Steens Mountain Wildflower extravaganza

[oldranger]

Finding that the Steens Mountain Loop road was open and remembering the wildflower show we experienced a few years back, Kathy and I headed for the Steens on Sunday. Just wandering thru the Fish Lake CG Sunday afternoon alerted us to expect that we would not be disappointed. Below are a few samples of the many flowers we observed, some familiar and others not. Remember I am neither a flower expert nor an expert photographer so give me a break. Also on the day most of the pics were taken it was quite windy, so depth of field was quite limited. Anyhow you should get the idea and if you are into flowers mid july in the Steens is a great time to visit. One caveat though is that where you can camp, primarily Fish Lake and Jackman Campgrounds also are home to a bazillion mosquitoes at this time of the year. Best sites are the upper ones in the Fish Lake Campground where it is a bit dryer and a little breezier.

I'd appreciate identification of any of flowers with ???? in the titles.

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More to come!

[rlown]

Very nice. Pods seem to be a brain tease these days. Hopefully Tom chines in.

[oldranger]

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All of the Previous pics were from july 10.

a few more from this morning in next installment

[oldranger]

This am I realized I missed some flowers that were common in the campground.

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Thats all for now!

[wildhiker]

DSC_0160 looks like pennyroyal or some other kind of mint.
-Phil

[maverick]

Pretty wildflowers OR, which I am a big fan of, but the canyon shots intrigue me even more, Big Indian Canyon, Kiger Gorge, and especially that area around Wildhorse Lake which looks like it should be somewhere in the Rockies.

[SSSdave]

Smelled rather nice out there huh? Good to take your wife out to such places at peak greenery.

All those Great Basin species are similar or the same as one's down here along the Eastern Sierra Nevada sagebrush elevation slopes. The following is a good guide keyed by color:

https://www.amazon.com/Great-Basin-Wild ... ref=sr_1_1

For the Eastern Sierra Nevada I have his similar guide:

https://www.amazon.com/Wildflowers-East ... ref=sr_1_2

David
http://www.davidsenesac.com/2017_Trip_C ... les-0.html

[oldranger]

Mav, Yes the gorges/canyons are neat. Few years ago hiked down to Wildhorse Lake. The flowers down there were outstanding and fishing ok. The Kiger gorge has always interested me but the new cooperative management plan effectively closed most of the gorge off to the public. I need to make friends with the rancher that owns most of the gorge.

Dave, thanks for the heads up on the books. Sure to be ordering one soon.

[maverick]

The Kiger gorge has always interested me but the new cooperative management plan effectively closed most of the gorge off to the public.

Well that sucks, how long has that plan been in effect?

[oldranger]

Several years. When the plan shut off the upper end to grazing the landowners shut down public access to their land. So if you want to get to the upper end you can work your way down to the headwall but you can't go far until you hit private land. Many of the new wildernesses in Oregon have the effect of shutting off public access to public lands or result in having to pay to cross private land to access the wilderness.