Finders Keepers: White Rock Larkspur

When you were a kid, did you ever walk along a downtown sidewalk and look down to see a dollar bill just sitting there? Remember the feeling of excitement as you looked around to see if anyone else was going to claim it. And then into the pocket it goes and you continue your walk in a great mood, knowing it was your lucky day!

Well here's a short story about my lucky day! I did find something really interesting, but the only thing I kept was the photo and the satisfaction of finding it!

We were not looking for dollar bills a few days ago when taking a walk at the Cooper Mountain Nature Park. We like the trails there because of the views, its varied ecosystem, the abundant flora, and there are several good hills to climb.

As we walk in these nature parks, I keep my eyes peeled for any new and interesting blooms. Of course I bring a camera along as well, just in case something interesting pops up.

About a half mile into our first loop around the park we came across a strange looking Larkspur-like plant just a bit off the trail. The odd thing about it was that the flowers were mainly white rather than blue, but with a small blue spot in the center. So I snapped a few pics with my S100 which does not do well with macro.

We continued on our walk and noticed many other familiar flowers, such as Ocean Spray, Bachelor Button, Grass Pink, and others which I have posted about last year.

After we got home I looked in a few flower books for the mysterious white larkspur, but found nothing. I was starting to think it might be a cultivar that escaped from a nearby garden. Thanks to the internet, I was able to get a hit that allowed me to ID it as White Rock Larkspur (Delphinium leucophaeum), which is one of 29 plants on Oregon's Endangered plant list! According to that list, this larkspur is found in only 20 remaining places in the northern Willamette valley. Wow, that's a find even better than a dollar bill!

The plant is shorter than most larkspurs, at about 18 in. Each flower was about 1.5 in. across, and I think we identified three separate plants in the small cluster. It was a windy day, so the photos are not the best, but I may return in a few days to check up on them and recapture.

To celebrate this special event, I broke out some of my good craft brew to savor with dinner. A toast followed: "To the endangered, that they may someday be de-listed!"

Note the green spots on each petal.

     

Links:

White Rock Larkspur ODA Listing

Endangered List from ODA

Saddle Mountain Natural Area

From a geology point of view, Saddle Mountain is an odd ball that doesn't really fit in with the rest of the coast range in NW Oregon. It's a volcanic basalt monolith that pushed up through the ancient ocean and then broke apart. Because of its mass, it endured the subsequent flooding era and now sits about twice as high as the rest of the coast range in this area.

West end of the saddle - note trail on right.

This makes it a superb environment for unique flora, especially at the higher elevations. The hike to the 3,283 foot summit in the Saddle Mountain State Natural Area is a popular, but challenging one that can be made almost any time of year. Of course, we chose this week (6/19/2014) to make the hike, as it is at the wildflower bloom peak. It was a near perfect day for it too: mild temperatures, mostly sunny, and hardly any wind. We were not alone, even on a Wednesday and saw about a dozen other hikers over the entire trail.

The 2.5 mile trail gains 1,603 feet on the way to the bare summit and is rocky and steep in many spots. It begins in lush Alder forest and proceeds up through old stands of Douglas fir and Sitka spruce before emerging onto open rocky slopes. There was still some small runoff coming down a couple of seasonal creeks, but otherwise lush in the forest and dry in the rocky grasslands. The summit affords great views of the Pacific, Young's Bay in Astoria, and several Cascade peaks to the east. Sadly, there are also numerous forest clear-cuts in almost every direction visible from the summit.

The trail starts out in a mature Red Alder forest.

Use this link to see the rest of our Saddle Mountain Hike Photos.

As for the flowers, we spotted many familiar woodland blooms on the way up, but the real "motherload" was in the rocky, exposed areas in the last 3/4 mile, where we saw a huge variety of blooming flora. We spotted at least a dozen new ones for us.

Here's a sampling of the nearly 75 different flowers seen. These are mostly new ones for us. For this post, I've added a third-party viewer to display the photos. If this does not work for you, let me know as it is kind of a trial run.

