[Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington: 2025]

Wildflower Bloom Along the Monte Cristo Trail #53 from the Road 86-080 Trailhead

Gifford Pinchot National Forest

May 23, 2025

Balsamroots blooming on Monte Cristo with Mount Hood behind, Gifford Pinchot National Forest.....May 24, 2025.

Balsamroots blooming on Monte Cristo with Mount Hood behind, Gifford Pinchot National Forest.....May 24, 2025.

* indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.

Western Sword Fern: Polystichum munitum - Trailhead.

Pacific Silver Fir: Abies amabilis

Noble Fir: Abies procera

Western White Pine: Pinus monticola

Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii

Western Hemlock: Tsuga heterophylla

* Vine Maple: Acer circinatum - Beginning to bloom.

* Douglas Maple: Acer glabrum var. douglasii - Beginning to bloom.

Oregon Boxwood: Paxistima myrsinites

Oregon White Oak: Quercus garryana var. garryana

* Elk Sedge: Carex geyeri

* Lemmon's Needlegrass: Achnatherum lemmonii ssp. lemmonii

* Blue Wildrye: Elymus glaucus

* Sandberg's Bluegrass: Poa secunda var. secunda

Bluebunch Wheatgrass: Pseudoroegneria spicata

Wild Ginger: Asarum caudatum

Tapertip Onion: Allium accuminatum

Sagebrush Mariposa Lily: Calochortus macrocarpus ssp. macrocarpus

Cascade Mariposa Lily: Calochortus subalpinus

Bead Lily: Clintonia uniflora

* Pale-anther Glacier Lily: Erythronium grandiflorum var. pallidum - Still blooming nicely where snow recently melted.

* Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica - Fading out of bloom and pods forming on balds atop Monte Cristo.

Columbia Lily: Lilium columbianum

* False Solomon Seal: Maianthemum racemosum ssp. amplexicaule - Beginning to bloom.

Star-flowered False Solomon Seal: Maianthemum stellatum - In bud.

* Hooker's Fairy Bells: Prosartes hookeri - Beginning to bloom.

* Western Wakerobin: Trillium ovatum - Nearing peak bloom.

* Fairy Slipper Orchid: Calypso bulbosa

Rattlesnake Plantain Orchid: Goodyera oblongifolia

Heart-leaf Buckwheat: Eriogonum compositum var. compositum

Tall Buckwheat: Eriogonum elatum - In bud.

Sulfur Buckwheat: Eriogonum umbellatum var. umbellatum - In bud.

Douglas' Knotweed: Polygonum douglasii

* Lanceleaf Springbeauty: Claytonia lanceolata - Still a nice bloom.

* Largeleaf Sandwort: Moehringia macrophylla

Western Columbine: Aquilegia formosa - In bud.

* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum

Vanilla Leaf: Achlys triphylla - In bud.

Shining Oregon Grape: Berberis aquifolium

Cascade Oregon Grape: Berberis nervosa

Inside-out-flower: Vancouveria hexandra

* Black-flowered Rockcress: Boechera atrorubens - Fading out of bloom.

* Slender Rockcress: Boechera sparsiflora

* Oak's Toothwort: Cardamine nuttallii - Fading out of bloom.

* Rough Wallflower: Erysimum capitatum - In bud.

* Daggerpods: Phoenicaulis cheiranthoides - Fading out of bloom.

Wormleaf Stonecrop: Sedum stenopetalum ssp. stenopetalum

* Bulblet Prairie Stars: Lithophragma bulbifera (now L. glabrum)

* Small-flowered Prairie Stars: Lithophragma parviflorum

* Three-toothed Mitrewort: Ozomelis trifida

Simple-leaved Foamflower: Tiarella trifoliata var. unifoliata

Prickly Currant: Ribes lacustre

* Red-flowering Currant: Ribes sanguineum - Peak bloom.

* Sticky Currant: Ribes viscosissimum - Beginning to bloom.

* Serviceberry: Amelanchier alnifolia var. alnifolia

Woods Strawberry: Fragaria vesca ssp. californica

Creambush Oceanspray: Holodiscus discolor

* Bittercherry: Prunus emarginata var. emarginata - Peak bloom.

