Looking east towards The Three Sisters from Tidbits Mountain
Trilliums and Other
Delights on Tidbits Mountain,
Western Oregon Cascades
Looking east towards The Three Sisters from Tidbits Mountain
Many thanks are due to Tanya Harvey, a devoted hiker and
artist, for showing us around and compiling and maintaining a thorough plant
list.
On this June 26th 2002 hike, Trillium ovatum was at its peak. In the
forest at lower elevations, the blooms had progressed from blush pink to a deep
maroon. Seed pods were already forming. But as we climbed past the remnants of
deep snow and reached the rock pinnacles and scree slopes at the summit, clumps
of T. ovatum growing in a open scree were quite a surprise. It is
amazing that such a delicate-appearing plant can be so adaptable.
Trillium ovatum as a scree plant! The rock is typical Cascades andesite,
initially fractured by uplift, then frost-wedged and shed into a coarse scree.
Oh, Fiddleheads! As snow melts, tiny ones emerge from a moist crevice. They
will unfurl to reveal a nice clump of Cystopteris fragilis.
Above the scree are andesite pinnacles, the remnants of rocks formed deep
within a volcano. Uplift and prolonged de-roofing have exposed these innards of
the older Western Cascades volcanos. To reach the rocky tops requires a gentle
climb that starts though thick forests of old growth. The forest floor has many
plant treasures to enjoy along the way. On this hike I had some difficult times
with drifts of snow, but the views and vantages that nature offers are always
worth the effort. The thick winter snow cover sustains the beautiful forest.
Lomatiums and ligusticums favor the moist rock crevices. They are underutilized
in the rock garden and trough. Their foliage alone would be worth the space,
but I also enjoy the cheerful tiny umbrels. Many have the typically-yummy
"carrot" or "licorice" scent of Apiaceae. Shown above is
Ligusticum grayii.
Sedums are widespread and some of them do especially well in the rock garden.
Color variations are caused by mineral content in the soil --and sometimes
stress. To maintain color, provide strong light, but not excessively hot sun.
At lower elevations, sedums can get really sunburned! A low-nitrogen, but
mineral-rich feed also promotes good color.