First, to address the common question <I>("how is the balsamroot?")</I>: Now is a good time to visit because the balsamroot (<I>Balsamorhiza deltoidea</I>) is at, or slightly past, its peak at Puppy Point (the rocky outcrop at 2500 feet elevation). However, I saw many plants that had not yet opened in the meadows between Puppy Point and the summit, so I think it may improve
over the next two weeks. However, there are many other varieties blooming which make Dog Mountain well worth your time and effort.
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Flowers blooming at lower elevations (primarily in forested areas but also in some open/sunny patches): Fork-Toothed Ookow (<I>Dichelostemma congestum</I>), Small-Flowered Blue-Eyed Mary
(<I>Collinsia parviflora</I>), Nine-leaf Desert Parsley (<I>Lomatium triternatum </I>var. <I>triternatum</I>), White Western Groundsel (<I>Senecio integerrimus </I>var. <I>ochroleucus</I>), Broad-Leaf Star Flower (<I>Trientalis latifolia</I>), Thimbleberry (<I>Rubus parviflorus</I>), patches of Columbia Gorge Lupine (<I>Lupinus latifolius </I>var. <I>thompsonianus</I>), Baldhip Rose (<I>Rosa gymnocarpa</I>), Wild Strawberry (<I>Fragaria virginiana</I>), Smooth Woodland Star (<I>Lithophragma glabrum</I>), Threadleaf Phacelia (<I>Phacelia linearis</I>), occasional Western Wallflower (<I>Erysimum capitatum</I>), and Chickweed Monkey Flower (<I>Mimulus alsinoides</I>) in the rocky sections of the Augspurger Trail.
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Flowers currently blooming in forested areas starting beyond the "More/Less Difficult" trail junction (app 800 feet elevation): profuse Hooker's Fairybell (<I>Disporum hookeri</I>),
Vanilla leaf (<I>Achlys triphylla</I>), Wild Blackberry (<I>Rubus ursinus</I>), Spotted Coral Root (<I>Corallorhiza maculata</I>), Star-Flowered Solomon's Seal (<I>Maianthemum
stellatum</I>), Miner's Lettuce (<I>Claytonia perfoliata</I>), and Candyflower (<I>Claytonia sibirica</I>).
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Flowers currently blooming at the first overlook (app 1600 feet elevation): Northwest Balsamroot (<I>Balsamorhiza deltoidea</I>), Harsh Paintbrush (<I>Castilleja hispida</I>), Western Buttercup (<I>Ranunculus occidentalis</I>), Upland Larkspur (<I>Delphinium nuttallianum</I>), Bicolored Cluster Lily (<I>Broadeia howellii</I>), Rosy Plectritis (<I>Plectritis congesta</I>), Meadow Death Camas (<I>Zigadenus venenosus</I>), and a few patches of Cascades Penstemon (<I>Penstemon serrulatus</I>).
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Flowers blooming in the forested areas between the first overlook and Puppy Point (app 2500 feet elevation): Chocolate Lily (<I>Fritillaria lanceolata</I>), more Smooth Woodland Star and
Wild Strawberry, more Larkspur, lots more Fairy Bells, Columbia Windflower (<I>Anemone deltoidea</I>), a few Calypso orchids (<I>Calypso bulbosa</I>), Smooth Yellow Violet (<I>Viola
glabella</I>), Fringecup (<I>Tellima grandiflora</I>), a few Red-Flowering Currant (<I>Ribes sanguineum</I>), a few remaining Western Trillium (<I>Trillium ovatum</I>), and a patch of Dutchman's Breeches (<I>Dicentra cucullaria</I>) near the first switchback above "heartbreak hill" (the steep section just beyond the junction where the More/Less Difficult trails rejoin). I also spotted some <I>Dicentra cucullaria</I> blooming along the Augspurger Trail, approximately 150-200 feet below the junction with the Dog Mountain Trail. Also, I saw several white stems that might develop into the elusive Phantom Orchid (<I>Eburophyton austiniae</I>).
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Flowers currently blooming in the meadows starting at Puppy Point and above (2500-2800 feet elevation): <b>LOTS</b> more balsamroot, Columbia Gorge Lupine (<I>Lupinus latifolius </I>var.
<I>thompsonianus</I>), Spreading Phlox (<I>Phlox diffusa</I>), Douglas' Catchfly (<I>Silene douglasii</I>), Prairie Star (<I>Lithophragma parviflorus</I>), Big-Head Clover (<I>Trifolium
macrocephalum</I>), Gold Star (<I>Crocidium multicaule</I>), Pennycress (<I>Thlaspi sp.</I>), as well as more Larkspur, Paintbrush, Chocolate Lily, Collinsia, and Buttercup.
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<FONT COLOR="RED">CAVEAT</FONT>: As always, the poison oak (<I>Toxicodendron diversilobum</I>) lines both the Dog Mountain and Augspurger trails at low elevations (below approximately 1800 feet), especially the latter. Make sure that you know how to <a href="http://www.poisonoak-id.com/" target="_blank">identify it</a>! I recommend wearing long pants and having Tecnu waiting at the trailhead just in case.
Reports