The most profuse flowers at lower elevations (within and just above the forested area) include: Miner`s Lettuce <I>(Claytonia perfoliata ssp. perfoliata)</I>; Rigid Fiddleneck <I>(Amsinckia retrorsa)</I>; Small-flowered Prairie Star <I>(Lithophragma parviflorum)</I>; Smooth Prairie Star <I>(Lithophragma glabrum)</I>; Ball-head Waterleaf <I>(Hydrophyllum capitatum </I>var. <I>thompsonii)</I>; Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary <I>(Collinsia parviflora)</I>; and plenty of Poison Oak <I>(Toxicodendron diversilobum)</I>. <B>(STAY ON THE TRAIL!)</B> <P> Also blooming at lower elevations are: Midget Phlox <I>(Microsteris gracilis)</I>; Bulbet Prairie Star <I>(Lithophragma bulbifera)</I>; Bigroot <I>(Marah oreganus)</I>; Columbia Desert Parsley <I>(Lomatium columbianum</I>; Pungent Desert Parsley <I>(Lomatium grayi)</I>; Spring Whitlow-Grass <I>(Draba Verna)</I>; Salt and Pepper <I>(Lomatium piperi)</I>; Slender Popcorn Flower <I>(Plagiobothrys tenellus)</I>; several patches of Great Hound`s Tongue <I>(Cynoglossum grande)</I>; and Naked Broomrape <I>(Orobanche uniflora)</I>*. <P> As you enter the meadow, you will see copious amounts of Panicled Death Camas <I>(Zigadenus paniculatus)</I> beginning to bloom. (These are approximately two weeks behind schedule.) There are also profuse amounts of Barestem Desert Parsley <I>(Lomatium nudicaule)</I> and Columbia Gorge Broadleaf Lupine <I>(Lupinus latifolius </I>var. <I>thompsonianus)</I>, though neither of these has started blooming yet. <P> Blooming at higher elevations just below the ridgeline: a profusion of Gold Stars <I>(Crocidium multicaule)</I>; more Prairie Star <I>(Lithophragma sp.)</I> and Pungent Desert Parsley <I>(Lomatium grayi)</I>; Arrowleaf Balsamroot <I>(Balsamorhiza sagittata)</I>; and what might be Carey`s Balsamroot <I>(Balsamorhiza careyana)</I> (I am not 100% certain about this ID). <P> Blooming along the ridgeline: Upland Larkspur <I>(Delphinium nuttallianum)</I>; Western Buttercup <I>(Ranunculus occidentalis)</I>; LOTS of Poet`s Shooting Star <I>(Dodecatheon poeticum)</I>; more Ball-headed Waterleaf <I>(Hydrophyllum capitatum </I>var. <I>thompsonii)</I> and Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary <I>(Collinsia parviflora)</I>; Oaks Toothwort <I>(Cardamine nuttallii </I>var. <I>nuttallii)</I>; Northwestern Saxifrage <I>(Saxifraga integrifolia </I>var. <I>claytoniifolia)</I>; and a few remaining Glacier Lily <I>(Erythronium grandiflorum </I>var. <I>grandiflorum)</I> just before the first pond. Though past peak, there are still many Grass Widows <I>(Olsynium douglasii)</I> blooming. Yellow Bells <I>(Fritillaria pudica)</I> are mostly finished, though there are a few hanging on. <P> <I>*Watch for the tiny Orobanche uniflora on the left/uphill side of the trail after the wooden greeting sign and just before crossing several rocky sections. There is more blooming between those rocky sections. There is also more along the first section of trail heading eastbound from the middle of the meadow, especially near the rocky area.</I>
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