Rowena Road Trip

The start of spring here at wildflower blog central is kind of like a school homecoming; we don't have a  royal court or a big football game, but the highly motivated staff returns to our base of operations, with big smiles, cameras, and hiking boots in tow. We supply good coffee, trail mix, and a boat-load of encouragement for the eager team. As we huddled around the outdoor firepit in the back yard, our first assignment of the season was revealed: Rowena Plateau. This notable spot is a geologic curiosity and a smorgasbord of native wildflowers throughout spring.

Gold Stars and Columbia River in Back

Fortunately this wonderfully scenic area, officially known as the Tom McCall Preserve at Rowena, is owned by the Nature Conservancy. With one trail winding through the grassland plateau and another going up a steep hill, there is ample exploration opportunity.

This year, our first visit to Rowena was on March 17, a clear, sunny, and somewhat windy day. We arrived before noon, so it was still cool enough for coats and long pants. We saw a herd of deer on the way up to the parking area but luckily no herds of people on this day at the Preserve.

Just steps from the trailhead we spotted carpets of the small and bright Gold Stars, along with large swaths of Grass Widows. The trail was a bit muddy from recent El Nino rains and many of the pools on the plateau were overflowing into small channels down the slope.

     

     

Gold Stars (Crocidium multicaule) and Grass Widows (Olsynium douglasii)

Further along we captured Columbia Desert Parsley, Gray's Desert Parsley, Prairie Stars, and Yellow Bells. This loop trail goes out by the cliffs, and has great views of the river and a bird's eye view of Lyle, WA. And speaking of birds, we saw Ravens, a couple of Turkey Vultures, and at least one hawk soaring in the drafts above us. We kept moving, so the vultures ignored us geezers.

     

Columbia Desert Parsley (Lomatium columbianum) and Gray's Desert Parsley (Lomatium grayi)

     

Yellow Bells (Fritillaria pudica) and Prairie Stars (Lithophragma glabrum)

On the return route, we encountered more deer, that seemed to be somewhat used to humans in the area. The few oak trees in this area have no leaves yet and a handful of pines are stunted and warped by the wind here.

     

After a lunch break in the comfort of a nice warm car, we head up the other trail on the south side of the parking area. To prevent damage, the trail is officially closed until May, when things dry out a bit. Instead, we take an old, rocky wagon road trail that skirts the east side of the mountain.

Here we find hundreds of Oaks Toothwarts, more Columbia Desert Parsley, and are surprised to find several blooming Glacier Lily on the sunny slopes. This area is much more treed, with oak at the start, transitioning to firs and pines as we gain elevation. For the next mile or so we see no other hikers on this obscure trail. We stop for a coffee break snack at a nice north-facing clearing, where we get a great view of Lyle, Rowena Crest, and Mt. Adams (Klickitat) in the distance.

     

 Glacier Lily (Erythronium grandiflorum) and Oaks Toothwart (Cardamine nuttallii)

The old wagon trail

Rowena Crest, Mt. Adams, and the Scenic Highway

After our rest-snack break, we pack up and head back down the trail where we are surprised to find another hiker coming up the hill. We arrive back at the trailhead around 3:30 PDT, ready to shed our boots and head back home.

Sleeping Giant

Those of us who dwell in the Northwest are somewhat familiar with its volcanic past. Our Cascade mountain range is peppered with active and inactive volcanoes and school children in the area learn about many of them in class and with field trips. Crater Lake (Mazama) in southern Oregon is probably the best known volcanic site, or perhaps Mt. Saint Helens (Loo-wit) in Washington.

Paulina Lake in the Newberry Caldera

But you may not know that the largest Cascade range volcano is at Newberry National Volcanic Monument, near Bend, OR. It is so massive, it would cover the entire state of Rhode Island. And it does not look like a cone style peak. Rather, it has become a shield volcano due to repeated eruptions (more than 400,000) over its life. The latest eruption was a mere 1, 300 years ago and experts say it is still an active volcano that could erupt at any time.

