Plants in the Autumn

A recent backpack trip into the Wallowa Mountains of northeast Oregon had me thinking about the plant life.  It seems that flowers are what most people appreciate about plants, and judging by the number of images, that is definitely the case.  Certainly, to properly identify a plant you usually need some floral parts.  

A lot can be said about looking at plants without the flowers.  So, a slow walk in early October from the Hurricane Creek Trailhead to the nose bleed section of the mountains above Echo and Billy Jones Lake provided an excellent opportunity to look at the plants without their showy flowers.

A notable tree in the high county is the whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), a five needle pine that has been impacted over the past forty years with bark beetles and blister rust.  Whitebark pine grow at some of the highest elevations, experiencing some of the harshest weather.  When you see these trees, it appears they have been through a lot, and they have.

A sizable whitebark pine growing out of a large chunk of granite.

Whitebark pine that looks as if it had been bonsai-ed.

Looking similar to the whitebark pine, in that it has five needles per cluster, is the limber pine (Pinus flexilis).  Naturally occurring limber pines in Oregon are only found in the Wallowa Mountains.  One way to tell the difference is to look for cones.  Limber pine usually keeps it's cones intact, while the whitebark pine cones disintegrate on the tree.  

A lone cone suggest this is a limber pine.

A much shorter conifer is the common juniper (Juniperus communis) reaching heights of three feet tall.  It's a shrub found throughout Oregon.

Mat-like common juniper.

Not all conifers are evergreen, and not all evergreens are conifers.  The western larch, a conifer, loses it's needles in the fall, after turning a brilliant yellow, turning whole hillsides into flaming yellow.  It was a couple weeks too early to see the colorful larch.  But an example of an evergreen that is not a conifer was the pink mountain heather (Phyllodoce empetriformis).  In much of the high country this shrub covers vast areas.  The flowers are long gone, but the brown seedheads remain.

As tall as it gets:  pink mountain heather.

A larger shrub that many associate with the western Cascades, but is also found in the hinterlands of the Wallowa and Elkhorn Mountains, is the western Labrador tea (Rhododendron columbianum).  Related to the showy rhododendrons of the mountains, and in peoples yards, this species displays smaller, creamy flowers in the summer, but keeps its foliage throughout the year.

Western Labrador tea.

Ferns are an overlooked lot.  But down there at your feet, most of the year, are the ferns.  American rockbrake (Cryptogramma acrostichoides) appears light green and petite, yet can break a rock, such as this boulder, given enough time.  What is the song about the high hopes and the ram thinking he could punch a hole in a dam?  This fern, if it has any hope at all, can break a rock!

American rockbrake.

Another common fern of the high country is the lace lip fern (Myriopteris gracillima), appearing a darker green than the rockbrake, it is found in rocky areas throughout the North American west.

Lace lip fern.

Flowers are long gone on snowberry plants (Symphoricarpos albus), but the berries will linger into the winter, making this plant easily identifiable.i

Common snowberry

A plant that is not showy, and frequently stays hidden, occasionally makes an appearance, is the alpine mountain sorrel (Oxyria digyna).  In the buckwheat family the mountain sorrel will display small red flowers on a long stalk in the summer.  In protected areas you can stumble across them well after frost has taken out other plants.

Alpine mountain sorrel.

After green, yellow and red are two of the prominent colors that plants express during the autumn.  Walking through a meadow of dark red and a person recognizes the dying stalks of alpine fleeceflower (Aconogonon phytolaccifolium).  It is one of the taller knotweeds, and can be an indicator of disturbance, such as landslides or overgrazing.

In a high meadow the dark red is alpine fleeceflower.

Where once were lush fields of gorgeous green sedges (Carex sp.), not too many weeks ago, now the meadows take on a copper hue.  Frost, the lack of water, day length, all play a part in the changing colors of the plants.

Sedge meadow

Yellows and reds go well together when they occur in nature.  The yellow leaves of the aspen (Populus tremuloides) oversee the dark red of the mallow ninebark (Physocarpus malvaceus) with white bark of the aspen providing accent.  Aspen are found in thirty-eight states, as well as through Canada, and south to central Mexico.  Ninebark has a much smaller range, being found in eight states, as well as British Columbia and Alberta.  It never gets tree sized, remaining a shrub forever.

Aspen and mallow ninebark.

Not all plants are finished flowering.  Arnicas can be an early spring flower, but can also linger into the fall months.  At over eight thousand feet above sea level, the clumps of spear leaf arnica (Arnica longifolia) can match the autumn sun for brillance.

