by Barry Maletzky
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| Northwest Balsamroots |
There exists no finer month than May to sample the floral
glories on the various legs of the Dog Mountain. While it would take many pages to
describe the more than 50 species of wildflowers present alongside these
trails, perhaps you might be interested in brief descriptions of some of the
more prominent species inhabiting these slopes. I will describe my favorite
routes on Dog – up the steeper west-side trail, then down the gentler east-side
loop:
Surely every hiker and climber is aware of the
overwhelming display of Northwest Balsamroots in the meadows approaching the
summit of Dog, reaching their peak during the second-to-third week of the month.
However, some of the lesser-known flowers can be enjoyed throughout the month
by those with a somewhat smaller eye and an appreciation for their delicate
architecture and singular beauty, even though they are less abundantly-massed
than the Balsamroots mentioned above.
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| Broadleaf Lupine (Lupinus latifolius) |
Even in the parking lot, one can enjoy the well-known
Broad-leaf Lupines so common in so many locales in the Northwest. Note the
palm-shaped arrangement of their leaves; often a spot of dew resides at their
center, like a diamond jewel held in their leafy hands. As you trudge the road
and begin the trial proper, that tall shrub with bluish flowers may masquerade
as a lilac but is actually a ceanothus, this one commonly called Deer Brush,
somewhat ignominiously growing quite close to the outhouse. In the woods as you
begin the trail, note the many small, pinkish-to-white low-growing Star
Flowers, well-named as they sparkle against the monotone of green underneath.
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| Blue-eyed Mary's |
Further up these switchbacks, openings at about 650-750
ft. of elevation display Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary’s, accompanied by small
white flowers with golden central “eyes”. These, unfairly, lack a common name
and are referred to by the Latin moniker of Common Cryptantha. That tall white
daisy plant decorating both sides of the trail here is Western White Groundsel
(or Senecio) while much smaller, but of more colorful character,
Herald-of-Summer (or more depressingly named Farewell-to-Spring) hews to the
ground on your right. This last combines charming shades of pink on its petals
but with bold red splotches toward the center of the flower.
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| Hooker's Fairy Bells |
On the plateau at about 850 ft., the predominant flower
is Hooker’s Fairy Bells. You will need to
peek underneath its drooping pointy
leaves to discover the shy white bell-shaped flowers which lend their name to
this brushy 3-ft. tall plant. Also on this plateau, a most unusual saprophyte
exists, ghostly white throughout. It is the Phantom Orchid, rarely seen except
in a narrow longitudinal range along the eastern crest of the Cascades. Saprophytes
such as the three Coral Roots (also in the Orchid Family) inhabiting out
forests, lack chlorophyll and thus are not green in any of their parts; they
have no need of sunlight as they are fully sustained by the fungi and bacteria
in the soil which supply minerals and water to the pant in exchange for the
carbohydrates the saprophyte supplies to them. We do have other orchids in our
mountains, though they cannot rival in color or size those of tropical realms.
One such may still be out in the forests of early May between 900 and 2,000
ft., the beloved Calypso Orchid (or Fairy Slipper), with its diminutive pink
tongue and red-spotted petals. |
| Fairy Orchid (Calypso Orchid) |
More switchbacks bring one to a second plateau at 1,400
ft. Here, that white multi-petalled flower is the Columbia Gorge Windflower,
actually an anemone closely related to the blue Oregon Anemone so common high
on Nick Eaton Ridge. All anemones are in the Buttercup Family, a reminder that
floral and leaf appearance do not correlate well with family membership – not
so different than in our human families as well.
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| Dutchman's Breeches |
After the sign and convenient bench at 1,900 ft., early
in May look for the fancifully-named Dutchman’s Breeches, especially on the
right as you steeply ascend the trail, then make a right-hand turn at 2,000 ft.
With some imagination, these Bleeding Heart relatives do look amazingly like
the upturned pantaloons commonly depicted in paintings of 17th
Century Holland. After this turn, and accompanying you through the steep uphill
trail from 2,100 to 2,300 ft. are yellow Stream (or Wood) Violets (most of our
violets, despite their name, are yellow) and its frequent companion, Candy
Flower, with white petals softly engraved with peppermint-like pencil-thin pink
stripes.
Beyond, after the right turn at 2,300 ft., lie the
meadows so often decorating calendars and wildflower book covers. But look
beyond the maze of Balsamroots to find the fuzzy purple flowers of Ball-head
Phacelia, especially early in the month. As you pass Windy Point (or The Puppy)
at 2,500 ft., gaze up to your right at the towering fins of basalt at around
2,700 ft. to spot the shocking pink of Rock Penstemon, a plant that adheres to
rock outcroppings here and on Table Mountain. It should be awarded the honor of
“most colorful” amongst the many blooms you will find along these Gorge trails
(think Vera Wang and Versace, not Old Navy or REI). At top, the shiny yellow
flowers decorating the well-trodden meadows are Western Buttercups.
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| Death Camas |
Down the east-side trail beyond the sign and bench at
1,900 ft., a few Calypso Orchids may still be in bloom at 1,850 ft. Just before arriving at the glorious opening
at 1,750 ft., look to your left for a mass of pink blooms called Rosy
Plectritis populating a meadow, then immediately check the next meadow to your
right for a view of Death Camas. Appearing as a miniature version of
Bear-grass, to which it is distantly related, this Lily Family plant lives up
to its name: Several folks have been known to have been done in by eating an
excess of the bulbs of these plants, mistaking them for real Camas before they
bloomed and showed their true colors. Watch here too for the rare Bicolored
Cluster Lily, with faintly blue petals each streaked with a line of deeper blue
down its middle.
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| Western Groundsel |
Down in the forest, most flowers are absent but openings
at about 1,100 ft. display Blue-eyed Mary’s, white Western Groundsel (which
strangely is yellow west of the Crest), and the raggedy small flowers of
Prairie Star, pink-to-white with tri-cleft petals. That white flower hugging
the sandy soil is Woods Strawberry and its fruit, if available, should
definitely be sampled. No poison here!
So many other flowers are to be found on Dog throughout
the spring and summer than can be listed here. But even if you don’t know their
names or the families and genera to which they belong, don’t fail to enjoy this
trip. No able-bodied Mazama should fail to sample these floral delights on the
Dog in May.
