With the weather looking favorable we packed up our gear and headed to Yachats on Tuesday, May 6. The drive was pleasant, the weather good, and we arrived in plenty of time to look around and do a bit of walking and tide pooling. The three of us stayed at a small cottage on the Overleaf Lodge property, which worked out very well for us. The town is a quiet, low-key place, so we were quite happy with it.
We logged several hikes at nearby Cape Perpetua and several walks around the Yachats area as well. We had one rainy day out of the four and went to the Oregon Aquarium in Newport on that day, followed by a nice dinner and ale sampling event at the Rogue Brewery by the bay.
There were many new plants blooming, so here's the roundup:
Sea Pink (Armeria maritima)
We noticed these colorful beauties right off the bat as they were blooming all over the hotel property and along the Yachats beach trail. Also called Thrift, they contrast nicely with the dark rock formations just below where they grow.
Cow Parsnip (Heracleum lanatum)
This large, stalky plant was in bloom almost everywhere we went on this trip! We first saw it at Yaquina Head, near the lighthouse. Then, at Cape Perpetua, and all along the southern coast until we turn off at Reedsport. Then we continued to see it along creeks and farms, even along I-5. It can get up to five feet tall, and has massive white umbrella clusters of flowers. Coastal peoples ate the inner shoots like celery, but the outer layers can cause skin burns, so don't take a bite in the field!
Salal (Gaualtheria shallon)
You'll be able to spot Salal shrubs on almost any coast trail. It's like the native ground cover for places that are not completely shaded. Its little "hanging lantern" flowers are white to pink, and produce blueberry-like fruits that are edible (but not as tasty as real blueberries!). Coastal peoples have used the berries in a myriad of ways. David Douglas brought Salal back to Britan in 1828 to use as an ornamental.
False Lily of the Valley (Maianthemum dilatatum)
Another widespread blooming plant seen all over the coast. There were huge swaths of these growing under the Sitka spruce trees. They seem to like the shady, moist soil in these locations. The heart shaped leaves with an erect cluster of tiny white flowers is unique. Coastal peoples used the leaves on skin sores and to help clear eye problems; they also used the roots were chewed to reverse sterility! The small berries were mixed with other berries for a fruit salad of sorts.
Pacific Silverweed (Argentina egedii ssp. egedii)
A quick look at the Pacific Silverweed leaves and you know this groundcover is in the Rose family. The small yellow flowers resemble Creeping Buttercup, but are less dense. This native plant was highly regarded by Coastal peoples. The roots were used ceremonially, with high-ranking members of a tribe getting the longest roots, used for a variety of teas and rubbing compounds.
Wild Oregon Iris (Iris tenax)
Some books refer to this native iris as Toughleaf Iris and indicate it is rare. It seems fairly abundant to me, and we did see quite a bit at the coast, especially in forest trails. See my prior post on Oregon Iris. A nice clump of these in perfect color and bloom up on Cape Perpetua was a real find!
Spring Gold (Lomatium utriculatum)
We found a few of these growing in exposed rocky areas up on Cape Perpetua - not too far from the semi-shaded area where we saw the iris. Spring Gold is very similar to the desert parsley we found out in the Gorge last month.
Seashore Lupine (Lupinus littoralis)
Many native lupine types grow in the Northwest, in various habitats and elevations. This guy, like many of the ones in this post, is unique to the coast environment. It's a bit smaller than upland lupine and the flower is a bit different.
Costal Strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis)
There are several native strawberry plants in Oregon, but this one is limited to the coast. It's a hardy ground crawler with small edible berries emerging after bloom. Coastal peoples ate the berries raw and also made tea from the leaves; some tribes added Thimbleberry leaves to the tea as well. We saw these blooming in several sunny locations just a few hundred feet from the high tide mark.
Gorse (Ulex europaeus)
It's a fitting name for this spiny, tough invader shrub from Europe. As you can see, Gorse resembles Scotch Broom; not surprising as they are both perennial shrubs in the Fabaceae family. They seem to thrive in poor soil, disturbed areas, along roads in particular. The pea-like flowers smell a bit like coconut and are about 2 cm long. We saw most of these south of Yachats; and we saw a great deal of blooming Scotch Broom just about everywhere.
And finally....
After spending some time watching the waves pound their way up the Devil's Churn at Cape Perpetua, while trudging back up the trail, I spotted these small plants growing along the sea wall. They resemble Monkeyflowers except for the color and leaves. The area is moist from sea breeze and sunny, facing northwest. It is not listed in any of the coastal flower books, so it may be a tourist. If you can ID this one, let me know!
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