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Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge

This wildlife refuge is another great close-to-home natural area, that is a good place to walk and check out flora and fauna. It is basically a wetland half of the year, with more open trails during the dry months. It has a fairly large, new visitor center and seems to be a place where many local school field trips go to learn about nature. About four miles of trails open in the dry months cover the refuge. See links below for more information.

We had been here once or twice before, but not during bloom season. On this day (6/17/2014), we saw some young eagles, several duck families, a nutria, a few red-winged blackbirds, and many, many songbirds as we hiked the three mile trail network.

Duckings hidden in the floating debris.

As for plants, we spotted a couple of dozen interesting blooms along the way, with a few new ones as well. Quite a few of these were non-native plants which was not surprising given the non-managed history of the area. For the photos, it was a cloudy day, so some of the exposures are a bit bland. Here's a summary of the findings.

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Links:

TRNWR Official Site

Trail Information

Western Bog Laurel

Now here's a plant with an interesting name. Not to get "bogged" down in the finite points of plant naming, but in this case the Western Bog Laurel (Kalmia microphylla) has a bit of interesting history. The attractive, native shrub is blooming now (6/05/2014) and will continue to do so for most of the summer. As the common name implies, it prefers bogs, swamps, stream banks and other wet areas with some shade. It's also called Alpine Laurel, Swamp Laurel, and grows over most of North America.

The evergreen leaves resemble rhododendron leaves but smaller; the plant will reach a maximum of about three feet tall. The blooms are very pink and remind me of umbrellas or hoop skirts. The unopened blooms have a unique oragami-like shape as well. 

The blossoms also have a unique structure designed for pollination. The stamens are bent over like a spring so that when an insect pops by for a drink, it is released and sprays the unsuspecting bug's belly with pollen. You can see how this would work in the photo below. 

The Latin name Kalmia is after Peter Kahm, who was a student of Carl Linnaeus - the botanist who came up with the plant naming scheme still in use today. Around 1747 he traveled to the Americas and is credited with providing scientific descriptions of some 60 new plants in the new world. He was also a prolific note-taker and is thought to have been the first scientist to visit and describe Niagra Falls. The microphylla part, means "small" in reference to the leaves.

The Bog Laurel common name, like so many, is misleading in that this plant is not a Laurel. It is a member of the Heath family. Early non-native folks probably thought the leaves resembled the tropical Laurel leaves and thus named it incorrectly.

And lastly, the Bog Laurel is very toxic. If ingested you'll get to experience nausea, vomiting, dizziness, a drop in blood pressure, and breathing problems! Not your best choice for a natural foods picnic in the swamp...

Note the unopened blossoms.

Each bloom is about an inch across.

In Search of the Elusive Wild Ginger

I'll be the first to admit that I don't have a bucket list of wildflowers that I must see before heading off to that meadow in the sky. In fact, if you read this journal from time to time, you'll know I'm easy to please - even common weeds have made it into my posts! That said, there are two native flowers that I've wanted to capture for several years (perhaps decades), but never have. One of these is Bitterroot (Lewisia redivia) and the other is Wild Ginger (Asarum caudatum), also called Long-Tailed Ginger.

Well I am pleased to report that on Wednesday I literally stumbled across a blooming Wild Ginger. And the humorous aspect of this find is that I owe it all to disc golf. LOL. Kyle and I were at Stub Stewart State park for disc golf day. The course at this park is very challenging and I have played it numerous times. It is entirely in the forest and there is plenty of elevation change over the 18 holes. Just after making basket #10, while walking over #11 tee, I noticed a large spread of ginger leaves along the trail. The trees are mostly conifers in this part of the course, so it was quite shady. I moved a few of the leaves over to check for blooms and viola, found a nearly opened bloom! I took a few photos with my S100 and searched around for an open bloom, but to no avail.

After launching my drive for basket #11 it was a good 100 foot walk to find the disc. When I arrived at the disc, just a couple of feet away was another patch of ginger. With excitement, I again pulled back the leaves to reveal two flowers in full bloom! Wow... 

