two new very detailed plant lists at Flora Northwest:

July 6 & 8, 2012: Reecer Creek Road, Wenatchee National Forest

July 7, 2012: Colockum Pass Road, Washington Department of Natural Resources and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife lands.

see all of their reports at Currently Blooming Wildflowers in Oregon & Washington