Mazama Musings

One of the places I had on my wildflower radar for this summer, was Crater Lake National Park. Most sources seemed to agree that in a typical year, the third week of July is the best time to see the most variety of blooming flowers at the park. This is also when the Castle Crest wildflower trail should look its best. However, this summer was not typical, so the Crater Lake snow melted earlier and peak bloom was sooner than usual. In addition, trying to get rooms in the park is an exercise in futility, unless you book about a year in advance. We did finally manage to get some rooms at the Mazama Cabins for mid August, which we were glad to land - even though it was past the peak bloom!


After our incredibly relaxing stay at Camp Sherman, we drove south to the park, which is an interesting trip through high desert volcanic geology, ponderosa pines, lodgepole pines, juniper, and miles of dry conditions. We knew there was a fire burning near the north end of the park, so were not surprised to find smoke as we approached the entrance. The sky was kind of yellow-orange all along highway 138. Fortunately, near the rim, we got beyond most of the thick smoke, so the views of the lake were enjoyable.

On the East Rim, 8-15-2015

We did not see ANY snow at the park on this visit, which is the first time having that experience! And we were also surprised to find a few blooming flowers on some of the trails, mostly around moist creek areas. Having only one night of lodging at the park limited our explorations, but we were able to get in some good hikes, including the Castle Crest wildflower trail, which is a short walk through a mini-oasis of dry and moist terrain near the main visitor center.

Staying at the Mazama Village cabins was kind of a cross between camping and a 1950's era motel. No frills rooms, but nicely remodeled and with good showers! And you get a free bag of ice when you check in for your cooler (no fridge!). The beds were quite comfy and we would have enjoyed them more if our neighbors had not risen at 6 AM to pack up to head out...

Here's a quick overview of our flower findings, including a look at two rabbit-named plants. For the rest of the trip photos, see the link below.

Lewis Monkeyflower (Mimulus lewisii)

Common Monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus)

Possible White Monkeyflower? - ID TBD

Mountain Blue Penstomon (Penstemon laetus)
Likely ID, but not certain.

Scarlet Gilia (Gilia aggregata)

When we first visited the high desert in central Oregon years ago, we saw acres of a weedy looking shrub with yellow flowers. We asked various locals what it was; some said Rabbit Bush, and others said Rabbit Brush; and some even said Yellow sage, which is understandable, but incorrect. Here's what we now know about these plants:

Rabbitbush (Ericameria bloomeri). These plants were growing and blooming
 along highway 138 for several miles, going into the park, as well as in
the park, in sunny, open spaces. Most were less than one foot tall.

      

Rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa). We only saw a few of these in the
park. Last September, near Sunriver, acres of them were blooming in the open
areas of the forest. Note how the blooms do actually look like a brush.
They can grow over four feet tall.

Alpine Buckwheat (Eriogonum pyrolifolium)

Columbia Monkshood (Aconitum columbianum)

     

Rosy Spiraea (Spiraea splendens). 

Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea)

Links:

More Crater Lake photos

Metolius River

For those of us who live our daily lives in the lowlands of the Tualatin Valley in western Oregon, getting out of Dodge usually means heading to the coast or getting up to the mountains.  These destinations are close by and make for an easy road trip for the most part. About 18 months ago I read an article about the Metolius River and Camp Sherman up in central Oregon. This area was described as great destination for nature lovers and fly fishermen. And even though we have lived in Oregon for more than 30 years, we had not been to the Metolius River until last week. On our short five day trip, we found it to be a fascinating place and it did live up to the "hype."

Typical view along upper Metolius - taken on an evening walk.

In the late 1800's, farmers living in Sherman county needed a place to escape the hot dry weather of eastern Oregon summers. They ended up making a seasonal encampment along the Metolius at what is now Camp Sherman. Over the years it has become more of a summer camp for those who favor the low key approach to relaxing in the forest: No golf courses or big water parks, just thousands of acres of ponderosa pines and the cool Metolius river. There are several campgrounds as well as many cabin rental locations in the area. We stayed in a remodeled cabin along the river that had some comfy recliners as well as a modern kitchen - now that's a great escape!

The river is a mere 29 miles long, ending up in Lake Billy Chinook; and it's also an official Wild and Scenic river. Once you visit here, you realize why. The shallow river originates from a hole in the ground, oddly called "Head of the Metolius." Here, crystal-clear, cool, 48 degree water flows out at a constant 55,000 gallons a minute. As the river heads downstream, another two dozen springs feed into it, increasing the flow to about 600,000 gallons per minute. The upper 11 miles of the river is designated as a catch and release area for trout. Fishermen must use barbless, fly lures only on this section.


Much of the river has hiking trails on either side, right along the water. This is great for us hiker, nature lover types as well as those fly fishermen. We did see several of them in action as we hiked portions of the trail. And just to calibrate the dedication of these folks, the back end of the Camp Sherman store has a display of hundreds of fly lures you can choose from for your day on the river! In fact, about one third of the whole store, which is about the size of a three car garage, is dovoted to fishing gear!

