Summer

Mountain Hemlock Tsuga mertensiana May – Oct The snow-loving conifer of Mt. Hood's high country, with a drooping tip and short needles crowded all around its twigs. Mule Deer Odocoileus hemionus Mar – Oct Mt. Hood sits where two forms of this deer meet: black-tailed deer on the wet west side and mule deer on the… Narrow-collared Snail-eating Beetle Scaphinotus angusticollis May – Jun, Aug – Nov A large, night-active ground beetle with a long, narrow head that it pushes into snail shells to feed on the snail inside.… North American River Otter Lontra canadensis Feb – May, Jul – Nov A sleek, playful swimmer of rivers and lakes, with webbed feet and a thick, tapering tail. Mostly active at night but sometimes… Northern Red Belt Fomitopsis mounceae Jan, Mar – Nov A hard, hoof-shaped shelf fungus with a glossy orange-red band and a white rim, common on dead conifers, where it breaks wood… Northwestern Garter Snake Thamnophis ordinoides Apr – Oct A small, harmless garter snake with a small head and wildly variable stripes, often basking at sunny forest edges and hunting slugs… Nottingham Campground & Day Use A riverside campground and day-use area on the Hood River, just off Highway 35 between the town of Hood River and Mt.… Ocean Spray Holodiscus discolor May – Oct A tall, arching shrub that covers itself in drooping plumes of tiny cream flowers in early summer. Common on dry, sunny slopes… Olallie Lake Day Use Area Jun – Sep A lakeside picnic and fishing area next to Olallie Lake Resort, with views across Olallie Lake to Mt. Jefferson. Olallie Lake Guard Station Jun – Sep A historic rental cabin near Olallie Lake at almost 5,000 feet, with a massive stone chimney, wood interior, and hand-wrought ironwork. Olallie Lake Resort Jun – Sep Olallie Lake Resort offers cabins, yurts and camping on a remote lake in the Olallie Lake Scenic Area, with fishing, boating and… Oregon Grape Berberis aquifolium Mar – Sep Oregon's state flower: an evergreen shrub with glossy, holly-like leaflets, bright yellow spring flowers and clusters of powdery blue berries. Oregon Oak Quercus garryana Feb – Nov Oregon's native white oak: a slow-growing tree of dry, open slopes that can live about 500 years and feeds a long list… Osprey Pandion haliaetus Apr – Sep A big fish-eating raptor with white underparts and a dark eye stripe that hovers over lakes and rivers, then plunges feet first… Pacific Bleeding Heart Dicentra formosa Apr – Jul A shade-loving spring wildflower with fernlike leaves and drooping clusters of pink, heart-shaped flowers, found in moist forest and along streams. Pacific Chorus Frog Pseudacris regilla Mar – Oct Oregon's smallest frog, with a dark eye stripe and a loud chorus at breeding ponds. It can be green, brown, gray or… Pacific Coralroot Corallorhiza mertensiana Jun – Aug A leafless reddish purple orchid of shady conifer forests that gets its nourishment through soil fungi instead of from sunlight. Pacific Poison Oak Toxicodendron diversilobum Apr – Oct A native shrub or climbing vine with leaves in threes. Every part carries an oil that causes an itchy rash, even when… Pacific Rhododendron Rhododendron macrophyllum May – Aug An evergreen shrub of Mt. Hood's lower forests with big clusters of pink, bell-shaped flowers in late spring. Every part of the… Pacific Silver Fir Abies amabilis May – Oct A shade-loving fir of snowy middle slopes, with smooth gray bark, upright purple cones and needles that are silvery white underneath. Pacific Trillium Trillium ovatum Mar – Aug A spring wildflower of damp woods with three broad leaves and one white, three-petaled flower that turns pink to purple as it… Partridgefoot Luetkea pectinata Jul – Oct A mat-forming high-country plant with finely cut leaves and fluffy spikes of small white flowers where snow lingers late. Pearly Everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea Jul – Oct A woolly white wildflower whose papery, pearl-white flower heads stay fresh-looking for weeks. Common in sunny openings through summer. Pinesap Monotropa hypopitys Jun – Sep A leafless yellow, pink or red wildflower with no chlorophyll that draws its food from fungi linked to forest trees.