Gumboot Lake, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, CA, 7/2023.
What a find! Just a handful of steps from our campsite were marshy areas filled with masses of white flower stalks (teeming with pollinators). We initially mistook them for bog orchids, (more…)
August 31, 2023 | Categories: Asparagus, California, July, June, Low Elevation, marsh wetland/water's edge, Mid Elevation, raceme, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Unique to Northwest, white | Tags: botanizing, fen, hiking, mount shasta, serpentine, wildflower | 1 Comment
Manzanita Creek Trail, Lassen National Park, CA, 7/2023
The forests of the pacific northwest are a mycotrophic plant lover’s dream! (more…)
August 13, 2023 | Categories: California, heath, June, May, Mid Elevation, orange/red, saprophytic/mycotrophic, Southern Oregon / Northern California | Tags: botanizing, flower, hiking, Lassen national park, mount shasta, wildflower | Leave a comment
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…)
July 16, 2023 | Categories: East of Cascades, grasslands/prarie, iris, June, Low Elevation, Mid Elevation, Oregon, purple/blue, roadsides/disturbed areas, shaded forests, Southern Oregon / Northern California, white | Tags: central oregon, Flowers, hiking, Lookout mountain, mitchell, prineville, Wildflowers | Leave a comment
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…)
July 2, 2023 | Categories: brown, East of Cascades, grasslands/prarie, June, May, Mid Elevation, orange/red, Oregon, paeoniaceae, rocky slopes, sagebrush steppe, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Unique to Northwest | Tags: big summit praire, Crook county, Flowers, Lookout mountain, ochoco, peony, prineville, sagebrush steppe, Wildflowers | 1 Comment
Weldon Wagon Wheel Trail, WA 5/2022.
We nearly passed up this rare orchid, well camouflaged within inches of the trail. This single plant with a pair of intricate nodding slipper flowers was the prize of a blustery May hike on a flower covered ridge just north of the Columbia Gorge. (more…)
May 15, 2022 | Categories: Alpine, brown, Columbia Gorge East, dry open woods, East of Cascades, green, July, June, Low Elevation, May, orchid, shaded forests, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Washington | Tags: BZ corner, Columbia Gorge, flower, hiking, Little Salmon River, orchid, wildflower | 2 Comments
Devil’s Rest Trail, Columbia River Gorge, OR, 7/2020.
We often encounter the tiny four-petaled blue flowers of the Veronica genus on our hikes in a variety of settings. (more…)
August 4, 2020 | Categories: All Northwest, alpine/subalpine meadow, August, Cascades, Coastal, Columbia Gorge East, Columbia Gorge West, East of Cascades, edible, figwort / lousewort, July, June, Low Elevation, marsh wetland/water's edge, Mid Elevation, Olympics, Oregon, purple/blue, SE Alaska, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Washington, Willamette Valley | Tags: Columbia Gorge, flower, hiking, pacific northwest, wildflower | 1 Comment
North Trail, Cape Lookout State Park, OR, 7/2020.
One of two species of sand verbena native and unique to the Pacific coast (the other is Pink Sand Verbena, A. umbellata), which blooms all summer and into the fall. (more…)
July 21, 2020 | Categories: Coastal, Coastal, July, June, Low Elevation, May, Olympics, Oregon, verbena/four-o'clock, yellow | Tags: beach, flower, hiking, Oregon Coast, pacific northwest, wildflower | Leave a comment
Along the Trask River, Tillamook County, OR, 7/2020.
