Nature

Rough-skinned Newt Taricha granulosa Apr – Oct A brown newt with dry, bumpy skin and a bright orange belly, often seen crossing forest trails and roads. Its skin carries… Salal Gaultheria shallon Mar – Nov A leathery-leaved evergreen shrub of west-side forests, with urn-shaped white to pink flowers and dark blue-black fruit eaten by wildlife. Salmonberry Rubus spectabilis Mar – Aug A tall streamside shrub with magenta spring flowers and soft yellow to red berries, often blooming as rufous hummingbirds arrive. Scouler’s Corydalis Corydalis scouleri Apr – Jul A tall, lush wildflower of shady creeks and moist woods, with lacy leaves and spikes of long-spurred pink flowers. Seven-spotted Lady Beetle Coccinella septempunctata Mar – Oct A large red-orange lady beetle with seven black spots and a pale spot on each side of the head, brought from Europe… Sickletop Lousewort Pedicularis racemosa Jul – Sep A mountain forest wildflower with narrow toothed leaves and white to pink flowers shaped like curved beaks. Its roots tap into neighboring… Sitka Mountain-Ash Sorbus sitchensis Jun – Sep A mountain shrub with feathery compound leaves, flat clusters of white flowers in summer and red fruit that feeds birds and bears… Sitka Valerian Valeriana sitchensis Apr – Aug A tall subalpine wildflower with rounded clusters of sweet-scented white to pinkish flowers, common in moist mountain meadows in summer. Snowberry Checkerspot Euphydryas colon Jun – Jul A black butterfly checkered with ivory and red spots, seen in mountain meadows and open woods where its caterpillars feed on snowberry. Snowshoe Hare Lepus americanus May – Dec A forest hare with oversized furry hind feet that turns white in winter in many places and hides in dense young conifers… Solomon’s Plume Maianthemum racemosum Apr – Sep A leafy, arching woodland plant topped in spring by a fluffy plume of tiny cream flowers that turn into speckled, then deep… Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia Year-round A dark, heavily streaked sparrow of brushy streamsides and thickets that sings a bright, varied song for much of the year. Sooty Grouse Dendragapus fuliginosus Apr – Nov A large, dark forest grouse best known for the deep, hooting song males give from high in conifers each spring. Often surprisingly… Spotted Towhee Pipilo maculatus Feb – Dec A big, boldly patterned sparrow with a black hood, red eyes and rusty sides that scratches noisily through leaf litter under shrubs. Spring Orange Peel Fungus Caloscypha fulgens Apr – Jul A bright orange cup fungus that appears in spring as snowbanks melt under conifers. Its cups stain blue-green as they age or… Steller’s Jay Cyanocitta stelleri Mar – Oct A dark blue and black jay with a tall, shaggy crest and a harsh voice, common in Mt. Hood's conifer forests from… Subalpine Mariposa Lily Calochortus subalpinus Jun – Aug A small, creamy white mariposa lily with hairy, fringed petals that grows only in the Cascades from Mt. Adams to the Three… Sunshine Amanita Amanita aprica May – Jul A bright yellow to orange spring Amanita of open, sunny mountain conifer forest. It is poisonous and can cause serious illness. Tapered Matchstick Lichen Pilophorus clavatus Apr, Jun – Oct A tiny lichen of shaded forest rocks with short stalks tipped in black, like burnt matches poking out of the stone. Thimbleberry Rubus parviflorus Apr – Oct A thornless shrub with big, soft, maple-shaped leaves, crinkled white flowers and soft red fruit that birds and mammals eat. Threeleaf Foamflower Tiarella trifoliata Jun – Oct A shade-loving forest wildflower with airy sprays of tiny white flowers held above clumps of three-part leaves. Townsend’s Chipmunk Neotamias townsendii Apr – Oct Oregon's largest chipmunk, a dark, dull-striped resident of west Cascades forests that is often heard calling before it is seen. Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura Mar – Sep A big, dark soaring bird with a small red head that rocks on wings held in a shallow V. It finds carrion… Twinflower Linnaea borealis May – Aug A trailing evergreen of the forest floor whose thin, forked stalks each hold a pair of nodding, pink, sweetly scented bells.