Big Obsidian Flow

It's a fascinating place to visit, even if you are not a geologist. The various federal agencies who manage the 1,200 square miles of the monument and adjacent lands do an excellent job of making it available and providing interesting educational sites for the curious. We have visited the area many times over the years; in the fall of 2015 we spent a couple of days looking around the Newberry Caldera, which we had not done for about 10 years. The caldera is about 4 by 5 miles in size, with two large lakes sitting in it. The massive "Big Obsidian Flow" is here as well, covering several hundred acres.

Ponderosa Pine Struggles to Survive in Lava Flow

The expansive lava flows and the obsidian flows are extremely harsh environments for trees and plants, yet we can see a few of them making a go of it as we walk the lava trails in the monument. Outside the lava, in this high desert land and the surrounding areas of soil, millions of lodgepole and ponderosa pine thrive in the extreme cold winters and very hot, dry summers. The place is a true testament to plant evolution for survival. Read more about these pines at Northwest Conifers.




In the northern part of the monument, Lava Butte and the visitor center serve as a good location to get your bearings and take in a 360 degree view of the area. There is a working fire lookout as well as a small parking area and a trail to explore the Lava Butte cinder cone. You'll see many square miles of lava that has spewed out of the cinder cones in the area. Several trails allow you to safely enter the lava fields.


As harsh as it is, the lava supports several hardy native species, such as Rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa), Manzanita, Ponderosa Pine, and the rare Cusick's Monkeyflower (Mimulus cusickii).

     

Manzanita and Ponderosa Pines on the south side of the
 Lava Butte cinder cone.

Marsh Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis scorpioides) along the
Deschutes River at Lava Lands

The monument is named for Dr. John Strong Newberry, an American geologist, physician, and explorer who lived from 1822 to 1892. Oddly, it is unclear if he ever visited Central Oregon during his vast career. But YOU can visit and explore this fascinating area almost any time of year!

Deschutes River and Lodgepole Pines

Shrub Club

Plum tree and willows at Jackson Bottom Wetlands

If you've been out and about in the past week or so, you've noticed a plethora of flowering shrubs and trees all over the area. The ornamental plums, cherries, camellias, and quince are exploding with their bright colors. An army of bees were making the rounds on our trees, having been diverted from the crocus and daffodils. It's a fitting farewell to winter, although our winter here in the western Oregon lowlands was very mild. In fact, we have not had a freeze since January 8th.

"So what about our native plants," you ask? None of the plants mentioned above are native, but there are a few natives starting to show their blooms. While walking around a couple of our nature parks in the last week we spotted Indian Plum, Red Currant, Willows, and Tall Oregon Grape. These shrubs are typically among the first to bloom in spring and they seem eager to please this year. And they also signal the start of the season for us wildflower watchers - always an uplifting moment! Here's a quick look at those "early birds."

Indian Plum - Oemleria cerasiformis

This plum is native! Also known as osoberry, the ripe fruits were eaten by native peoples from time to time. Before ripening they were also used as an astringent. The plant stalks could be used on skin sores after being mashed.

     

Red-Flowering Currant - Ribes sanguineum

In spite of the common name, the colors on this native range from white to pink to red. It also has berries, but they are inedible. The blooms are popular with hummingbirds as well as bees. The Scottish explorer-naturalist, David Douglas, sent this plant back to Europe where it was used extensively as an ornamental. These two photos show the range of color for the blooms.

     

Willow Shrubs - Salix sp.

Willow shrubs are excellent plants to use when restoring wetlands or riparian areas. They are very hardy and they do well in wet soil. In addition, they do well when competing with non-native species. In the photo below you can see all the willow "blooms" at Jackson Bottom Wetlands on 3/04/2016.

Taking a closer look at the "blooms" reveals a catkin rather than a true flower. The photo shows the male pollen-bearing anthers extended. This allows insects to drag pollen from the anthers to the female catkin, which typically forms a bit later. Interestingly, willows do not rely on wind to transport the pollen - just insects. Which explains why they do well in bug-infested wetlands!

Tall Oregon Grape - Mahonia aquifolium

Way back in 1899, this northwest native was designated as the official Oregon State plant. We've seen this popular plant in natural areas as well as business parks and suburban yards. It's hardy, has a striking bloom, is evergreen, and produces colorful blue berries - suitable for making jam or your own ink if you are so inclined. It typically blooms later in the month, but these we saw at Jackson Bottom were already starting to open.