Nature

Alpine Jelly Cone Guepiniopsis alpina Mar – Jun, Sep Tiny, bright orange, top-shaped jelly fungi that push out of cracks in bare conifer wood soon after the snow melts. American Beaver Castor canadensis Feb, Apr – Dec North America's largest rodent and Oregon's state animal, a dam-building engineer of streams and ponds that is most active at dusk and… American Dipper Cinclus mexicanus Mar – Nov A chunky gray songbird that bobs on rocks in fast mountain streams and walks underwater to hunt insect larvae. It sings even… American Pika Ochotona princeps May – Oct A small, round, tailless rabbit relative that lives in high rock slopes, squeaks from the boulders and stores hay for winter. American Robin Turdus migratorius Feb – Oct The familiar red-breasted thrush of lawns also nests in mountain forests, ranging in Oregon from sea level all the way to treeline. Arctic Butterbur Petasites frigidus Mar – Sep An early bloomer of wet ditches and streambanks, with woolly flower stalks in spring and big hand-shaped leaves through summer. Arrowleaf Buckwheat Eriogonum compositum Apr – Jul A sturdy wild buckwheat of dry, rocky slopes, with big heads of tiny cream or pale yellow flowers and arrow-shaped leaves woolly… Avalanche Lily Erythronium montanum May – Aug A white lily of subalpine meadows and forest openings, with nodding flowers, swept-back petals and a yellow center. Blooms in summer. Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus Year-round North America's white-headed sea eagle, often perched near rivers, lakes and reservoirs where it hunts fish, scavenges and sometimes robs Ospreys. Bigleaf Maple Acer macrophyllum Mar – Nov The big maple of low, moist forests near Mt. Hood, with leaves up to a foot across and trunks often thick with… Brewer’s Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus Mar – Nov A glossy black, pale-eyed blackbird that walks around open ground, lakeshores and parking lots, jerking its head with each step. Broad-leaved Stonecrop Sedum spathulifolium Mar – Jul A low succulent that forms rosettes of fleshy, frosted leaves on rocks and cliffs, topped by flat clusters of starry yellow flowers. California Scrub-Jay Aphelocoma californica Jan – Nov A crestless blue and gray jay of oak woods, brushy clearings and towns, most often seen at the low edges of the… California Tortoiseshell Nymphalis californica Jun – Sep An orange butterfly with black spots and a bark-brown underside whose numbers boom in some summers, filling mountain slopes. Canada Goose Branta canadensis Mar – Sep, Nov The big black-necked goose with a white chinstrap, found on lakes and reservoirs, where pairs raise families of fuzzy goslings in spring. Canada Jay Perisoreus canadensis May – Mar A fluffy gray jay of mountain conifer forests, famous for boldly taking food at campsites and for storing food to survive the… Candy Flower Claytonia sibirica Mar – Sep A small, fleshy wildflower of damp, shady ground with white to pink petals often lined in darker pink, like old-fashioned striped candy. Cascade Beardtongue Penstemon serrulatus Jun – Jul A summer wildflower with toothed leaves and tight whorls of deep blue to purple tubular flowers on moist slopes and streambanks. Cascade Oregon-grape Berberis nervosa Jan, Mar – Nov A low evergreen shrub with long, holly-like leaves, spikes of yellow spring flowers and dusty blue berries, common in shady west-side forests. Cascade Torrent Salamander Rhyacotriton cascadae Mar – Jun, Aug – Jan A small, big-eyed salamander with a bright yellow belly that lives in icy headwater streams, seeps and waterfall spray on Mt. Hood's… Cascades Frog Rana cascadae Jun – Sep A golden-eyed mountain frog with crisp black spots and honey-yellow undersides, found in high meadow ponds and bogs. A conservation priority in… Cassin’s Finch Haemorhous cassinii Jun – Oct A high-country finch. Males wear a crisp red cap over a pinkish breast. Look for small flocks in mountain conifers, often up… Checker Lily Fritillaria affinis Apr – May A spring lily with nodding, bell-shaped flowers checkered in purplish brown with green or yellow, growing in open woods and grassy openings. Clark’s Nutcracker Nucifraga columbiana Jun – Oct A gray, black and white bird of timberline that buries thousands of pine seeds each fall and plants whitebark pine in the…