Wildflower Season Has Begun

Prepare yourselves for a lot of purple!  It's wildflower season once again.

Grass widows are back

Blooming grass widow flowers herald the arrival of spring in the Eastern Columbia River Gorge.  The first wildflower to boom, these tiny, purple beauties begin to cover slopes adjacent to the river.

The riversides are covered in purple dots

In early March, reports of the wildflowers getting started began to circulate on social media.  Time to take a break from skiing and check things out!

Grass widow frenzy

I picked a sunny day for my visit, and drove nearly two hours to the Catherine Creek area on the Washington side of the Gorge.

These little flowers herald the arrival of spring

Being on the eastern side of the Cascades, this area is much warmer and drier than the Western Gorge, and has much earlier wildflower blooms.  It has the reputation of being the first place to see spring wildflowers.  In milder winters, I've seen flowers sprout as early as mid-February.  However, they usually hold off until March rolls around.

Nice cluster

The Catherine Creek area boasts many trails for hikers and wildflower lovers to explore.  Its steep, mostly treeless slopes rise steeply above the Columbia River, offering spectacular views for those hardy enough to tackle the uphill climb.

Blooming amongst the rocks

After parking, instead of heading straight uphill, I decided to first check out the 1-mile paved loop trail on the opposite side of the road that wandered through the grasslands adjacent to the river.  This turned out to be a great choice, as these slopes were colored with thousands of tiny purple dots.  I'd hit the bloom at it's peak!

A lighter shade of purple

After slowly sauntering along this path, taking in spectacular river views as well as taking copious photos, it was time to cross the road and explore one of the higher trails.

Looking back towards the river

The grass widow bloom on this side of the road didn't disappoint either!  From the very beginning I was treated to a wonderful display of tiny, purple blooms, coloring the open slopes.

Twins

I picked a familiar trail that took me towards a sturdy bridge crossing Catherine Creek.  From there, I climbed steeply up the creek's opposite canyon to a great viewpoint of the Columbia River, the Oregon side of the Gorge, and Mt. Hood's very tip.

Mt Hood anchors the horizon

Although I was enjoying the sunny skies and great light, the only downside was the wind.  The Columbia River Gorge has a breezy reputation that it lived up to today!  The wind made taking close up images of the individual blooms difficult.  However, with a bit of patience I was able to capture a few that turned out.

Growing in the shadow of a downed tree

Following a user path further uphill, I came to the top of a tall canyon.  By now it was well past noon, so I found a sunny spot to sit and enjoy my PB & J sandwich amongst the wildflowers.

So dainty and colorful!

After wandering uphill for more than a mile, it was time to return to the parking area.  I followed another path through a grove of oak trees, all the time keeping an eye out for the Lewis woodpeckers that make their home here.  (I heard one but was never able to spot it.)

Catherine Creek rock arch

Further downhill, the path led me through the heart of the canyon created by Catherine Creek.  I  passed by an old fence and corral area, part of a bygone ranch.  Looking uphill to the east, I was treated to views of a spectacular basalt cliff and a well-known arch formed by erosion.

In the spotlight

A wildflower hike in the sunny eastern Gorge was a good use of this beautiful spring day.  I came home with a memory card full of cheerful purple flower images.  

May all these grass widow photos brighten your day!