Springs pour into the river along the way

Deeper, faster flow at Wizard Falls

As we hiked and biked around the area, we did not spot a wealth of wildflowers during this time. The summers are normally very dry up here and most of the flowers come out in late spring. Nevertheless, we did log a few interesting finds. Here's a roundup of those hardy survivors!

Great Hedge Nettle (Stachys chamisonis var. cooleyae)

This colorful stuff was growing just about everywhere along the river, as well as on logs and the small islands in the river.

Western Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium occidentale)

Another moisture loving plant showing its stuff along the river. Saw just a few of these near our cabin.

Eaton's Aster (Symphyotrichum eatonii)

These daisy-looking relatives were found in clumps along the riverbanks, where there was enough sun and moisture to make their growth viable.

Giant Mountain Aster (Canadanthus aster)

More of a true aster, we found very few of these still in bloom along the riverside trails. The skinny rays have and almost fan-like quality.

Pacific Water Parsley (Oenanthe sarmentosa)

This is one plant I would expect to see growing near the river. It seemed to favor old logs and the lush island and outcroppings in the river. 

Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)

You'll find this familiar face just about anywhere you go in the mountains in late summer. Mostly in meadows and disturbed areas.

Velvet Lupine (Lupinus leucophyllus)

This lovely lupine is my surprising new find of the journey. I ran into it while riding my bike up to Suttle lake. They were about spent but noticed these in a shady spot right along the trail. They are listed as "uncommon" in the guide and can have white or lavender flowers. The leaves do have a velvety quality, so the name is appropriate.

     

Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis)

Ok, it's not a wildflower, but we did see lots of them - and they do have the cute factor advantage! This guy was hanging out at the Head of the Metolius.

Links:

More photos of our visit.

Tree Signs

Deschutes Land Trust

Camp Sherman Information

Mint Condition

On these long, hot summer days, what's better than a large glass of cold lemonade with a few mint leaves thrown in? Or a special glass filled with your favorite ice tea and mint... On one of those recent scorcher days, I escaped to the shade behind our house and oozed down into the hammock. The cool drink in my hand got me thinking about mint in general and mint plants in particular.

If you drive around the back roads of the Willamette Valley in June and July, you are going to see many crops: wheat, barley, hops, hazelnuts, and a real cash crop - no I am not talking about hemp/cannabis - I am talking peppermint! In fact, most of the peppermint grown in the U.S. comes from Oregon and Washington. The plants are grown mostly for oil production and the Willamette Valley oil is considered premium in the mint world. The oil goes into countless products such as gum, tooth paste, soap, candy, etc. According to the Oregon Mint Commission it takes about 5.5 acres of peppermint to yield one 400 gallon barrel of mint oil.

Irrigated peppermint field near Corvallis, 7-7-15

Peppermint leaf

Sometimes you can smell the fresh, potent aroma of the mint field before you see it. Commercial peppermint (Mentha piperita) is a hybrid, has bright green leaves, and grows about 18 inches tall. It's a perennial that can last up to 15 years, but is normally rotated out of a field after about 3 to 7 years. And get this: At one time, the local mint oil produced by farmers was kept in bank vaults because it was so valuable.

Mint plants have a colorful past, appearing in both ancient Roman and Greek literature. Peppermint seems to have been used since the 1500's for cooking and herbal medicine. Because many historical notations are not precise about which mint plants are referenced, it is hard to trace the history. Native Americans also grew mint prior to the arrival of Europeans. Those newcomers brought their own mint plants, which soon became naturalized.

Spearmint bloom in our yard

There are about a dozen species of mint in the Mentha genus, one of them being Spearmint (Mentha spicata). Spearmint is also grown commercially, but is more often found in your back yard. The mint species can hybridize with each other, so exact identification in the wild is tricky.

The main difference between the two best know mint plants is that peppermint contains menthol, giving it a stronger flavor more suitable for candy and breath mints. Spearmint does not have menthol, is milder, and is used in teas and culinary flavoring.

Wild mint along the
Metolius River

There is no mistaking the scent of concentrated mint. While visiting Boulder, CO in 2013, we toured the Celestial Seasonings tea factory. One of the stops is in the mint room, which is a closed vault the size of a large garage. In this room, large bags of raw mint leaves and concentrate are stored for use in some of their teas. Before allowing us to enter, the tour guide told us some people can become dizzy with the strong smell! Well it was a powerful scent. We did not get dizzy, but it cleared out my sinuses for sure!

Garden mint blossoms are tiny, purple-ish clusters that appear along the main stalk of the plant. In the wild, our native Field Mint (Mentha arvensis) grows nearly everywhere in the state and produces similar flowers in smaller clusters.

So, with all that in mind, get on over to your local natural foods store and stock up on some mint before the next heat wave!