Dense Flowered Willow Herb

So far, every time I visit Jackson Bottom Wetlands, I find at least one new wildflower blooming! I know this can't go on for too much longer as the area is really starting to dry out. We have had no rain at all for the entire month of July, so the wetland bonanza is waning!

Nevertheless, one of the new plants in bloom now is the Dense Flowered Willow Herb (Epilobium densiflorum). It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Baja California, where it is found in a variety of habitats. There are more than 160 species in the Epilobium genus, so many similar plants are called "willowherb." A previous posting covered Fireweed, which is also a member of this genus.

These were growing along the Bobcat path at Jackson Bottom and are about 18 inches tall (7/18/2013).

Common Evening Primrose

There are many "Evening Primrose" plants growing all over Oregon in distinct elevations and climates. None are members of the true Primrose (Primula) family, so once again we find common names cause confusion with identification!

Be that as it may, the Common Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) bright yellow flowers usually stay open at night so the nocturnal Hawk moth can pollinate it, hence the "evening" part of the name. This non-native is thought to have originated in Mexico or Central America.

If you look up Oenothera, you'll find all kinds of ways this plant was used in the past and present. There are 125 species of Oenothera, so it may take some "digging" to find a particular species.

The Cherokee, Iroquois, Ojibwas, and Potawatomi were among several Native American tribes that used common evening-primrose for both food and for medicinal purposes. The roots were boiled and eaten like potatoes. The young leaves were cooked and served as greens. The shoots were eaten raw. A tea was made from the plant and used as a dietary aid or stimulant to treat laziness and "overfatness." A hot poultice made from the pounded roots was applied externally to treat piles and boils. A poultice made from the entire plant was used to treat bruises. The roots were chewed and rubbed onto the muscles to improve strength. The plant was used to treat pain associated with menstruation as well as bowel pain. A few still use the plant today, both medicinally and for food.

You'll find this plant growing in disturbed areas at lower elevations. We spotted these growing in a beach parking area near Seaside (7/27/2013).

 

Pennyroyal

My initial impression on finding Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) was, "bottle brush." These odd looking plants have blue-purple bristle-like flowers arranged in small tufts, up and down the stem. They are fairly short, about 10 inches tall at most, but they grow in clusters as seen below. Pennyroyal is native to Europe and was introduced for culinary and medicinal purposes. However, as with many introduced species, it has become a weedy pest in Northwest gardens.

Pennyroyal is a member of the Mint (Mentha) genus and as such has a strong spearmint aroma. On the downside though, it also contains pulegone, which is poisonous to humans! Nevertheless, Pennyroyal has a rich past of herbal uses. It has been used in aromatherapy and other culinary applications. Today it is mainly used in dried floral arrangements. The aroma is thought to repel fleas and mosquitoes. For more details, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentha_pulegium.

Pennyroyal seems to prefer marsh areas or other seasonally wet, disturbed areas. We found these growing along the service road at Jackson Bottom Wetlands (7/30/2013).

Note the bumblebee for size. 

Most were growing in clumps like this one.

Detail of tiny blossoms.

Spotted Coralroot

And now for something completely different: an orchid! The Spotted Coral Root (Corallorrhiza maculate) is fairly common in dense forests with a great deal of conifer needles on the ground. It does not need much light as it lacks chlorophyll. Instead, it draws nutrients from fungus in the soil.

Several Native American groups historically used the orchid's stems dried and brewed as a tea for such maladies as colds, pneumonia, and skin irritation. It is also called Western Coralroot and Summer Coralroot.

It blooms in early summer and then produces berry-like seed pods with copious amounts of seeds. We found about four of these growing along the woodland trail at Cooper Mountain Nature Park. 6/04/2013. They are about a foot tall. Last photo shows the berries about six weeks later.

The green leaves are not part of the Spotted Coralroot.

Seed Pods on 7/16/2013

Tansy

About a month ago I posted about the toxic weed, Tansy Ragwort. In this current post, we are looking at the related, Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), also known as Common Tansy, Bitter Buttons, Cow Bitter, Mugwort, or Golden Buttons.

Both Tansy and Tansy Ragwort are in the Sunflower (Asteraceae) family, and the leaves are similar looking. However, the flowers are strikingly different. Tansy flowers have no petals, just bright yellow discs that almost look artificial!

Tansy has a scent, especially when crushed, which is similar to that of camphor with hints of rosemary. The leaves and flowers are toxic if consumed in large quantities; the volatile oil contains toxic compounds including thujone, which can cause convulsions and liver and brain damage.

There are hundreds of Tansy plants blooming now at Rooster Rock State Park, in the Columbia River Gorge (7/23/2013).

Eastern Purple Coneflower

You won't see this attractive flower growing in the wild here in Oregon. Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is native to the Eastern US, Mid West, and parts of the South and thus is familiar to many outside of our area. However, it's an ideal plant for our dry, sunny summer weather and can be planted in your garden and requires very little water!

Reams of material have been published on the possible medical benefits of members of the Echinacea genus, so I won't repeat here. Wikipedia has a good summary: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinacea

Coneflowers are herbaceous perennials, pollinated by bees and butterflies, and cannot grow in the shade.

We found these coneflowers blooming at the Cooper Mountain Nature Park, in the model gardens by the education building. 7/24/2013.

Showy Fleabane

The Showy Fleabane (Erigeron speciosus) does not really look like a wildflower. As another member of the Aster family, it resembles many cultivated aster-like garden flowers planted in public places throughout our region. It blooms all summer and can live at most elevations below alpine regions. Also called the Aspen Fleabane, it is native to Oregon and Washington.