Yay! After spending years at the top of our most wanted list, we finally tracked down this supposedly common orchid, but only after nearly walking by large groups of them twice. (more…)
July 14, 2020 | Categories: aquatic, Coastal, July, June, Low Elevation, marsh wetland/water's edge, May, Mid Elevation, orange/red, orchid, Oregon, Willamette Valley, yellow | Tags: flower, hiking, Oregon Coast, pacific northwest, wildflower | 1 Comment
Yet another brilliantly colored Penstemon, P. cardwellii thrives in thin sandy soils, like the northwest side of Mt. St. Helen’s, where we found a stunning display. (more…)
July 7, 2020 | Categories: Cascades, Coastal, dry open woods, figwort / lousewort, July, June, Mid Elevation, purple/blue, rocky slopes, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Unique to Northwest, Washington | Tags: boundary trail, flower, hiking, Johnston Ridge Observatory, mt st helens, pacific northwest, wildflower | 2 Comments
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…)
July 1, 2020 | Categories: California, Columbia Gorge East, East of Cascades, grasslands, grasslands/prarie, July, June, Mid Elevation, pink, rose, Southern Oregon / Northern California | Tags: Fivemile Butte Lookout, Flowers, hiking, pacific northwest, wildflower | Leave a comment
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…)
June 24, 2020 | Categories: Coastal, Columbia Gorge East, East of Cascades, grasslands, grasslands/prarie, July, June, Low Elevation, marsh wetland/water's edge, Oregon, pink, Southern Oregon / Northern California, umbel, white | Tags: butterflies, flower, hiking, pacific northwest, pollinators, tom McCall, wildflower | Leave a comment
Badger Creek Wilderness, OR, 5/2016.
In the early 2000s, through DNA identification and global research advances, a few of the Cinquefoils, including this common lower elevation meadow flower, were moved from the Potentilla genus to the new Drymocallis genus. To date all three Drymocallis species’ share the trait of being ‘protocarnivorous.’ (more…)
June 15, 2020 | Categories: All Northwest, Cascades, Columbia Gorge East, Columbia Gorge West, July, June, Low Elevation, May, Mid Elevation, Olympics, Oregon, rose, SE Alaska, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Washington, white, Willamette Valley, yellow | Tags: botanizing, Flowers, hiking, pacific northwest, wilflowers | Leave a comment
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…)
May 25, 2020 | Categories: Alpine, alpine/subalpine meadow, Cascades, Columbia Gorge East, Columbia Gorge West, grasslands/prarie, June, Low Elevation, May, Mid Elevation, pink, sandalwood, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Washington, white | Tags: botanizing, Flowers, hiking, klickitat, northwest, Wildflowers | Leave a comment
Lyle Cherry Orchard Trailhead, Columbia Gorge, WA, 4/2016.
This early bloomer is only found in dry rocky sites at lower and middle elevations. In fact, most of the photos we’ve seen of this uncommon plant have it springing directly from a rock face. (more…)
January 3, 2020 | Categories: Columbia Gorge East, East of Cascades, June, Low Elevation, May, Mid Elevation, mustard, pink, raceme, rocky slopes, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Unique to Northwest, Washington, white | Tags: cherry orchard, Columbia Gorge, dry steppe, flower, wildflower | Leave a comment
We found this guy holding on amidst alpine scree and snow near the crest of central Oregon’s Three Fingered Jack this summer. (more…)
November 5, 2019 | Categories: Alpine, alpine/subalpine meadow, August, borage, Cascades, Columbia Gorge East, dry open woods, East of Cascades, grasslands/prarie, July, June, Mid Elevation, Olympics, Oregon, pink, rocky slopes, SE Alaska, Southern Oregon / Northern California, white | Tags: flower, Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, Mt. Rainier, three fingered jack, Wildflowers | Leave a comment
Tygh Creek Trail, Badger Creek Wilderness, OR, 5/2016.
Roundleaf Alumroot is a demure relative of the bold colored Heucheras one finds in home gardens. (more…)
October 20, 2019 | Categories: Alpine, alpine/subalpine meadow, Cascades, East of Cascades, July, June, Low Elevation, Mid Elevation, Oregon, raceme, rocky slopes, saxifrage, SE Alaska, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Unique to Northwest, white, yellow | Tags: badger creek wilderness, flower, heuchera, wildflower | Leave a comment
Willow Creek Nature Preserve, Eugene, OR, 5/2016.
