Wildflowers still late at Dalles Mountain Ranch and Rowena

If you’re planning on going to Dalles Mountain Ranch or Rowena Plateau tomorrow to see wildflowers, don’t bother! Greg and I got up early again this morning and headed out to Dalles Mountain Ranch. A beautiful morning out there, but it’s hard to believe that it’s been two whole weeks since our last visit. The flowers have made very little progress in those two weeks. At the trailhead, the balsamroot are just barely starting, and there are no lupine blooming.

Still no flowers

I would guess it’ll be a good two weeks before it comes close to peak bloom.

Same at Rowena Plateau. Balsamroot blooms just getting started. Lots of lupine leaves but no lupine blooms. And to think that on April 30 last year it looked like this:

Wildflowers

One place we DID see lots of balsamroot – rather unexpectedly – was at Mosier Twin Tunnels. Lots of them in full beautiful bloom right before you get to the tunnels (coming from the east). No lupine yet, though.

Balsamroot everywhere