Spear leaf arnica.

Yellow seems to be the flower color of the season when you also notice the short, happy plants of sticky goldenrod (Solidago simplex).  With the demise of the flowers of many plants this time of year, the flowers remaining take on a greater importance for the nectaring insects, the bees, flies, moths, and butterflies.

Sticky goldenrod.

Focusing on the flowers that remain in October, is another yellow one:  high mountain cinquefoil (Potentilla flabellifolia).  It's in the rose family, looks casually like a buttercup, and stays low to the ground to soak up any heat that may be present.

High mountain cinquefoil.

Slightly lower on the mountain frost played a role in affecting this cinquefoil plant.

Frosted cinquefoil.

Not yellow, and not really a stand-out either by this time of year, is the bluebell-of-Scotland (Campanula rotundifolia).  Earlier in the year they can be a darker purple or blue, but fading as they age.  Don't we all?

Bluebell-of-Scotland.

White might be the second most common color for a flower.  What do you think?  A white flower that last well into the snowy season is the pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea).  When does this flower stop flowering and becomes a receptacle for the seed?  The flowers appear to last, well, forever.  Hence, the common name, and they can be found through the summer, into the fall, and into the winter, poking their heads above the snow.

Pearly everlasting.

Not all the plants in this Wilderness Area are native.  One classic example of a non-native, or exotic, or alien species, is red clover (Trifolium pratense), which is commonly seen along trails.  Evidence that humans brought this species, originally from Eurasia, into the wilds of North America with their livestock.  You seldom see this plant very far from a trail.

Red clover adjacent to the Billy Jones Trail.

Within the lily family is queen's cup bead lily (Clintonia uniflora).  During the summer the flowers consist of six white tepals (that's a technical term for both the petals, and the sepals, which in this species appear similar).  Once the flower is fertilized, and the tepals fall, a blue berry develops at the end of a single flower stem.  The common name, and the scientific name, can be looked at for hints as to what this plant may look like--bead lily, and uniflora.  So there is one flower/fruit, and it looks like a bead, at least during this time of year.

Queen's cup bead lily.

Vascular plants are one thing to look at in the autumn, but other organisms, such as lichens and fungi, are also prevalent in the fall.  An example of colorful lichen is the American wolf lichen (Letharia columbiana), usually found on trees, but when they become large enough, or after wind storms, can fall off and be seen on the ground.

American wolf lichen.

Mushrooms and other fungi frequently express themselves in the fall.  With cooling temperatures and some rainfall the conditions are prime for fungi to present to the world their fruiting bodies.  The organisms are nearly always present in the soil in various forms, and when conditions are right, they send out the fruiting bodies that we know as mushrooms.  Having very limited knowledge of fungi, I can only surmise that this is an image of a black chanterelle, ebony cap, or black trumpet mushroom.  Things I don't know!

Black fungus along the Billy Jones Trail.

Walking in the woods, to the high country, in the fall can be an exhilarating experience.  The flowers are few, but the plants remain, and in many cases become prettier than when they are in flower.  Big huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum) is a prime example of the brilliance and power of the red leaves, compared to the humdrum, innocuous flowers of the summer. 

Big huckleberry and Matterhorn Mountain.

There is a lot to be seen in the autumn.  It doesn't have to be a prominent display of flowers for a person to find attractive.  There is a great, big, country just waiting for you to see, no matter the season.  Now, close your electronic device, and walk out the door.  It's out there for you to explore!

Backpacking the Kalmiopsis

Have you ever gone somewhere nearby that almost seems otherworldly?  Have you ever traipsed out into your backyard only to find something foreign and unknown?

In 1987 I was in southwest Oregon for work, helping save the world as a wildfire suppressor.  I thought it would be nice to return and see the place in a different light, in other words, in the non-smokey light of a bright sun.  Thirty-four years later I did get back and we backpacked into the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area.

Shouldn't have waited sooo long.

The edge of the Wilderness.

The parking lot was deserted, empty, and nobody was around when we left the Babyfoot Lake trailhead and headed south.  The trail had been maintained a year or two earlier, so it was no surprise to have to climb over a couple downed snags.  There were flowers everywhere, mostly on the shrubs, but also many of the forbs were in full flower.

The two nights we spent were near the site of Bailey Cabin.  There had been a long history, some very recent, of mining in the area.  Many of the trails had been roads to mines.  

Leftovers from the mining heydays.

