Saddle Mountain April 23, 2007

Saddle Mountain Peak
Saddle Mountain trail 5/13/2005

Saddle Mountain, Clapsop County, OR: The view from the top is inspiring on a clear day. It wasn’t raining so Chris and I decided to try Saddle Mountain State Park, access off highway 26 about 13 miles from the coast. The trees in the park have been damaged by high winds but the trails are still usable. We found Erythronium in bloom at lower elevations.

The trail to the crest is steep and requires good hiking boots. Shoes without heels are dangerous on these rocky soils.

The spring bloom is still several weeks away for the higher elevations but the first mile is interesting.

byLarry

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Duskywing Butterfly April 19, 2007

Lyle WA: Chris and I made a quick trip to Catherine Creek. We intended to look for bryophytes and wildflowers. Catherine Creek is well into the spring season. Dodecatheon is nearly gone but Camassia is still strong.

Lewisia blooms are just becoming photogenic. The breeze was strong but in a few sheltered areas photography was manageable. We found Penstemon barrettiae just beginning to bloom but not yet prime.

I caught a butterfly on camera, probably a Propertius Duskywing.

Oak Duskywing Butterfly
Oak Duskywing Butterfly (Erynnis propertius) Dog Creek 4/26/2007 Skamania County WA

 

byLarry

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Moss Class April 15, 2007

Eugene OR: A dozen anxious students assembled in a parking lot on the UO campus. We were to meet with Dr. David Wagner and then carpool to two nearby locations to collect bryophytes for three action packed days of classroom activities.

It was a delightful day, no rain, and we had no difficulty selecting about 40 species of bryophytes to study.

Bryophyte Class
Dr David Wagner

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were spent in intensive discussion and microscopic inspections of our collections. Dr. Wagner supplemented our samples with collections of his own and raised our sample collection to nearly a hundred species. What fun.

byLarry

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Mount Pisgah and Moss Class April 14, 2007

Eugene OR: Marvin and I were in town to attend a Bryophytes class taught by Dr. David Wagner. After locating a motel with easy access to the UO campus we had a couple hours of daylight left so we headed for the Mount Pisgah Arboretum in the Howard Buford Recreational Area.

Trails through the arboretum will turn up delightful surprises to please any botanist.

Check out this Checker Lily.

Checker Lily
Checker Lily (Fritillaria lanceolata) Pisgah 4/14/2007

If we had more time we might have climbed Mount Pisgah to look for mosses.
byLarry

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Balsamroot on Rowena Crest April 6, 2007

Rowena Crest, Hood River County, OR: Head east from Portland on I-84, travel through the Columbia River Gorge, enjoy the spectacular waterfalls, and then, past the town of Hood River, before reaching the town of The Dalles, find the exit for Rowena. Head west on old highway 30 and wend your way through the hairpin curves until atop the plateau. Immediately to your left will be Rowena Crest. From the sign the trail heads uphill along the crest of the ridge, offering big picture views of the gorge. Wildflowers are numerous and the predominant species will change with elevation and the season. Watch out for poison oak.

Marvin and I were intent on finding Glacier Lily (Erythronium grandiflorum). During the peak of the bloom these flowers will literally carpet the ground, usually under the canopy of oak trees.

This day provided copious quantities of Balsamroot. In a few more weeks lupine will be in bloom providing fields of purple and gold that would warm the heart of any UW sports fan.

A few butterflies were fluttering about sampling the blossoms. They will try your patience and make you wish for a telephoto lens. This one is a California Tortoiseshell.

California Tortoiseshell
California Tortoiseshell Butterfly Balsamroot Rowena Crest 4/6/2007

We chose not to test our leg strength by climbing to the top but people of all ages were hiking the trail.

byLarry

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