Columbia Gorge Field Wildflowers
Woodlands Bloom in Larkspur, Lomatium, Serviceberry, Blue-eyed Mary
Spring brings an abundance of wildflowers to the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon and Washington. Look for Desert Parsley, Delphinium, Saskatoon and Ball-head Waterleaf.
A naturalist’s haven, the river gorge dividing Washington and Oregon breaks into a spectacular display of Columbia River Gorge Wildflowers each spring. The gorge is an area of diverse habitats, from damp conifer forests in the western Gorge, beginning just east of Portland, Oregon, to dry grasslands in the eastern portion. In all, the Gorge spans the Columbia River for about 85 miles.
In the central Gorge, the terrain is rocky, with sheer cliffs rising from the river basin, plateaus and meadows, dominated by oak and Ponderosa pine trees and, in spring, wildflowers. Drier and sunnier than the western edge, the central Gorge sees flowers change almost weekly as spring progresses. Many of the flowers of this rocky habitat are small but numerous, at times covering whole meadows with their blooms. Trickling creeks from mountain snowmelt help water them. Below is a sampling of mid-spring flowers.
Upland Larkspur (Delphinium nuttallianum)
These delphiniums can be just a few inches high, but their deep blue flowers are unmistakable in grassy fields and open woodlands. They begin appearing in late April. Though members of the buttercup family, they don’t resemble familiar buttercups. Instead their petals surround a deep white and blue-veined cup. The long spur – blue like the petals -- gives them the name “larkspur,” and makes them easy to identify.
Columbia Desert Parsley (Lomatium columbianum)
This pink Desert Parsley is endemic to the Columbia River Gorge, meaning it is found only here. It likes slopes where its bushy gray-green foliage gives rise to tall pink blooms up to two feet in height. Flowers grow as flat-topped clusters. This is one of many lomatiums that bloom in the Gorge. Most of the others are yellow. A pale, nearly white lomatium, “biscuit root” is seen further east in the Gorge.
Service Berry (Amelanchier alnifolia)
This plant grows as a small tree and is prolific in the Gorge. It is known by several names: It’s often called, “Saskatoon,” a Native American name, or “June Berry” for the month in which the berries ripen. It was reportedly once classified in the Sorbus (mountain ash) genus, resulting in yet another common name, “Sarvis Berry”. Its showy blossoms with white ribbon-like petals begin appearing in mid-April. Service Berry has a wide range across North America. In some locations, the berries were reportedly an important food for Native Americans.
Blue-eyed Mary (Collinsia grandiflora and Collinsia parviflora)
Expanses of these little flowers look like lakes of blue in grassy Gorge meadows in April and May. There are two varieties, large-flowered (grandiflora) and small-flowered (parviflora). They are similar, though the small-flowered show more white on their petals. They generally grow only a few inches tall (though they have been reported up to a foot high in the right conditions). Massed across large swaths of land, they present a gorgeous spring show.
Ball-head Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum capitatum)
This is a variation of the Pacific Waterleaf that grows in damp woods of the Pacific Northwest. Preferring the open grassy slopes and sunny woodlands of the Gorge, it blooms in a prominent light pink ball of clustered flowers. Other members of the Waterleaf family often have greenish flowers, which are less noticeable than this variety.
Most of these flowers, and hundreds more, can be viewed from easy trails just off Highway 84, which runs parallel to the Columbia River in Oregon. The related article, Columbia Gorge Wildflower Viewing offers directions to two viewing spots. The article Oregon Hiking Guide Books describes guides that include additional Gorge hikes.
References
Wildflowers of the Columbia Gorge by Russ Jolley (Oregon Historical Society Press). This is an excellent field guide with information about more than 700 Gorge wildflowers, including where and when they can be viewed.
Familiar Friends: Northwest Plants, by Rhoda Whittlesey (Rose Press, Portland, Oregon)
Wild Berries of the Pacific Northwest, by J.E. Underhill (Hancock House Publishers, B.C., Canada)
