Tall Blue Huckleberry “Vaccinium ovalifolium”, Heath Family (Ericaceae). Deciduous shrub, 5-7 ‘ tall, flowers pink and 3/8″ long appear prior to leaves, early spring in deep woods in Coastal and Cascade Mts. of Or. & Wa. Blue to black edible berry. Photo: Lewis & Clark River near Saddle Mt. in N.W. Or. 3/17/2007
Fetid Adder’s Tongue “Scoliopus hallii”, Lily family (Liliaceae). Perennial, plant 2-5″ tall, flowers approx 1/2″ diameter, sepals yellow and mottled purple, narrow upright petals, early spring in deep shaded woods west of the Cascade Mts. The bright yellow is pollen in an anther that has split open. Photo: Wilson River Hwy near Tillamook, OR 3/13/2009
Lemon Fawn Lily “Erythronium citrinum” Lily Family (Liliaceae). Perennial, corm, 6-8″ tall, green leaves mottled with white and brown, flowers white fading to pinkish-lavender, blooms in midspring in S.W. Or. and N.W. Ca. Photo: Near the Oregon Caves in S.W. 4/30/2007
Glacier Lily “Erythronium grandiflorum” Lily Family (Lilliaceae). Perennial, corm, plant 6-12″ tall, flowers golden yellow, early spring in mid to high elevations throughout Or. & Wa. and the Columbia River Gorge. Flowers in different areas may have white, yellow or dark red anthers. Photo: Rowena Crest near Moiser, Or. in the Columbia River Gorge 4/20/2005
Henderson’s Fawn Lily “Erythronium hendersonii” Lily Family (Liliaceae). Perennial, corm, plant 6-12″ tall, basal leaves mottled with brown and white, flowers 1-4 with pale lavender petals,. Mid-spring in meadows and mixed woods in the Siskiyous of S.W. Or. Photo: Upper Table Rock near Medford, Or. 3/21/2009
Pink Fawn Lily “Erythronium revolutum”. Lily family (Liliaceae). Perennial, bulbous corm, plant 6-12″ tall, rose-pink flowers with leaves mottled with brown and white. Blooms April-May in the damp forests and meadows of the west side of the Coastal Mts. Photo: Saddle Mt. near Seaside, Or. 4/19/2005
Evergreen Violet “Viola sempervirens” Violet Family “Violaceae, Perennial 2-3″ tall, Leaves heart shaped and evergreen, Flowers yellow with maroon veins. Blooms early spring in shaded woods of Western Or & Wa and in N.E. Or. Photo: Near Rainier, Or 4/22/2009
Poet’s Shooting Star “Dodecatheon poeticum”. Primrose family (Primulaceae) Perennial, plant 5-10″ tall, flowers have five swept back rose-purple petals banded at the base with purple, yellow and black. Blooms in early spring in the wet meadows of the Columbia River Gorge. Dodecatheon (12 gods) was coined by Pliny the Elder for a primrose “favored by all the Roman gods”. Photo: Catherine Creek near Lyle, WA in the Columbia River Gorge 3/30/2007
Salt and Pepper “Lomatium piperi” Parsley Family (Apaceae). Perennial, plant 2-4″ tall, leaves multiply dissected, clusters of tiny white flowers with dark anthers. Blooms early spring in dry rocky slopes at low to mid elevation in Eastern OR & WA, Columbia River Gorge and in S.W. OR. Photo Catherine Creek, WA in the Columbia River Gorge 2/28/2009
Yellow Bells “Fritillaria pudica” Yellow Bells Lily Family (Liliaceae). Perennial, Small scaly bulbs, plant 4-10″ tall, bright clear yellow flowers turn orange to dull red as they age, early spring in moist areas that dry up in Summer. Cascade Mts. and eastward in Or. & Wa. and the Siskiyous. Photo: Catherine Creek near Lyle, WA in the Columbia River Gorge 3/13/2007