In an effort to rescue an admittedly disappointing outing, we crossed the river into Oregon and headed south on Route 35, which would take us along the eastern side of Mt. Hood. It was a stroke of good luck. The dry habitat along the eastern side of the Cascades was nicely in bloom, with several Penstemon species, a few different lupines, and a paintbrush or two.
Over the next few weeks - throughout the month of June - our wildflower fortunes increased. The switchback, drop-off trail of Tongue Mt., in Bigfoot country near Mt. St. Helens, was lined with a gorgeous garden of wildflowers. The seeps and higher elevations of Saddle Mt., in Oregon, were even better. Mary's Peak, in the Coastal Range of central Oregon was draped with rainbows. And Hurricane Ridge, in Olympic National Park, was so beautiful it hurt my eyes.
Too late for the ball at the beginning of the summer, by July my wife and I were cuttin' the rug with the best of 'em! The Pacific Northwest seemed carpeted with wildflowers, which nicely ties together my "too late for the ball" and "cuttin' the rug" descriptions, don't ya think? Anyway, the area, particularly the mountains, were resplendent with wildflowers, and rising to the top of heap were those "Penstemon species, a few different lupines, and a paintbrush or two." And ya know, no matter how good my photos, my leaf samples, my attention to the details; no matter how good or numerous my field guides, these things are a headache to identify.
Take the Penstemons for example...
Of the more than 270 species of Penstemon native to the North America, 80 occur in the Pacific Northwest. This does not include the many varieties within some species ... or hyrbidization.
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