Welcome to the Wildflower Page
As always, please ask permission if you want to use any of the photos (via the contact form).
2015
Flowers blooming this year are below with dates. If you scroll down you will see more photos from previous seasons. From 2015 I will be tracking the phenology (timing of development of the plant, bloom, seed production, senescence) by adding photos with dates.

Chocolate lily – Fritillaria afinis. Found a new plant of this species this year, so we have 2! Hope to see more pop up as time goes on. 4/10/15

This has a protective brush pile around it to deflect deer (lost the flower the first year in one bite). Seems to be working. This one is in full shade, but oddly at the same stage of development as the other in sun. 4/10/15
Below photos are roughly in reverse order of bloom time (later first). These are from previous years.
Early August, late July. Depending on how hot and dry the microclimate, the tarweeds are in various stages of bloom or seed.
Tarweed (Madia sp) smells like the name. I like the resinous stink, but for some it’s never an acquired aroma. This one is possibly M. glomerata. A showier one, Madia elegans was an important food plant for Indians in the valley and throughout its range in California, where the seeds were harvested.
After a long lead-up since late spring, the rein orchids are in full bloom in mid July. By the end of the month, they will be done blooming and making seeds. See more photos in the post: Highlight of the Season in Bloom!
Harvest Brodiaeas dot the grassy spaces in early July, many appeared this year where none were blooming before.

Green fruit with seeds extracted. Seeds should be thoroughly ripe and dry before storage or planting
I prefer Tom’s name for the meadow checkermallow: fairy princesses. Naturalized ones blooming on June 25.
Late June: self heal (Prunella vulgaris) – goes well with Oregon sunshine
June: seeds forming, things are drying out a bit.

Palmate leaves (centrally attached leaflets radiating out) of P. gracilis. P. glandulosa has pinnate leaves (opposite leaflets along the stem)
Late May gems: purple sanicle, ookow (another lily), mariposa lily, and western star flower.
Early May: camas lilies (Camassia leichtlinii) scattered in the woods and wet ravines, rose checkermallow (Sidalcea virgata) in the planted plots of nectar plants. Almost time to collect seeds of April bloomers: western buttercup (Ranunculus occidentalis) and fawn lily (Erythronium oregonum).

Ookow (Dichelostemma congestum) One of several lily family species Indians used traditionally for food
May 18, 2012 – Buttercups galore. Ranunculus occidentale in early fruit/late bloom. R. uncinatus, a tiny-flowered wet-loving species is carpeting the recently cleared areas by the pond.
Phenology notes:
April 15, 2012 – Trillium just recently opened.
Oaks toothwort. Western buttercup in the open in early bloom, tall Oregon grape early bloom/bud, Fawn lily fully open. Indian plum end of bloom. Photos below.

Mariposa lily or cat’s ear (Calochortus tolmiei) – mariposa means butterfly in Spanish. This species is endemic to our area and south in the Willamette Valley and into California

Drying fruits (note one beginning to open along suture) seeds are easily shed and lost if not bagged

Camas lily (Camassia leichtlinii). “Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast” fieldguide by Pojar and Mackinnon (1994) includes the familiar comment from the journal of Meriwether Lewis: ‘The quawmash is now in blume and … at a short distance it resembles lakes of fine clear water …’

Camas (C. leichtlinii) capsules and seeds. Some seeds remain even when the upright capsules are open, if you miss the opportunity to collect when capsules first split. Prolific seed producer.
The photo of Trillium is T. parviflorum (recognized by Flora of North America) or T. albidum ssp. parviflorum (accepted by Oregon Flora Project)
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Yes! That was the only way to find the seeds in the tall growth this year.
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Jeanie,
I love walking through a camas meadow when the seeds are still in their packets and listening to them rattle.
– Susan
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Thanks for commenting Dean! That’s a good idea – I’ll try to get all that included. Stay tuned for the squirrel adventures…
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Hi Jeanie, thanks for the website. I really like your photo’s, you got some great shots. In your collection of photo’s it would be nice to get pictures of each plant in all stages of the plants development, seedling, immature plant, mature plant, flowering stages, and seed head. Thanks for sharing, best wishes Dean.
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Of course! Real men name plants appropriately… and fearlessly.
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I called it “fairy princess” in the most masculine way, you understand.
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