
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, saprophytic/mycotrophic, shaded forests, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Washington | Tags: BZ corner, Columbia Gorge, flower, hiking, Little Salmon River, orchid, wildflower | 1 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
We found this parasitic, purple-hued “flower” in a couple wooded locations in an early southern Oregon trip, (more…)
February 2, 2019 | Categories: broomrape, brown, California, dry open woods, Low Elevation, May, Oregon, saprophytic/mycotrophic, shaded forests, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Unique to Northwest | Tags: horse rock ridge, wildflower | 2 Comments

Yakutania Point Trail, Skagway, AK, 7/2017.
We found this odd non-green plant in a couple locations in flood-prone Cottonwood-Alder forests outside of Skagway, Alaska. (more…)
August 20, 2017 | Categories: Alaska, broomrape, brown, dry open woods, July, June, Low Elevation, saprophytic/mycotrophic, SE Alaska, Unique to Northwest | Tags: Alaska, Flowers, skagway, wildflower | Leave a comment

Iron Mountain, OR, 7/2014.
Much like Spotted Coral Root, only without the spots, this plant is sometime called “Western Coral Root”. (more…)
July 21, 2015 | Categories: Cascades, Coastal, Columbia Gorge West, July, June, Low Elevation, Mid Elevation, orchid, Oregon, pink, saprophytic/mycotrophic, shaded forests, Southern Oregon / Northern California | Tags: flower, Iron Mountain, saprophytic/mycotrophic, Wildflowers | 1 Comment

South Prairie Road, Columbia Gorge, WA, 7/2014.
Sometimes called “Sugarstick” or “Barber’s Pole”; this is certainly one of the odder-looking plants we’ve come across. (more…)
December 26, 2014 | Categories: Cascades, Coastal, Columbia Gorge West, heath, June, orange/red, saprophytic/mycotrophic, shaded forests, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Unique to Northwest, white | Tags: Columbia Gorge, flower, saprophytic/mycotrophic, Wildflowers | Leave a comment

King’s Mountain Trail, Tillamook NF, Oregon, 7/2015.
This rare, endangered plant is only found in the rich soils of shady pacific northwest forests. (more…)
October 31, 2014 | Categories: Cascades, Coastal, Columbia Gorge West, July, June, Low Elevation, Mid Elevation, orchid, saprophytic/mycotrophic, shaded forests, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Unique to Northwest, Washington, white | Tags: Columbia Gorge, flower, Hamilton Mountain Trail, saprophytic/mycotrophic, Wildflowers | 1 Comment

Timberline trail near McNeil point, Mount Hood, OR, 8/2014.
Along with Mertens’ Coral Root, one of the more common, and less attractive of the chlorophyll lacking plants in northwest forests. (more…)
August 24, 2014 | Categories: All Northwest, Alpine, August, heath, July, Low Elevation, Mid Elevation, Oregon, saprophytic/mycotrophic, shaded forests, yellow | Tags: flower, Mt. Hood, saprophytic/mycotrophic, Wildflowers | Leave a comment

Hamilton Mountain Trail, Columbia Gorge, WA, 7/2014.
Yesterday, we saw over thirty specimens of this supposedly uncommon saprophyte along the first two miles of the Hamilton Mountain trail (along with four Phantom orchids)! (more…)
July 6, 2014 | Categories: August, Cascades, Coastal, Columbia Gorge West, heath, July, Low Elevation, saprophytic/mycotrophic, shaded forests, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Washington, white | Tags: Columbia Gorge, flower, Hamilton Mountain, Wildflowers | Leave a comment

Dog Mountain Trail, Columbia Gorge, WA 5/2013.
This so called “saprophyte” of the orchid family is the most common of some 15 types of coral root in North America.
So named because of the root’s (actually a clump of rhizomes) resemblance to a piece of coral.
(more…)
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August 29, 2013 | Categories: All Northwest, Alpine, July, June, Low Elevation, Mid Elevation, orchid, purple/blue, saprophytic/mycotrophic, shaded forests, Washington | Tags: Columbia Gorge, Dog Mountain, flower, Wildflowers | Leave a comment

Fisher Creek Trail, North Cascades N.P. , WA, 8/2012.
Many urn-shaped flowers filled with seeds hang like pendants off a long raceme in this showy saprophyte (a name for plants that derive their nourishment from decaying plant material). (more…)
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July 2, 2013 | Categories: August, Cascades, Columbia Gorge West, dry open woods, heath, July, Mid Elevation, pink, raceme, saprophytic/mycotrophic, shaded forests, Southern Oregon / Northern California, Washington | Tags: flower, North Cascades National Park, Wildflowers | Leave a comment