Nature

Clodius Parnassian Parnassius clodius Jun – Aug A large white butterfly with gray bars and two red spots on each hindwing that patrols mountain meadows and open woods in… Coho Salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch Jul, Sep – Nov A Pacific salmon that returns from the ocean to spawn in small streams of the Sandy, Clackamas and Hood River basins. Spawners… Columbia Desert Parsley Lomatium columbianum Mar – May An early spring wildflower with blue-green lacy leaves and pinkish purple flower clusters, found only around the Columbia River Gorge. Columbia Lily Lilium columbianum May – Jul A native lily with nodding orange flowers, spotted maroon and curled back like a turban, that blooms in meadows and forest openings… Columbian Windflower Anemonastrum deltoideum May – Jul A spring woodland flower: one clean white blossom with five petal-like sepals, held above a ring of three toothed leaves on a… Common Beargrass Xerophyllum tenax May – Aug Tough evergreen clumps that send up tall plumes of small cream flowers, lighting up open slopes and ridges in a good bloom… Common Garter Snake Thamnophis sirtalis Mar – Oct A harmless, slim striped snake of wet meadows and pond edges, with three yellow stripes and often red spots along its sides. Common Merganser Mergus merganser Feb – Nov A long, slim diving duck of clear mountain rivers and lakes. Males are white with a green head; females are gray with… Common Raven Corvus corax Year-round The big black bird croaking over Mt. Hood's ridges all year, known for its intelligence, aerial play and wedge-shaped tail. Common Woolly Sunflower Eriophyllum lanatum May – Aug A silvery, woolly-leaved wildflower covered in golden daisies, better known as Oregon sunshine, that brightens dry, rocky ground in summer. Common Yarrow Achillea millefolium Apr – Oct An aromatic wildflower with feathery leaves and flat-topped clusters of tiny white flower heads, found in sunny ground from trailheads to high… Cornflower Centaurea cyanus May – Jun A blue-flowered annual from the Mediterranean that now grows wild on roadsides, fields and other disturbed ground at low elevations. Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis Apr – Oct A small, hooded forest sparrow with white outer tail feathers that flash as it flies up from the ground. Common in Mt.… Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii Jan – Nov Oregon's state tree and the main big conifer in Mt. Hood's lower forests. Its hanging cones have three-pointed bracts poking out between… Douglas’s Squirrel Tamiasciurus douglasii Apr – Nov A small, loud tree squirrel of conifer forests that scolds hikers from the branches and leaves big piles of stripped cone scales. Dunn’s Salamander Plethodon dunni Mar – Jun, Oct – Jan A large, dark woodland salamander with a tan to greenish back stripe, found under rocks along shaded forest streams. It has no… Eastern Fox Squirrel Sciurus niger Jan – Apr, Jul, Sep – Nov A large, orange-tinged tree squirrel from the eastern US, brought west and now common in Oregon towns and orchards. Here it is… Echo Azure Celastrina echo Apr – Jul A small, pale blue butterfly of streams and shrubby trail edges, flying from late winter into fall. Its underside is chalky gray… Fairy Slipper Calypso bulbosa Apr – Jun A small pink orchid of shady conifer forests, with one leaf and one slipper-shaped flower that blooms in spring. Fireweed Chamaenerion angustifolium Jun – Sep A tall wildflower with spikes of rose-purple blooms, and one of the first plants to return after a forest fire. Fringe Cups Tellima grandiflora Apr – Jun A shade-loving wildflower with tall, slender spikes of small cup-shaped flowers whose petals are cut into fine fringes. Golden Chinquapin Chrysolepis chrysophylla Apr – Nov An evergreen relative of oaks and chestnuts whose leaves are dusted gold underneath and whose spiny burs take two years to ripen. Golden-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia atricapilla Sep – Apr A big brown sparrow with a gold crown patch and a wistful three-note song, abundant in western Oregon during migration and winter. Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel Callospermophilus lateralis Jun – Oct A stocky ground squirrel with a coppery head and shoulders and a white side stripe edged in black. Unlike a chipmunk, it…