Rebirth

Seekseekqua Mountain (Mt. Jefferson) Wilderness

With the arrival of cooler, wet weather here in the lowlands of western Oregon, we need to pull out our good warm boots and pack our rain gear for the next outing! After another long dry summer with a dozen large wildfires and about 1,000 smaller ones just here in Oregon, it is a relief to see moisture again. And all across the west, fires raged through forested areas and populated locations as well, sometimes with tragic results. Most of these fires were caused by lightning, but sadly, a few were human-caused.

Nature-caused fires have been around long before we humans arrived and are regarded by most forestry scientists as healthy and necessary for the long term success of the larger ecosystems. Of course, when fires encroach on towns and structures we do our best to control and limit the damage from these. On the other hand, in wilderness areas or remote areas, response might be calibrated to the situation. We won't delve into that topic here as it has been extensively studied and written about by experts around the globe.

In this post, we want to share a few of the recent botanical "rebirth" observations we have seen out in the field. Following a fire, our native plants seem to "know" exactly what to do and when to do it. This botanical safeguard, so to speak, is notable because it ensures the continued propagation of the most basic plant communities in the affected areas; and it begins a long term cycle of growth for an entire habitat. 

Of course it's hard to appreciate the importance of this fire cycle when you are out for a walk in the charred remains of a once beautiful forest. Or when you planned a summer vacation at a national park and upon arrival you can't see the views due to smoke in the air. But nevertheless, there is some degree of excitement when you see the first batch of plants making a go of it - typically a year or two after a fire. 

Here are some places we have recently noted in fire recovery.

Pacific Crest Trail near Cascade Locks, OR, September 2018. The understory is getting some traction, just one year after the human caused Eagle Creek fire. Here we see Thimbleberry and Sword Ferns in early stages of growth. 

    

   

Whychus Creek Trail near Sisters, OR, October 2018. This 2017 lightning caused fire burned about 8,000 of Juniper and Pine trees west of town and near the creek. Many mature Greenleaf Manzanita (Arctostaphylos patula) bushes can be seen here, dead as a door nail. The good news is that the ground in this area is covered with tiny, new growth manzanita plants.

 

   

      

Canyon Creek Meadows trail near Three-Fingered-Jack, July 2016. This area is part of the huge 2003 "B & B complex" fire that burned over 90,000 acres in the central and eastern slopes of the Cascade mountains. In these photos we see plenty of conifers coming up from seeds after 13 years. Some of these new conifers were over six feet tall. In addition, with the increased amount of sunlight reaching the ground, the understory is now bursting with native ferns and wildflowers. Because most of this area is the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, no trees are planted by humans.

  

Land managers have limited budgets for controlling fires, let alone performing preventive measures such as fuel removal and prescribed burns. The long term outlook regarding western states wildfire intensity and frequency is a complicated topic, with political overtones. We know the historical cycles of natural wildfires are changing here in the west due to fuel buildup, fire suppression, and climate change. Our national and state land managers need the tools and funding to weather the challenges ahead.

For additional reading, this book has some updated data and views on the broader topic of wildfire planning and management. Land on Fire: the New Reality of Wildfire in the West by Gary Ferguson.

Fruitful Findings

This year, as summer winds down here in the lowlands, the familiar blooms are mostly gone with the exception of a few very hardy souls like spreading dogbane, tansy, and a favorite of ours: orange jewelweed (shown at right). Even the mountain trail blooms are pretty sparse due to a very long, dry period since late spring. And now, with wildfires burning throughout the west and the subsequent smoky air, it's a challenge to get out in the field.

But fear not! Your intrepid wildflower blog team never sleeps - well, at least not when we are out on the trail! Sure the trails are super dusty now and every living thing near a trail has kind of a brown glow; but if you venture off a bit you can find some colorful and interesting rewards: fruits.

Mind you, these are not the kind of fruits we humans would eat - unless perhaps you are lost in the forest. Most of these fruits are toxic, small and colorful, just waiting for a ride to a new place, near or far, to set up camp and eek out a living. Whether it's a bird, mammal, insect, or just the wind, these fruits are on a mission to propagate!

However, since this is a family-friendly blog, we won't delve into the intricacies of botanical reproduction today. Instead we'll "focus" on the more artistic aspects of our fruits de jour. Here are some recent fruity findings.

Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridus) at
Stub Stewart State Park 7/30.

False Solomon's Seal (Maianthemum racemosum) at Rooster
Rock State Park 7/06/2018.

The highly toxic Red Baneberry (Actaea rubra) at Rooster
Rock State Park 7/06/2018.

That's no chili pepper! Hooker's Fairy Bell
 (Disporum hookeri) in Forest Park 7/10/2018.

It's hard to ignore these cat's eye jewels: Star Flowered
 Solomon Seal (Maianthemum stellatum) at the Tillamook
Forestry Center 7/12/2018.

