Birding Day: Gorge Wildflowers – Catherine Creek, Lyle Cherry Orchard and Horsethief Butte
This is a self-driving day trip. We will meet at 8 a.m. at Catherine Creek trailhead (45.7105, -121.3621), which is approximately a one-hour and twenty-minute drive from Portland. Bring lunch and dress for the weather.
The wildflowers of Catherine Creek are magnificent at this time of year! We’ll be looking for Yellow Fritillary, Oneflower Broomrape, Nuttall’s Larkspur, Pacific Hound’s Tongue, Checker and Glacier Lily, Poet’s Shooting Star, and a variety of saxifrages and lomatiums. Although this is not primarily a birding trip, we may find Western Bluebird, Lewis’s, and Acorn Woodpecker, among others.
After Catherine Creek, we will walk a little ways up the Lyle Cherry Orchard trail. It is usually windy higher up, so we won’t go too far. There are slightly different plants flowering here as it is just a little further east.Sometimes the first butterflies of the year will fly near the parking area.
Our final stop will be Horsethief Butte. We will walk around the butte looking for Gorman’s Bisquitroot and Bonneville Shooting Star. Canyon and Rock Wren might be sounding off during our brief walk.
*A Discover Pass is required for Horsethief Butte.
