Aster is Greek for “star”. Fields of these mixed with purple Thistles (Cirsium edule) graced our hike up Mt. Ellinor this summer, where the flowers, not the views (hidden by fog), were the main event.
One of the more common and easy to identify of the dizzying array of yellow composite flowers; we were surprised to find we hadn’t yet posted it. (more…)
Home Sweet Home, Olympic National Park, WA, 8/2018.
If ever one needs a reminder that flowers exist to attract pollinators rather than for human enjoyment, look no further than the homely sawwort. (more…)
Sheep Rock Unit, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, OR, 10/2017.
Golden rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa) framed the arid piñon-juniper desertscape in our recent fall trip to Eastern Oregon. We saw them blooming everywhere across the rolling hills near the John Day Fossil Beds. They look similar to sagebrush (more…)
Variously called Luina or Cacaliopsis, this waist-high plain-looking plant’s leaves resemble those of Coltsfoot, with flowers that look somewhat like a Rainiera. Upon close inspection, (more…)
Although native to the eastern US, this weed grows in moist, disturbed soils across the country. The flower is very small, perhaps a centimeter or a bit more in diameter.
Starvation Ridge Trail, Columbia Gorge, OR, 5/2014.
Varying in color from white to yellow, this single-stemmed plant concentrates alkaloids from the soil, causing it to be poisonous to cattle in its later stages. Also known as Paleyellow Ragwort.
Horsethief Butte, Columbia Hills State Park, Columbia Gorge, WA, 4/2014.
“The name Fleabane was applied to this plant because there was a popular belief among country people that the flowers possessed some objectionable features that caused undesirable insects to give it a wide berth. (more…)
Union Creek Trail, William O. Douglas Wilderness, WA, 7/2014.
Stricta, once thought to be a member of the closely related luina (pronounced ‘lew-eye-na’) genus, is now the sole member of the Rainiera genus. (more…)
Collier Cone, Three Sisters Wilderness, OR, 8/2013.
According to Turner & Gustafson (Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest), this groundsel relative is found mostly in California, and is rare in central and southern Oregon. (more…)
Union Creek Trail, William O. Douglas Wilderness Area, WA, 7/2014.
Related to both Woolly Pussytoes and Pearly Everlasting (some call it “Rosy Everlasting”), this composite family member is found in sunny, rocky areas at higher elevations throughout much of the western U.S. (more…)
Contrary to popular belief, we get plenty of sunshine in Oregon, especially during the summer months, when these flowers, coincidentally, are in bloom. (more…)
This pretty little thing, also known as Cornflower, is a noxious weed. Native to southern Europe, it is sometimes used in wildflower seed mixes. (more…)
Bluff Lake Trail, Yakama Nation, Mt. Adams , WA, 8/2013.
We’ve been hiking on Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams and in the Gorge the last few weeks and have been seeing these everywhere, usually in large bunches. We’ve seen them on roadsides, trail sides and lower-elevation meadows.