Baldhip Rose: Rosa gymnocarpa

Dwarf Bramble: Rubus lasiococcus

Thimbleberry: Rubus nutkanus - Beginning to leaf out.

* Sitka Mountain Ash: Sorbus sitchensis var. sitchensis - Beginning to bloom.

* Leafy Peavine: Lathyrus polyphyllus - Beginning to bloom.

Spurred Lupine: Lupinus arbustus

Broadleaf Lupine: Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius

* Bighead Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum

American Vetch: Vicia americana var. americana

* Pioneer Violet: Viola glabella

* Round-leaved Violet: Viola orbiculata

* Evergreen Violet: Viola sempervirens ?

Snowbrush: Ceanothus velutinus var. velutinus

Fireweed: Chamerion angustifolium

Sharptooth Angelica: Angelica arguta

* Anomalous Desert Parsley: Lomatium anomalum ?

* Nineleaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium brevifolium (L. triternatum)

Columbia Desert Parsley: Lomatium columbianum - Fading out of bloom. Fruits maturing (but not dry yet).

* Cascade Desert Parsley: Lomatium martindalei

Fern-leaved Biscuit-root: Lomatium multifidum ? - I didn't walk downslope to be sure this isn't L. dissectum.

Common Sweet Cicely: Osmorhiza berteroi

* Western Sweet-cicely: Osmorhiza occidentalis

* Sierra Snakeroot: Sanicula graveolens

* Pinemat Manzanita: Arctostaphylos nevadensis

Little Pipsissewa: Chimaphila menziesii

Pipsissewa: Chimaphila umbellata

Sidebells Wintergreen: Orthillia secunda

White-vein Wintergreen: Pyrola picta

* Thinleaf Huckleberry: Vaccinium membranaceum

Nightblooming Morning Glory: Calystegia atriplicifolia ssp. atriplicifolia

Columbia Frasera: Frasera albicaulis var. columbiana - In bud.

* Western Starflower: Lysimachia latifolia

Large-flowered Collomia: Collomia grandiflora

Scarlet Gilia: Ipomopsis aggregata ssp. aggregata

* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis

* Showy Phlox: Phlox speciosa - Beginning to bloom.

* Ballhead Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii

Tall Scorpion-weed: Phacelia procera

Western Giant-hyssop: Agastache occidentalis

* Harsh Paintbrush: Castilleja hispida var. hispida

* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora

Woodland Beardtongue: Nothochelone nemorosa

Sawtooth Shrubby Penstemon: Penstemon fruticosus var. serratus

Rock Penstemon: Penstemon rupicola

Finetooth Penstemon: Penstemon subserratus

Orange Honeysuckle: Lonicera ciliosa

Purple-flower Honeysuckle: Lonicera conjugialis

Creeping Snowberry: Symhoricarpos mollis

Scouler's Harebell: Campanula scouleri

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium

Pathfinder: Adenocaulon bicolor

Pearly Everlasting: Anaphalis margaritacea

* Racemose Pussytoes: Antennaria racemosa

* Mountain Arnica: Arnica latifolia - Beginning to bloom.

* Northwest Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza deltoidea - Past its peak at the summit of Monte Cristo.

Silvercrown Luina: Cacaliopsis nardosmia - In bud.

Hall's Goldenweed: Columbiadoria hallii

* Baker's Hawksbeard: Crepis bakeri

Gray Hawksbeard: Crepis intermedia - In bud atop Monte Cristo.

* Oregon Sunshine: Eriophyllum lanatum var. lanatum

Klickitat Aster: Eucephalus glaucescens

Rocky Mountain Sunflower: Helianthella uniflora var. douglasii - Flower buds forming. Some dense, broad swathes of this along the trail

White-flowered Hawkweed: Hieracium albiflorum

Scouler's Hawkweed: Hieracium scouleri

* Nodding Microseris: Microseris nutans - Beginning to bloom.

Wall Lettuce: Mycelis muralis - Weedy species along parts of the trail.

* False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides

* Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. ochroleucus - Beginning to bloom.


Paul Slichter