Well, if you’ve been looking for an excuse to hike one of our local mountains, you’ve got several of them RIGHT NOW!Many varieties of wildflowers are carpeting the desert hillsides around the Columbia Basin. As I hiked today on Badger Mountain, the decent weather forced me to shed some of my cool weather clothing, another reason to hit the trail!
Carey's Balsamroot along the Canyon Trail
This picture shows the proliferation of long-leaf phlox along the bottom section of the Canyon Trail on Badger Mountain.
phlox carpeting the hillside
Trailside phlox
One of the most beautiful of the desert wildflowers is in full bloom right now. Lupine or Lupinus sericeus can be found trailside on Badger Mountain and in other hiking areas.
Silky Lupine with Canyon Trail switchback in the background
This really is a special time of year for hiking. You get to see the blooms and the greenery which disappears with the summer heat. I am not sure on the identity of some of these wildflowers, others I’m pretty sure but please correct me or identify those which are unidentified. Thank you and enjoy the flowers!
Pretty Pale Yellow Flower at trailside. Can you help me identify this?
Pursh's milk-vetch
A bee tends to a Rosy balsamroot bloom
Bigseed biscuitroot
A lone fiddleneck tarweed bloom pokes through the phlox
I believe this is upland larkspurUnidentified pinkish-purple blooms
I noticed the flower that you said was pale yellow – I looked again at my picture and think it is more white. And with the hairy leaves, I am thinking it is a sticky phlox or phlox viscida mainly because of the hairy leaves and also because it looks like many flowers are at the top of the stems. I will be out at McNary on Friday and will ask there. But please let me know if you find out anything more.
I got this reply from my email to a local expert.
That’s a Puccoon (Lithospermum arvense), also known as Corn Gromwell or Stoneseed. It’s a rather small one for here, possibly not fully developed yet. If it was found at a higher elevation and slightly yellow it might be Lithospermum ruderale or Columbia Puccoon.
Mary, Thanks so much for the input on the flower identity. I just made another post that is lacking in identity on a few blooms, your help would be great! paul