Natural History Wanderings

Oregon Wildflowers has two new detailed wildflower reports for the Western Cascades:

Iron Mountain:

Now is a great time to visit Iron Mountain! Some of the varieties currently blooming include: Wood Strawberry (Fragaria vesca), Vanilla Leaf (Achlys triphylla), Field Chickweed(Cerastium arvense), Oregon Sunshine (Eriophyllum lanatum), Prairie Star (Lithophragma parviflorum), Western Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia), Spreading Phlox (Phlox diffusa), Sticky Cinquefoil (Potentilla glandulosa), Cliff Larkspur (Delphinium menziesii), Cardwell’s Penstemon (Penstemon cardwellii), Western Wallflower (Erysimum capitatum), Cat’s Ear (Calochortus subalpinus), Cream Stonecrop (Sedum oregonense), Harsh Paintbrush (Castilleja hispida), Star-Flowered Solomon’s-Seal (Maianthemum stellatum), Red Columbine (Aquilegia formosa), Pacific Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum tenuipes), Red Baneberry (Actaea rubra), Bluefield Gilia (Gilia capitata), Sulphur Flower Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum var. umbellatum), and Rock Penstemon (Penstemon rupicola)

Cone Peak:

Now is a great time to visit Cone Peak! In particular, Cliff Larkspur (Delphinium menziesii) is nearly everywhere… very impressive display.

Blooming in the forest: Wood Strawberry (Fragaria vesca), Vanilla Leaf (Achlys triphylla), Columbia Windflower (Anemone deltoidea), Red Baneberry (Actaea rubra), Star-Flowered Solomon’s-Seal (Maianthemum stellatum), False Solomon’s-Seal (Maianthemum racemosa), Bunchberry (Cornus unalaschkensis), Queen’s Cup (Clintonia uniflora), Candyflower (Claytonia sibirica), Spotted Coral Root (Corallorhiza maculata), Pacific Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa), Red Columbine (Aquilegia formosa), Tiger Lily (Lilium columbianum), Hooker’s Fairybell (Disporum hookeri), Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), Tall Bluebell (Mertensia paniculata), Foamflower (Tiarella trifoliata), Sitka Valerian(Valeriana sitchensis), Great Polemonium (Polemonium carneum), Cardwell’s Penstemon (Penstemon cardwellii), and Cliff Larkspur (Delphinium menziesii).

Blooming in the two small meadows: Bluefield Gilia (Gilia capitata), Cardwell’s Penstemon (Penstemon cardwellii), Cat’s Ear (Calochortus subalpinus), Cliff Larkspur(Delphinium menziesii), Cream Stonecrop (Sedum oregonense), Harsh Paintbrush (Castilleja hispida), Monkey Flower (Mimulus guttatus), Small-Flowered Blue-Eyed Mary(Collinsia parviflora), Small-Flowered Penstemon (Penstemon procerus), Sticky Cinquefoil (Potentilla glandulosa), Virgate Phacelia (Phacelia heterophylla), Spreading Phlox(Phlox diffusa), Sulphur Flower Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum var. umbellatum), Spring Gold (Lomatium utriculatum), Western Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia), Naked Broomrape (Orobanche uniflora), Pacific Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum tenuipes), Mitrewort (Mitella sp.), Big-Leaf Sandwort (Moehringia macrophylla), and Western Wallflower(Erysimum capitatum).

Blooming in the big meadows: lots more Cat’s Ear, Cliff Larkspur, Harsh Paintbrush, Bluefield Gilia, Monkey Flower, Sulphur Flower Buckwheat, Serviceberry, Cinquefoil, along with Scalloped Onion (Allium crenulatum), Giant Blue-Eyed Mary (Collinsia parviflora), Meadow Death Camas (Zigadenus venenosus), Field Chickweed (Cerastium arvense), Oregon Sunshine (Eriophyllum lanatum), Long-Stalked Clover (Trifolium longipes), and Prairie Star (Lithophragma parviflorum). No Broadleaf Lupine (Lupinus latifolius) in bloom yet. Western Trillium (Trillium ovatum) and Glacier Lily (Erythronium grandiflorum) still in bloom along the trail between Cone Peak and Iron Mountain.

Read all reports at: http://oregonwildflowers.org/findreport.php

Related articles

• Mary’s Peak, Oregon Wildflower Report 7/5/12 (naturalhistorywanderings.com)
• Grassy Knoll, Washington Wildflower Report (naturalhistorywanderings.com)