Luckily there were no other golfers behind me. I set up some tiny twigs to hold the leave back and experimented with my handkerchief over the flash to get the right exposure and focus. All in all, the results look very accurate. During the last 7 holes, my game improved and I did spot one more blooming ginger, so I feel fortunate to have actually found these few blooms!

Almost any forest hiker has probably seen Wild Ginger growing along moist, shady trails from coastal elevations to the mountains. It's a perennial ground cover with dark, heart-shaped or kidney-shaped leaves that almost look artificial they are so rich looking. What makes the flower so elusive is that it appears under the leaves and is brown, so it is very hard to spot. Turns out this is because ants or flies are the pollinators, so they need to be ground level with the flower.

The flower is very exotic-looking, almost like a misshapen orchid, or a menacing alien from a sci-fi movie. It's quite elegant as well, especially in looking at the interior.

It's important to note that while wild ginger roots are edible (with proper care) and the plant may smell like store-bought ginger root, these plants are not related. Commercial ginger root (Zingiber officinale) is from a tropical plant, originally from southern China. There are several species called Wild Ginger, so I would not chow down on these before researching further. See links below for more information.

Patch of Wild Ginger under the conifers at Stub Stewart.

Unopened blossom on ground.

Another patch of wild ginger.

Two flowers, one opened! The bloom is about two inches across.

Another bloom near hole 17.

Links:

Wild Ginger Edible?

Ginger Root Info

Got the Blues?

With all the sunny dry weather we have had for the past month or so, how could anyone have the blues? LOL. Of course, my rhetorical question has to do with flowers, not our feelings. Hopefully this collection of currently blooming blue beauties will keep your blues away for a while. The bees are certainly happy with all these!

Blue-Headed Gilia (Gilia capitata)

This tall annual native, can take briefly over an entire swath of ground in early summer. The top-heavy stems can sway in the wind, reminding one of water waves. The name honors the Vatican Observatory naturalist who authored books about South American plants in the early 1800's. Found at Jackson Bottom 6/09/2012.

    

Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila menziesii)

Who could resist this spring beauty? These aptly named annuals can spread over a wide area making a carpet of blue. Each bloom is about 3/4 inch. Jackson Bottom 5/25/2014.

Blue Blossom (Ceanothus thrysiflorus)

This attractive native shrub is more common down on the coast, south of our area. Nonetheless, I have seen it blooming in several local natural areas. In California, it can grow into a 25-foot tree like shrub. Cooper Mountain Nature Park 5/21/2014.

    

Speedwell (Veronica)

There are over 500 known species of Speedwell listed in the wildflower guides. We spotted these at Rood Bridge Park in early May. I contacted the Parks department but they were unable to provide the exact species. In any event, they seem to like shade and a moist environment. 

    

Giant Blue-Eyed Mary (Collinsia grandiflora)

These tall plants look familiar, although I had not seen them before. The flowers resemble snapdragons or monkey flowers, just in blue though. Another common native, they range throughout the state, except in the Northeast. Jackson Bottom 5/27/2014.

Blue-Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum)

Another new capture for me, this native little ground dweller can be hard to spot among the taller grasses and other flowers. The leaves resemble grass, hence the common name. Jackson Bottom 5/25/2014.

Yarrowleaf Gilia (Gilia millefoliata)

With an odd-ball name and a native of the southern Oregon coast, we did not expect to find this one growing here locally. The pale blue petals are very elegant and measure about 2/3 inch across. This was the only one we saw, so it must be a hitchhiker with something else. Jackson Bottom 5/27/2014. 

Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum)

We saw some of these last year, at the very end of the bloom cycle. We spotted these early on this year, so were able to ID. The windy day of this capture was challenging though! Cooper Mountain Nature Park 5/21/2014.

Broadleaf Lupine (Lupinus latifolius)

And last, but not least, the Lupines were abundant this year. With all this good weather they bloomed profusely and had a long "hang time." Our yard 5/25/2014.

