Rocky Mountain Iris (Iris missouriensis)
Bandit Springs Trail, Ochoco NF, OR 6/2023.
Our third Iris post, this Rocky Mountain Iris is found in wet pockets of Ponderosa Pine forests with drier summers. In the PNW that means east of the cascades, (more…)
Dwarf Hesperochiron (Hesperochiron pumilus)
Lookout Mountain Trail, Ochoco NF, OR 6/2023.
This darling flower has no common name, forcing you to remember (and remember how to pronounce) its latin genus, (more…)
Brown’s Peony (Paeonia brownii)
Lookout Mountain Trail, Ochoco NF, OR 6/2023.
At last, thanks to this summer’s late thaw, we finally spotted Brown’s peony in bloom, a bit later than usual, in central Oregon’s Ochoco mountains.
(more…)
Dusky Horkelia (Horkelia fusca)
Eight Mile Creek Loop, Mt. Hood National Forest, OR, 6/2020.
This small and rather plain member of the rose family, also known as “Pink Pinwheels”, was prevalent in a small, sunny meadow near the trailhead on a recent hike on the east side of Mt. Hood. (more…)
Narrow-Leaved Milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis)
Rowena Plateau, Tom McCall Preserve, Columbia Gorge, OR, 7/2015
Milkweeds, genus Asclepias, are often plain, overlooked, and rarely appear in our wildflower reference guides, but A. fascicularis, in particular is critical to the survival of Monarch butterflies! (more…)
Showy Phlox (Phlox speciosa)
Dalles Mountain Road, Columbia Gorge, WA, 4/2014.
Unlike the phlox we commonly see carpeting gravelly windswept mountain passes, the p. speciosa variety is a taller plant found in open woods and meadows at low elevation , often mixed with other grassland flowers. (more…)
Bastard Toadflax (Comandra umbellata)
Weldon Wagon Road Trail, Klickitat County, WA .5/2020.
This native flowering plant is one we often see on spring hikes in the Columbia River Gorge, (more…)
Silverleaf Phacelia (Phacelia hastata)
Upper Canyon Creek Meadows Trail, Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, OR, 7/2019.
We found this guy holding on amidst alpine scree and snow near the crest of central Oregon’s Three Fingered Jack this summer. (more…)
Idaho Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium idahoense)
Willow Creek Nature Preserve, Eugene, OR, 5/2016.
This is the most common of the bashful blue-eyed grasses we encounter, (more…)
Farewell to Spring (Clarkia amoena)
Tire Mountain, Willamette National Forest, OR, 7/2019.
Often seen growing amid browning grasses from drying soil, this lovely flower gets its common name from the fact that it appears as many spring blooms are dying back, often carpeting full hillsides. (more…)
Turkey Peas (Orogenia fusiformis)
Cone Peak, Willamette National Forest, OR, 6/2017.
This small and humble flower is often one of the earliest we find on hikes in the eastern gorge, and could be around now in places like the Dalles Mountain Ranch and Seven-Mile Hill west of The Dalles, (more…)
Round-Headed Buckwheat (Eriogonum sphaerocephalum)
Umtanum Creek Recreation Area, Yakima River Canyon, WA, 6/2018.
We encountered this bright yellow buckwheat shrub dotting the pale dry sagebrush steppe in the Yakima River Valley in early summer. (more…)
Fuzzy-tongue Penstemon (Penstemon eriantherus v. argillosus)
Iron Mountain, Willamette National Forest, OR, 6/2016.
These fuzzy-tongue penstemon, display amazing markings to guide pollinators to their nectar. (more…)
Sagebrush Mariposa Lily (Calochortus macrocarpus)
Umtanum Ridge Trail, Yakima River Canyon (BLM), WA 6/2018.
The exquisite sagebrush mariposa lily, the largest in size of the many calochortus, (more…)
Common Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata)
Horsethief Lake, Columbia Hills State Park, WA. 5/2017.
While this plant is widespread and native to much of the western U.S., we still find ourselves taken with the rustic beauty of the flowers (more…)
Gray Rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa)
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…)
Tolmie’s Mariposa Lily (Calochortus tolmiei)
Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Dallas, OR, 5/2017.
This low elevation west-side species of Calochortus is notable for the extreme hairiness inside the flower. More than other Mariposa lilies (“butterfly” in spanish), (more…)
Gairdner’s Penstemon (Penstemon gairdneri)
Rattlesnake Dance Trail, Yakima Canyon, WA. 5/2017
We found these lovely, endemic penstemons on an impromptu hike just south of Ellensburg, WA, on our way back to Portland from Leavenworth this past spring. (more…)
Hoary False Yarrow (Chaenactis douglasii)
Horsethief Lake, Columbia Hills State Park, WA. 5/2017.
Also known as Douglas’ dusty maidens and Hoary pincushion, this white flower with woolly soft silvery leaves blends into the background. (more…)
Large-flowered Collomia (Collomia grandiflora)
Major Creek Road, Columbia Gorge, WA. 5/2017.
This stalk of small flowers stands out for its unusual salmon color and contrasting blue pollen. It grows in dry sandy soils west of the Continental Divide. (more…)
Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum)
Tubal Cain Trail, Buckhorn Wilderness, WA, 7/2017
We’ve only recently become aware of these attractive plants. (more…)
Small-flowered Godetia (Clarkia purpurea)
Saddle Mountain Trail, Saddle Mountain State Natural Area, OR, 6/2015.
Looking very much like its better know relative Farewell-to-spring (Clarkia amoena), (more…)
Columbia Desert Parsley (Lomatium columbianum)
Lyle Cherry Orchard Trail, WA, 4/2016.
Early spring Columbia Gorge hikers are treated to several varieties of lomatium, commonly known as desert parsley (more…)
Yakima Milk-vetch (Astragalus reventiformis)
Dalles Mountain Road, Columbia Gorge, WA, 4/2014.
Yakima is the name of a group or tribe of Native Americans who live in Washington state. (more…)
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