Spring Wildflowers are Back!

 Warning!!!  

I'm about to inundate you with bunches of purple flower photos.  Yes - wildflower season is finally here and I couldn't be happier.

Striped grass widows

In March and April when the local wildflowers start blooming, my attention gets divided between skiing and wildflower hikes.  I usually find it difficult to balance these two desires.  However thanks to the mountain's current skimpy snowpack, this year's decision has been much easier.

Flooded trail

So in mid-March after a soggy week that saw record rainfall in Northwestern Oregon, I convinced my hubby to join me for a shakedown hike to visit two of my favorite wildflower areas in the eastern Columbia River Gorge.  After hearing rumors of a huge grass widow superbloom in the Memaloose Hills and Rowena Plateau, I was dying to get boots on the trail and see it for myself.

Lovely yellow bell

Our first stop that morning was the Memaloose Hills trail.  This area was known for its prolific spring wildflower meadows.  A short path took visitors to the summits of two small bluffs near the town of Mosier.  I usually visited later in April, when yellow basalmroot blooms carpeted the slopes, so today's trek was about a month earlier than normal.

Mt Hood view atop Chatfield Hill

Grass widows are tiny, six-petaled purple flowers that bloom in the eastern reaches of the Columbia River Gorge.  Known as the first wildflower of the season, when the grass widows begin to emerge, you know spring is on it's way.  Usually grass widows bloom in early March, but due to our unseasonably warm winter, some of these flowers had already been spotted in late January on the Washington side of the Gorge.

Columbia desert parsley

Much to my delight, I spotted the tiny purple blossoms of grass widow flowers right from the parking area.  As hubby and I started the gradual climb to the first hill, we traveled through a scrubby oak forest, its floor dotted with purple blooms.  The previous week's rainstorms had left huge puddles in places - a few totally blocking the trail, which required some creative reroutes.

A nice cluster of grass widows

Not only grass widows, delicate flowers called yellow bells also bloomed amongst the oak trees.  And occasionally I spotted clumps of Columbia desert parsley.  Endemic to the Columbia River Gorge, this rare plant sported purple flowers, instead of the more common yellow color of regular desert parsley.

More purple goodness

Hubby and I made our way up Chatfield Hill, the first of the two Memaloose Hills.  We took in wonderful views of Mt Hood and nearby farms as we made our way to the top.  Purple grass widows dotted an otherwise empty hillside.  Normally I only hike here during the peak balsamroot bloom, so it was quite different to see the place without it's usual fields of yellow.  

The flowers were out on the Rowena Plateau

After a quick scenery and snack break atop Chatfield Hill, hubby and I retraced our steps back down and headed for the neighboring knoll, March Hill.  This hill was also known for its prolific balsamroot blooms, but again we were a couple of weeks too soon.  I did spot one or two yellow blossoms just beginning to emerge, a sign of things to come.

These flowers bloomed in a puddle of standing water

I stopped and admired a huge patch of grass widows scattered amongst the rocks on Marsh Hill's summit.  Views of the mighty Columbia River extended both east and west.  The trail then looped around Marsh Hill's backside, through some oak woods and past a cute frog pond, before reuniting with the main path.  

Purple-dotted meadow

Our Memaloose Hills meanderings had taken up most of the morning, so before heading to our second hiking destination, hubby and I made a lunch stop at my favorite taco truck in the nearby town of Mosier.  After stuffing ourselves with their delicious tacos and splitting a burrito, we waddled back to the car for our next hike, the Rowena Plateau.

A perfect specimen!

Time to walk off some calories!  The Rowena Plateau, owned by the Nature Conservancy, was another early spring wildflower destination.  Like the Memaloose Hills, it was also known for its prolific basalmroot bloom.  But I was pleased to discover balsamroot was not the only flower that unfurled its petals in the spring.  As hubby and I made our way along Rowena Plateau's wide open plain, I spotted thousands of purple dots covering the meadows.

Flower fields like these make me happy

Oh it was wildflower perfection!  We wound along trails lined with little purple flowers, my camera shutter clicking nonstop.

Looking out over the Columbia River

As we'd encountered at Memaloose Hills, the trail here had also been flooded in places.  Hubby and I gingerly hopped over some puddles, while having to make our own detours around others.  One spur trail led to a most excellent viewpoint of the Columbia River and Washington side of the Gorge.

Grass widows blooming in the low spots

I couldn't believe the sheer concentration of grass widows in some areas.  Huge purple patches colored low spots between small rises in the terrain.  In other places, large purple-dotted meadows spread across the plains.

Tiptoe through the wildflowers

Hubby and I spent a happy afternoon walking around the flower fields of the Rowena Plateau.  Enjoy the next few photos - I took so many it was hard to decide what to include.

Nearby California scrub jay

A cheerful bunch of flowers

More pretty grass widows

Yay!  It's hiking season again!

There's nothing that makes me happier than walking through a trail lined with colorful wildflowers.  I'm so glad spring is finally here.  It's time to get outside and hike!