We enjoyed three wildflower hikes in the eastern Columbia River Gorge in March, all trails we have been to many times in different seasons. I love tracking the phases of wildflower bloom each time we go.
March 3 – Catherine Creek and Lower Labyrinth, WA
Early March is grass widow season at the lower elevations of the Catherine Creek and Labyrinth trail systems. My camera doesn’t do them justice, but the swaths of purple grass widows are so very pretty!
Fields of purple grass widows carpeted the lower meadows along the ADA Trail at Catherine Creek.Grass widowsLooking eastward…Early yellow parsleys in the woodland.More grass widows on the rocky outcrops.There was nothing blooming at the slightly higher elevation fairy ponds, so we went to the nearby Labyrinth/Old Highway 8 Trail to see what was happening there.The Lower Labyrinth Falls along Old Hwy 8 was full.The Upper Labyrinth Falls was also full, but there were no flowers up here.The flowers were concentrated in the lower elevation areas…Grass widows, gold stars, pink woodland stars.
March 11 – Rowena Crest, OR
The next week, on the Oregon side of the river, we saw more swaths of purple grass widows along Rowena Crest – both in the lower part of the Tom McCall Trail, and the Rowena Crest Trail.
We started by walking toward Tom McCall Point, where grass widows filled the meadows.Grass widows and tiny white spring whitlow grass bloomsWe walked through the oak tree lined Parsley Alley, and saw purple Columbia Desert Parsley beginning to bloom.Columbia Desert ParsleyLooking east toward Lyle Cherry Orchard and the Rowena curvesYellow bells popping up in places.
We went back down, and walked all the way to the end of the Rowena Plateau Trail.
Grass widow meadows along Rowena Plateau TrailYellow parsleyWhite salt and pepper parsleyGold Stars in the meadows at the west end of the trail
Reflections in the ponds along the way provided some abstraction distractions…
Pondwith ripplesZooming inCloserand closerand back out.Another pond.
We walked back along a side trail near the cliff edges – so many flowers!
Looking toward Lyle, WA.And back toward Tom McCall Point.
March 18 – Rowland Wall/Stringbean Loop, WA
By mid-March in the Catherine Creek area, grass widows were joined by other flowers – saxifrage, gold stars, yellow bells, more of the parsleys, and the first balsam roots.
At the trailhead, white saxifrage were speckling the meadows along with grass widows.Gold stars becoming abundant in the rocky areas overlooking the arch.Plenty of grass widows, looking toward the orchards of Mosier.The burn areas from last fall’s Top Of The World Fire are prominent around the trees, but the slopes have turned green.There were many robins hopping along today. We watched these two playing in some puddles while we ate our lunch.RobinWe continued uphill on the burned, but now green, slope of Sunflower Hill.Two robins in the top of the oak tree.Looking east from our high point. We dropped down over Rowland Wall, then decided to walk the inside-out switchbacks of the String Bean Trail. We didn’t find many flowers in the woodlands.Looking back toward Rowland Wall, and the Needle.We crossed the lava flows, then went back up over the wall at the lower trail.We saw the first of the balsam roots blooming along the wayRowland Wall scree slope and NeedlePlenty of yellow parsleys blooming along these west-facing slopes,And pockets of yellow bells.Grass widows and gold stars.
It was a beautiful day, and I am looking forward to the next phase of wildflower bloom in the eastern gorge!
Preview of Coming Attractions –
Driving home westward on Interstate 84, we passed under the base of Mitchell Point. The tunnel on the old highway was destroyed when I-84 was built, but has recently been reconstructed and reopened as part of the bike path through the gorge. I grabbed a photo as we passed – and we hope to walk there sometime soon. The views are supposed to be amazing!
Mitchell Point Tunnel, above the highway on the left.
We made our way to the spring equinox with a lunar eclipse, a St Patrick’s Day parade in the neighborhood; more knitting, quilting, home improvement, and reading; blooming plants in the neighborhood; three wildflower hikes in the Columbia River Gorge (next post), and a lot of rain…
Lunar Eclipse, March 13th
My photo, with camera set to fireworks…The sky is light because of the time delay, but the stars are out.My husband’s photo, with fancy zoom lens on tripod.
March 16th – Neighborhood St Patricks Day annual parade…
Knitting:
Hats for the Guild Service ProjectSock progressAnd a new scarf
Quilting –
I sewed together these quilt blocks. They may become pillows – I’m still trying to decide.
Home Improvement –
New dining room blinds and patched wallpaper
Reading –
I read six books in March.Nancy Russell and John Yeon, Columbia River Gorge
I learned so much in the two books about Nancy Russell and John Yeon, two conservationists who worked indefatigably for many years to create the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, and then to implement the plan. It was a huge political and fundraising challenge to cobble together all the different government and formerly private lands, preserving the ecosystems and creating many of the trail systems we hike regularly. I think grateful thoughts every time we drive through or hike in the gorge!
Neighborhood blooms –
Flowering plumHyacinthDaffodilsCamilliaRain, in puddlesCherry treesTulipsSidewalk of the monthYard sign of the month
A change of plans…
At the end of the month we cancelled our planned trip to the east coast to visit family in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, so that my husband could get surgery on his neck, where a bone spur on the C3 vertebra was causing neurological symptoms and weakness. The procedure will be during the first week of April. More on the outcome next month… ( Update – it went well, he is recovering as expected.)
Two final notes –
1) I still have not gotten the hang of blog editing in the block mode on this site, so it is taking me a long time to create posts.
2) We are trying our best to stay positive in a constantly chaotic, hateful regime, so I am posting a couple of positive internet memes here at the end, to remind me to stay hopeful…
Margaret Quilts 