Garry Oak Meadow–Late Summer

When I walked through the dry, brown meadow in late summer, it seemed barren. At closer look, I began to see the delicate beauty of the seedpods. Some were obvious to identify, like the monkey flower (Mimulus guttatus) and great camas (Camassia leichtlinii) and others brought questions to explore later.

I was delighted to find some ladies tresses orchids (Spiranthes romanzoffiana) growing alongside the old wagon trail that I use as a path. Their pure white blossoms looked surprisingly fresh in contrast to the brown grasses all around them. The orchids bloomed near a stand of trees, which gave them a bit of shade and perhaps were an indication of moisture deep in the soil. Meadow bird’s foot trefoil (Lotus pinnatus) was forming pea-like seed pods, although a few blossoms still remained. The snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) had both blossoms and berries, sometimes on the same stem. They grew in the shade of the oaks as well.

I am chronicling the tremendous variety of botanical riches in this rare and endangered ecosystem near the lower Columbia River in Oregon. Once the Willamette Valley and many places along the Columbia River Corridor were characterized by oak savanna. Most of these meadows have been lost to development. This is one of the few left and we are not sure how long it will remain. For more information go here. Thank you for joining me on this journey. More to come soon.