This is the most common of the bashful blue-eyed grasses we encounter, (more…)
September 10, 2019 | Categories: All Northwest, Cascades, Coastal, Columbia Gorge East, Columbia Gorge West, East of Cascades, grasslands, grasslands/prarie, iris, July, June, Low Elevation, Mid Elevation, Olympics, Oregon, purple/blue, SE Alaska, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Willamette Valley | Tags: cascade-siskiyou national monument, eugene, flower, green springs trail, hebo lake, hiking, wildflower | 2 Comments
Viewpoint Mike Trail, Lost Creek Lake, OR, 4/2018.
We recently photographed this uncommon catchfly, and then realized we had also seen it on a previous trip visiting, Oregon’s southern Cascades. Although common in this limited area, we more often see Parry’s Catchfly, elsewhere in the northwest. (more…)
August 26, 2019 | Categories: California, July, June, Low Elevation, May, Mid Elevation, Oregon, pink, shaded forests, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Unique to Northwest, white | Tags: Flowers, hiking, lost creek lake, pacific northwest, Siskiyou Mountains, Wildflowers | Leave a comment
Hyatt Lake Recreation Area, Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, OR, 7/2019.
Apparently David Douglas found this quite lovely member of the mint family while botanizing the upper reaches of the Columbia River in the 1820s (more…)
August 13, 2019 | Categories: Coastal, June, Low Elevation, mint, Oregon, purple/blue, roadsides/disturbed areas, Southern Oregon / Northern California | Tags: Cascades, Flowers, hiking, Oregon, pacific northwest, siskiyou, Wildflowers | 2 Comments
Pacific Crest Trail near Green Springs, Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, OR, 7/2019.
We were excited to find this dramatically-colored flower in a recent trip to the Siskiyou Mountains in southern Oregon.
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August 6, 2019 | Categories: June, lily, Low Elevation, May, Oregon, Southern Oregon / Northern California, umbel, Unique to Northwest, yellow | Leave a comment
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…)
July 30, 2019 | Categories: Cascades, Coastal, Columbia Gorge West, grasslands, grasslands/prarie, July, June, Low Elevation, pink, SE Alaska, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Unique to Northwest, Washington, Willamette Valley | Tags: clarkia, flower, godetia, Hamilton Mountain, tire mountain, wildflower | Leave a comment
Hamilton Mountain Trail, Columbia Gorge, WA, 4/2015.
We find coral roots, except for this striped species, faithful companions that reward those that closely scan the pine-needle floors throughout the wilderness areas of the Pacific Northwest. (more…)
July 23, 2019 | Categories: Cascades, Columbia Gorge West, July, June, Low Elevation, Mid Elevation, Olympics, orange/red, orchid, Oregon, pink, saprophytic/mycotrophic, SE Alaska, shaded forests, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Willamette Valley | Tags: Columbia Gorge, hetrotrophic, macrotrophic, mycotrophic, saphyrophyte, Wildflowers | Leave a comment
Cone Peak Trail, Willamette National Forest, OR, 6/2016.
We rarely see this flower in full bloom, and then hardly ever without an insect of some sort on its lovely petals. (more…)
July 9, 2019 | Categories: Cascades, Coastal, fragrant, July, June, marsh wetland/water's edge, Mid Elevation, Olympics, Oregon, phlox, shaded forests, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Unique to Northwest, white, yellow | Tags: cone peak, flower, Flowers, Iron Mountain, Siskiyou Mountains | Leave a comment
Cone Peak Trail, Willamette National Forest, OR, 6/2019.
Amazingly….we continue to find more northwest penstemons! This one is unique in its stems of creamy white rather than the traditional purple, pink, or blue flowers (more…)
June 24, 2019 | Categories: All Northwest, figwort / lousewort, July, June, Mid Elevation, Oregon, rocky slopes, white | Tags: cone peak, flower, home sweet home, Iron Mountain, santiam river, white penstemon, wildflower | Leave a comment