Penstemon and Wild Flowers on Mt. June, Western Oregon Cascades

Saturday June 22 2002 was a wonderful day for hiking and enjoying wildflowers on Mt. June in the Western Oregon Cascades. Even though a low cloud layer never lifted enough to permit a spectacular view from the summit, cool weather and perfect light for plant photography made the day nonetheless enjoyable.

Onshore flow brings moisture-laden air to the mountains. If the cloud or fog layer is thin and local, it will dissipate as the land heats up in the morning. In the morning local breezes blow upslope. Air descends and is further warmed, usually dissipating the fog. On this occasion, however, the layer was thick and widespread. It did not dissipate entirely that day. Weather is unpredictable in the mountains! In the photo above, taken at noon, you can observe several layers of clouds, including the beginnings of typical summer afternoon cumulus buildup over the High Cascades to the east.

The hike begins with a walk through lovely old-growth forest. One of my favorites that does well in a shaded moist garden is Coptis laciniata, Cut-leaved goldthread. The fine, yet tough, gold roots give this beauty its common name. Note the seed heads at the top of the picture. They are as beautiful as the flowers!

Near the summit, the forest gives 'way to meadows and rock outcrops. The exposed bones of an ancient volcano reveal dikes and other intrusions of andesite. They are riddled with joints, caused by subsequent uplift of the Western Cascades, that make perfect crevices for rock-loving wildflowers and ferns. The hot pink is Penstemon rupicola and the yellow is Sedum spathulifolium in flower.

A mat of moss and plant debris covers rock in places. Cheilanthes gracillima puts fine, yet tough roots deep into cool rock crevices to survive the hot dry winds of summer. In the photo above, it happily co-exists with an unidentified fescue. Though some consider them "messy" in the garden, I find such plant intergrowths to be especially pleasing either in the garden or in the wild.

Here is another lovely intergrowth: Parsley fern, Cryptogramma acrostichoides, with Sedum spathulifolium. Low fronds with chubbier pinnae are sterile; those with narrow pinnae that emerge later are fertile. They are taller to aid in the dispersal of spore.

Also enjoying a spot amidst a mat of Sedum spathulifolium is Lomatium hallii. Already setting abundant seed, it is an ideal subject for a trough or crevice, with distinctive shiny, finely-cut, leaves.

Penstemon rupicola favors a cool, yet very bright exposure. At the base of an outcrop, it is still in bud. Those with more exposure to the sun were already blooming heavily. This penstemon is surely the crown jewel among Cascades plants!

Shades of bloom vary from deep hot pink, through paler pinks, on to a single plant with white flowers that we found at the summit. To be continued...

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