Natural History Wanderings

Oregon Wildflowers reports for Horse Rock Ridge in the Williamette Valley:

Horse Rock Ridge is still going strong!

The predominant flowers in the forest are still Western Starflower Trientalis latifolia and Salal Gaultheria shallon, along with some Miners Lettuce Claytonia perfoliata, Woods Strawberry Fragaria vesca, and Spotted Coralroot Corallorrhiza maculata. There are still patches of Yellowleaf Iris Iris chrysophylla as you approach the meadows, but they are mostly past peak.

The predominant flowers in the meadows are Oregon sunshine Eriophyllum lanatum, Tolmies Cats Ear Calochortus tolmiei, Menzies Larkspur Delphinium menziesii, Western Buttercup Ranunculus occidentalis, Yellow Monkeyflower Mimulus guttatus, Annual Agoseris Agoseris heterophylla, Blue Flax Linum bienne, White-Top Clover Trifolium variegatum, Small-Head Clover Trifolium microcephalum, and Baby Stars Linanthus bicolor. Also blooming are Blue-Headed Gilia Gilia capitata, Spring Gold Lomatium utriculatum, Harsh Paintbrush Castilleja hispida, Slender Sandwort Minuartia tenella, Slender Tarweed Madia gracilis, Little Tarweed Madia exigua, Yarrow Achillea millefolium, Bigroot Marah oreganus, Olympic Onion Allium crenulatum in rocky areas, and probably some other things that I missed! There are still plenty of Rosy Plectritis Plectritis congesta and Meadow Death Camas Zigadenus venenosus, though both are generally past peak. Just starting are Forktooth Ookow Dichelostemma congestum and thousands of Slender Godetia Clarkia gracilis. The pollinators are working madly to keep the blooms coming!

See more reports at Oregon Wildflowers.