Near Lake Siskiyou, CA 7/2023.
We’ve been chasing these huge neon yellow Blazing Star blooms for a couple years. (more…)
August 6, 2023 | Categories: blazing star, California, Columbia Gorge East, East of Cascades, July, Mid Elevation, roadsides/disturbed areas, rocky slopes, Southern Oregon / Northern California, yellow | Tags: botanizing, flower, Hawkmoth, Lassen national park, pollinators, shasta-trinity, wildflower | 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
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
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…)
June 8, 2020 | Categories: Columbia Gorge East, dry open woods, East of Cascades, grasslands, grasslands/prarie, Low Elevation, May, Oregon, phlox, pink, purple/blue, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Washington | Tags: botanizing, Columbia Gorge, flower, hiking, wildflower | 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
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
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…)
March 3, 2019 | Categories: Cascades, Columbia Gorge East, East of Cascades, grasslands/prarie, Low Elevation, May, Oregon, parsley, rocky slopes, Southern Oregon / Northern California, white | Tags: flower, wildflower | Leave a comment
Willow Creek Natural Area, Eugene, OR, 5/2016.
For Valentine’s Day, we’re posting our first of several native roses from our region, (more…)
February 14, 2019 | Categories: Coastal, Columbia Gorge East, Columbia Gorge West, dry open woods, edible, fragrant, June, Low Elevation, medicinal, Olympics, Oregon, pink, rose, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Washington, Willamette Valley | Tags: flower, Wildflowers | 1 Comment
Major Creek Road, Columbia Gorge, WA, 5/2017.
This attractive member of the gentian family is also sometimes called Elkweed. (more…)
January 14, 2019 | Categories: Columbia Gorge East, dry open woods, East of Cascades, gentian, June, Low Elevation, Mid Elevation, Oregon, purple/blue, rocky slopes, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Washington, white | Tags: Badger Creek, flower, Major Creek Road, wildflower | Leave a comment
Mirror Lake, Rooster Rock State Park, OR, 7/2015.
The big-heads of this aster family member can be dried, powdered and used as snuff, (more…)
September 3, 2018 | Categories: aster/composite, Coastal, Columbia Gorge East, Columbia Gorge West, Low Elevation, marsh wetland/water's edge, Mid Elevation, Oregon, September, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Willamette Valley, yellow | Tags: Helen of Troy, mirror lake, Rooster Rock State Park, snuff, Wildflowers | Leave a comment
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…)
August 5, 2018 | Categories: buckwheat, Columbia Gorge East, East of Cascades, grasslands/prarie, June, Low Elevation, Mid Elevation, Southern Oregon / Northern California, umbel, Unique to Northwest, Washington, yellow | Tags: Flowers, moths, sagebrush, Umtanum, wild, Yakima River | Leave a comment
Iron Mountain, Willamette National Forest, OR, 6/2016.
These fuzzy-tongue penstemon, display amazing markings to guide pollinators to their nectar. (more…)
July 22, 2018 | Categories: Cascades, Columbia Gorge East, dry open woods, East of Cascades, figwort / lousewort, grasslands/prarie, June, Mid Elevation, Oregon, purple/blue | Tags: beardtongue, flower, Iron Mountain, tombstone pass, wildflower | 1 Comment
Umtanum Ridge Trail, Yakima River Canyon (BLM), WA 6/2018.
The exquisite sagebrush mariposa lily, the largest in size of the many calochortus, (more…)
June 25, 2018 | Categories: Columbia Gorge East, East of Cascades, grasslands, grasslands/prarie, July, lily, Low Elevation, Mid Elevation, pink, Unique to Northwest, Washington | Tags: flower, Saddle Mountains, Wenas Wildlife Area, wildflower | Leave a comment
Silver Star Mountain, WA, 5/2015.
Although we’ve long enjoyed the “spring gold” dusting of these flowers across rocky landscapes in the early spring, (more…)
May 28, 2018 | Categories: Alpine, alpine/subalpine meadow, Cascades, Coastal, Columbia Gorge East, Columbia Gorge West, June, May, Mid Elevation, Olympics, parsley, rocky slopes, umbel, Unique to Northwest, Washington, yellow | Tags: hiking, pacific northwest, wildflower | 1 Comment
Wahclella Falls Trail (Tanner Creek), Columbia Gorge, OR, 5/2015.
This flowering shrub is native to the northwest coast and Cascades (more…)
May 20, 2018 | Categories: Cascades, Coastal, Columbia Gorge East, Columbia Gorge West, June, Low Elevation, marsh wetland/water's edge, Mid Elevation, Oregon, rose, shaded forests, Southern Oregon / Northern California, white | Tags: Flowers, pacific northwest, shrub, wildflower | 1 Comment
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…)
May 13, 2018 | Categories: aster/composite, Cascades, Columbia Gorge East, East of Cascades, grasslands/prarie, July, June, Mid Elevation, Washington, yellow | Tags: Flowers, Wildflowers | 1 Comment
Larch Mountain, Columbia Gorge, OR, 6/2016.
Although Twayblades are not uncommon (especially for an orchid), (more…)
December 26, 2017 | Categories: Cascades, Coastal, Columbia Gorge East, Columbia Gorge West, green, July, Low Elevation, Mid Elevation, Olympics, orchid, Oregon, shaded forests, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Willamette Valley | Tags: Buckhorn Wilderness, Columbia Gorge, Larch Mountain, marmot pass, mount rainier, Wildflowers | Leave a comment
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…)
October 21, 2017 | Categories: aster/composite, Columbia Gorge East, East of Cascades, grasslands, grasslands/prarie, Low Elevation, Mid Elevation, October, Oregon, roadsides/disturbed areas, September, Southern Oregon / Northern California, yellow | Tags: Flowers, John Day Fossil Beds, Wildflowers | Leave a comment
Leavenworth Ski Hill, Leavenworth, WA, 5/2017.
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…)
September 6, 2017 | Categories: aster/composite, Columbia Gorge East, dry open woods, East of Cascades, June, Low Elevation, May, Mid Elevation, Oregon, shaded forests, Southern Oregon / Northern California, umbel, Unique to Northwest, Washington, yellow | Tags: flower, leavenworth, tygh creek, wildflower | Leave a comment
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