Hamilton Mountain

Today's post is dedicated to the memory of our dear friend and fellow nature-lover, Lois Campbell. She recently passed away at the age of 106.

View of Hamilton Mountain from the trail.

Even though it's a tough hike, Hamilton Mountain is one of the most popular destinations in the Columbia Gorge. It is located in Washington, within the 5,000 acre Beacon Rock State Park. The Beacon Rock basalt monolith is also a favorite short hike. The 3.2 mile hike up to the Hamilton Mountain summit is steep, going from near sea level Douglas Fir forest up to a rocky, exposed summit at 2,400 feet. This affords a nice variety of plants and wildflowers as well as a pleasant, although strenuous hike. The trail has nice views of the river, a dam, and gorge as well as two waterfalls and old-growth trees. The 5 mile return loop winds through more fir and alder forest, along Hardy Creek. See links below for more photos and information.

The wildflowers we encountered on this day (5/30/2014) progressed from shade loving forest standards, to open meadow sun worshiping ones, and finally to rocky cliff dwellers. It was a good mix of new and old blooms for me. We saw only about a dozen other humans and several canines on the trail, so it was a good day for photo ops.

For the first two miles, as we made our way up through the old Douglas Fir forest, we spotted Thimbleberry, Pacific Starflower, Columbia Windflower, Inside Out Flower, Fringecup, and others. I won't include those in this post as they are well noted in prior posts.

It was a perfect day for this hike, with lots of sun, no wind, and temps in the mid 70's. We spent about six hours on the trail which includes lunch, photos, and resting.

These photos are arranged in the order that we saw them, following the trail elevation for the most part.

Orange Honeysuckle (Lonicera ciliosa). This native, perennial
vine was growing in the power line clearing.

Broadleaf Stonecrop (Sedum spathulifolium). There are four
types of stonecrop in the Gorge. Native.

Broadleaf Penstemon (Penstemon ovatus). One of the dozen
Penstemon types in the Gorge. Native.

Bronze Bells (Stenanthium occidentale). These are listed as
"uncommon" in the books. I had not seen these 1/2 inch
 flowers before. Native.

Rosy Plectritis (Plectritis congesta). Also called "Sea Blush."
Grows all over western OR and WA. Native.

Bare-Stemmed Desert Parsley (Lomatium nudicaule). The Gorge
supports over a dozen "desert parsley" plants. Native.

Yellow Western Groundsel (Senecio integerrimus). Stems are
about two feet high. Weedy looking. Native.

Meadow Death Camas (Zigadenus venenosus). Native member of Lily
family as is Common Camas. Members of Lewis and Clark corps fell
ill after eating these. 

Field Chickweed (Cerastium arvense). This common native grows
in shady spots as well as rocky exposed outcrops.

Nine-leaf Desert Parsley (Lomtium triturnatum). Native.

Cliff Larkspur (Delphinium menziesii). Common native larkspur
can be found throughout western OR and WA.

Thread-leaf Phacelia (Phacelia linearis). Saw only one clump
of these natives near cliff.

Fine-tooth Penstemon (Penstemon subserratus). Common native in
a relatively narrow slice of the OR and WA Gorge.

Spreading Phlox (Phlox diffusa). We saw quite a bit of this up
on the ridge. Native.

Red Columbine (Aquilegia formosa). Saw just a few of these
along the open trail areas. Native.

Harsh Paintbrush (Castilleja hispida). This native appears
throughout OR and WA at all elevations.

Western Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia). This deciduous
shrub grows throughout the Northwest. Native.

Rough Wallflower (Erysimum capitatum). Another common
native that resembles the weedy wild radish.

Columbia Lewisia (Lewisia columbiana). Small, rock growing
native named after Meriwether Lewis.

Links:

Hike Photos on Facebook

Beacon Rock State Park - Official Site

Beacon Rock State Park - Wiki

Hamilton Mountain Hike