The "fleabane" part of the common name is derived from the belief that the dried plants repelled fleas; the name Erigeron is derived from the Greek (eri = early; geron = old man), a reference to the appearance of the white hairs of the fruit soon after flowering.

There are 390 species in the Erigeron genus, making it a large family tree, so to speak! You may have some of them growing in your yard!

We spotted these Showy Fleabanes at Bald Peak State Park on 7/03/2013. It was a small clump, in tall grass, near the summit marker.

Marys Peak

Looking East from the summit. Note the haze.

While in the Corvallis area for a recent family gathering, I took a couple of hours afterwards to drive up to and explore nearby Marys Peak, the highest point in the Oregon coast range. It had been at least 5 years since visiting Marys Peak, the only other time I was there. It would be an opportunity to do a quick hike and see wildflowers.

The quick summary is that most of the flowers had already bloomed, although I did see many foxglove in bloom on the road up to the parking area. In the open meadows near the summit, only the yarrow and a few oxeye daisies were blooming. There was quite a bit of yarrow and because of that, many, many butterflies were in the area. I noted about four different species in my short stay.

I hiked the trail to the top (4097 ft.) and then one of the meadow trails which also goes through a Noble Fir forest. In chatting with the local U.S. Forest Service employee (Bob) who was in the parking area, I learned this area has one of the largest natural stands of Noble Firs in the state! He also told me I missed the peak wildflower bloom by about three weeks! Sigh...

The view was excellent but not five-star due to fog over the ocean and haze over the valley. I could barely see Mt. Jefferson and Hood to the east, and could not make out the ocean at all.

Here are a few photos from this brief trip (7/19/2013):

Streambank Arnica (Arnica amplexicaulis) on the road near a waterfall pull out.

Close up of the Arnica above.

Butterfly on Yarrow.

Butterfly on Yarrow.

Looking northwest.

Looking northeast.

Wooly Sunflower - Eriophyllum lanatum. Growing near summit in full sun.

Looking due west.



Spent Lupine and Noble Firs near summit. Looking northeast.

Parking area from trail to summit.

Foxglove growing on road, above 2500 feet.

Close up of Foxglove stem.

Pacific Madrone

The Pacific Madrone (Arbutus menziesii) was first documented by Archibald Menzies in 1792 when he arrived on Vancouver Island, thus the scientific name. The common name is from Spanish and is called Madrona in some areas.

The distinctive brown, smooth bark is characteristic of this tree. When it peels off this time of year (July), it makes a colorful, almost artistic display of brown/red and green as the new bark emerges. Madrone wood is extremely hard but tends to crack when dried out.

Several sources stated that the numbers of madrone trees are decreasing throughout their range. This is thought to be due to wildfire controls in the areas where it grows. The tree depends on intermittent fires to create a favorable growth environment.

This broadleaf, evergreen native tree is more common in southern Oregon and California than here in our area, but its range is from Vancouver island to southern California.

The largest known tree is in California and measures 316 inches in circumference; the largest known one in Oregon lives right here in Washington County (woot!) and is 283 inches.

For more information, see: http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/entry/view/pacific_madrone/
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbutus_menziesii

Cooper Mountain Nature Park

Close up of the waxy evergreen leaves

Peeling bark on a branch.

Peeling Bark on main trunk

Small Madrone on Lower Table Rock in Southern Oregon. Note the darker colors.

Madrone blossoms - courtesy Wikipedia Commons.

Chicory

This familiar summer wildflower has more common names than any other plant I have looked at! Common Chicory (Cichorium intybus) is also called blue daisy, blue dandelion, blue sailors, blue weed, bunk, coffeeweed, hendibeh, horseweed, ragged sailors, succory, wild bachelor's buttons, and wild endive. It is native to Europe and has naturalized in North America. It has also been extensively cultivated for its leaves to use in salad and for its roots as a coffee substitute! I found many online outlets that sell chicory powder for consumption and medicinal uses.

The weedy looking plant can grow up to several feet tall, but the attractive blue flowers are photogenic; not surprising, as it is a member of the Aster (Asteraceae) family.

We spotted these growing at Jackson Bottom Wetlands (7/18/2013).

Cooper Mountain Nature Park - Mid July

We were last at Cooper Mountain Nature Park in early June. Now, about six weeks later, things are really drying out in the open meadows and forested areas alike. I spent about 90 minutes walking the loop trails looking for new blooms and then went back to the car and got my running gear on and made two more loops. It was a hot and humid day, with partial cloud cover, so it was a good day for pictures but a bad day for running, as I turned into a sweat ball. (7/16/2013).

The two most prevalent plants now blooming in the sunny meadows are Queen Anne's Lace and Clarkia. It's worth the trip, just to see these two!

Surprisingly, I did spot some other new flowers and there appear to be a few more getting ready to bloom. Also saw a small rabbit, several finches, and about two dozen kid day campers!

In the open meadows, there were hundreds of theses colorful flowers, each about the size
 of a 50 cent piece. Clarkia purpurea. (Native)

 

Deptford Pink (also Grass Pink) Dianthus armeria (non-native). We even have these at home!
Tiny flowers, about 1cm or less across!

Harvest Brodaea - Brodaea coronaria (native). Only saw one of these as most bloom in May/June

Pearly Everlasting - Anaphalis margaritacea. See my separate post on this one!

Queen Anne's Lace - Daucus carota. (non-native). See my separate post on this one!

Self Heal - Prunella vulgaris (native). See my separate post on this one!

 

 Centaury - Centaurium muehlenbergii. Native. Similar to the Deptford Pink above,

but color is darker and petals have white spots.