Cherry tomatoes? Sorry, no salsa here! False Lily of
the Valley (Maianthemum dilatatum) at Rood
 Bridge Park 8/20/2018.

His red sibling gets all the attention, but the Blue Elder-
berry (Sambucus nigra) is widespread
 throughout OR as well. 8/03/2018.

Red Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa) 6/22/2018

Ok, here's one you can definitely eat: Thimbleberry
(Rubus parviflorus) at  the Tillamook Forestry
Center 7/12/2018.

If you've lived in Oregon for
one summer, then you know these:
Tall Oregon Grape (Mahonia
 aquifolium) at Fern Hill Wetlands
 8/03/2018.

And last but not least, here is your bonus round. If you can ID this native plant fruit, then you are a true local botanical wizard!

Hover or tap photo to reveal the ID.

NPSO Annual Meeting

This time of year, on a short walk in a park or a longer hike on a trail, you're bound to see some native wildflowers and plants. Like tiny decorations on your day's timeline, these flowers are a delight for us humans and more importantly they are the evolutionary lure that assures their continued propagation. With over 4,000 native wildflower plants growing throughout Oregon, it's a long term relationship to get to know them all!

As mentioned in previous posts, here in Oregon we have a great "club" of sorts for anyone interested in native plants: The Native Plant Society of Oregon.  The name sounds a bit like an elite, high-tea group that sits around mulling over the old days, but in fact it's a well-rounded, all-ages group of amateurs and professionals, with a common goal of education and preservation.

So what happens when hundreds of these society members convene for their annual meeting in a small town in central Oregon? Sure, there is a lot of "Latin name" speak going on; but also plenty of socializing and discussion during three days of special guided wildflower hikes, followed by (not so lavish) banquets in the evening with interesting speakers. This year the annual meeting was held at the beginning of June in Prineville, OR. Each participant got to choose a hike for each day from a fairly robust list of locations/habitats. All in all, it was an interesting three-day experience for our wildflower blog team and we did find several new plants for our ever-expanding list. Here are a few of the highlights:

On the first day we visited a unique area on a private conservation ranch east of Prineville, owned by the Deschutes Land Trust. The rocky trail took us through a 3,500 ft. elevation transition zone of juniper, fir, and ponderosa pine. There were plenty of blooms to go around as our group of about a dozen ascended a steep drainage trail.

     

Ragged Robin (Clarkia pulchella)

Narrowleaf Skullcap (Scutellaria angustifolia)

Bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva)

Threadleaf Phacelia (Phacelia linearis)

On the second day, my group headed west to a popular river destination: Alder Springs. Getting there was not half the fun. The five mile dirt road to the trailhead was horrid, with huge pot holes and large rocks randomly placed by invisible hobbits - to keep visitors from speeding I suppose! Once on the trail our guide pointed out native grasses and flowers as we descended hundreds of feet into the ancient Whychus creek canyon. It was a hot day, so when we reached the creek, most of us went into the water for a break and to cross the creek.

The first mile in this area is a drier, hotter shrub-steppe land, with fewer trees and more sage. In addition, part of the area burned in the past few years, so we did see some natural recovery taking place. In spite of the conditions we saw some flowers, especially down in the lush riparian zones by the creek. The three mile trail ends where Whychus creek pours into the Deschutes river.

Sulpher Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum)

Threadleaf Fleabane (Erigeron filifolius)

     

Showy Penstemon (Penstemon speciosus) and Lanceleaf Stonecrop (Sedum lanceolatum)

Western Blue Flax (Linum lewisii)

As we follow the dry, dusty trail down into the canyon, the flora becomes robust and there is more variety. We see Red Osier Dogwood, Wild Roses, and Horsetail among other species that are more common in the lowlands.

Whychus Creek Canyon Riparian Zone

Douglas Catchfly (Silene douglasii)

Crossing the creek was easy and fun!

Plenty of Monkeyflower (Mimulus sp.) here!

Red Columbine (Aquilegia formosa)

Heart-leaf Buckwheat (Eriogonum compositum)

Deschutes River at the end of the trail.

Cooling off in the river!

Our last day and hike was another high desert trail near the Deschutes River. A popular hiking and swimming spot for locals, Steelhead Falls was short on flowers but long on scenery. It's hard to imagine any steelhead fish making their way up this route but just five miles downstream, the huge Lake Billy Chinook (created in 1965 by a dam) has plenty of stocked fish and power boats. We found a few stonecrop and Douglas catchfly on the trail, but most blooms were next to the river.

Mostly Juniper trees here, with a few Ponderosa.

Northern Mule's Ears (Wyethia amplexicaulis)

Plenty of greenery along the river.

The falls. Note old man-made fish channel at left.

Saw a few clumps of the non-native
Yellow Flag (Iris pseudacorus).

The N.P.S.O. annual gathering ended without ceremony on Sunday afternoon as we packed up our gear and belted down the ice tea. Some folks stayed on for extended vacations or more exploring. We are looking forward to next year's event!