Wildflower Bloom

Hi folks,

I'm planning to make a trip to the PNW to catch some of this year's wildflowers. Could anyone give me information on when they'll peak this year? Also, could you give me a couple of pointers on where to catch these blooms?

Thanks!

That's a difficult question, Sairam.  The flowers in the wooded lowlands are already getting started.  Prairies on the west side of the Cascades will probably peak in May.  The mountains are a really tough call.  It's usually August, but it depends a lot on the snow pack and how early the warm weather hits.  We had pretty good snow this winter, but it's looking like an early spring, so my guess at this point would be late July or early August for the higher elevation wildflowers.  Some of the other folks on this forum follow the bloom more assiduously than I, so hopefully they'll chime in, but it would be helpful if you could be more definite about what you're looking for.

Thanks Dennis! I'm mostly looking at places like Rowena Crest, Columbia hills and the like. Is there a place where they post updates on wildflower blooms?

Sandy Steinman's Natural History Wanderings blog has frequent updates on the wildflower bloom all over the country. Keep in mind that not all the reports are about best photo ops, but just observations of which species are blooming in a given location. 

Thanks Greg! Plenty of useful links there. Have you guys checked out the blooms yet? :)

Hi Sairam,

I haven't been able to venture far from home recently, but I can tell you that the Trillium and Fawn Lily are blooming profusely at Mt. Pisgah Arboretum here in the southern Willamette Valley. Oregon Tall Grape, our State Flower, is starting to bloom, and Common Camas are starting to open up. Throughout the valley, daffodils are fading and tulips are coming on strong. I've seen some great photos posted on FB recently from Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm near Woodburn, and from the fields in Washington's Skagit Valley. 

- Greg
 

Thanks Greg! That's a wealth of info!