And then there were the wildfires.  The wildfire I was a part of trying to suppress was a little ways north of where we backpacked.  This area had been burnt in the 2002 Silver Fire.  There may have been another some years later, but the fact is that most of the conifer overstory was in the form of dead snags.  Some people may be saddened to see so many dead trees.  We were rejoicing at the response of the plant life resulting from the pulse of nutrients from the burned biomass.  The shrubs and other plants were resplendent this time of year.

Kalmiopsis leachiana

How many wilderness areas are named for a plant?  Usually the name reflects a local geologic feature--a mountain or river such as Mount Jefferson Wilderness, or North Fork Umatilla Wilderness.  Occasionally an area is named for a famous person, hence The Bob Marshall Wilderness.  But what about plant names for wilderness areas?  In Oregon there is one, and one only,  Wilderness Area named for a plant, Kalmiopsis.  The plant, a small shrub in the heath family that is found in southwest Oregon, was in full flower when we visited. 

Other plants were also splendidly displayed.  Rhododendron, azalea, ceanothus, current, and even poison oak.  Not all of the overstory had been burnt in the wildfires, but it was mostly sparse.

Walking through a Jeffrey pine forest.

Was this what the area looked like before Euro-Americans started suppressing wildfires?  Some of the conifers in the area, such as knobcone pine, require fire for their cones to open and release their seeds.

On the second day we day hiked down to the mighty Chetco River.  We would have gone on, pushing north along the river, but soon encountered a wall of poison oak.  Fifty percent of our party is very susceptible to developing dermatitis from the oils of poison oak, so we turned around.   After a leisurely lunch along the turquoise blue Chetco we wandered back to base camp, peak bagging Bailey Mountian on the return.

The mighty Chetco River.

Nighttime camp near Bailey Cabin site.

Looking north across much of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area.

We hiked out the ten kilometers on the third day.  We were within two kilometers of the trailhead when we saw the only other people of the trip--Gabe and his friend were starting a 5 day loop.

Hiking past the Ribes.

California lady slipper.

It was a great three days.  But the standard disclaimer applies:  Don't go there.  Stay away.  This place is not for you.

Don't go there because you can see the flowers right here.  I leave you with some of the outstanding flora of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area.

This is the flower of the California pitcher plant (Darlingtonia californica).

Douglas' iris (Iris douglassii)

Large flowered rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum)

Nature in the Honeycombs Wilderness Study Area

What sort of flora and fauna can one see along the Oregon Desert Trail?  On a recent walk on the ODT through the Wilderness Study Area known as The Honeycombs we observed a few animals and plants.  It may have been a little too early for some of the creatures, but in the desert the plants usually don't flower for very long, and the animals are usually hiding because it's too cold, or too hot.  So our observations were strictly limited to the three days we were hiking the Trail.

Allium lemmonii.  Lemmon's onion.

Phlox longifolia.  Long leaved phlox.

Phlox hoodii.  Hood's phlox.

Taeniatherum caput-medusae.  Medusahead wildrye. 
Not native anywhere in North America.

Trifolium macrocephelum.  Big-head clover.  
The only native clover that has more than three
leaflets, usually five to eight.

Fritillaria pudica. Yellow Bells.
In the lily family it is also known as yellow fritillary.

Balsamorhiza hookeri.  Hooker's balsamroot. 
One of two species of balsamroot we saw.

Castilleja species.  Paintbrush.
Lots of species with variations of flower color.

Purshia tridentata.  Bitterbrush.
The scent of bitterbrush perfumed the air reminiscent
of sweetness and licorice.

Amilanchier utahensis.  Utah serviceberry. 
The smell of this flower is disappointing compared to
the smell of the Saskatoon serviceberry (A. alniflolia).  

Paeonia brownii.  Brown's peony.

Balsamorhiza sagittata.  Arrowleaf balsamroot.

The remains of a pronghorn.

Not quite a full curl from a bighorn sheep.

Side-blotched lizard.
One of the most common lizards in eastern Oregon.

Black widow arachnid.
Found in a springbox.  Just don't 
look in there.

Gopher snake.  Note the remains of medusahead
wildrye.  The small forb in the lower right is Alyssum
alyssoides, a common non-native spring annual.

Rumour had it that there were feral (or wild) horses in the area.  We never saw any, but they left their calling cards in big piles throughout the area.  A few mule deer were seen, as well as some lagomorphs such as cottontails rabbits.

All in all, a fine trip.  But not recommended if you are going to do that stretch anytime we might be doing it.  Stay away!  Thanks.