Ash Creek Images
Photographs of the West by Doug Gorsline
A Patch of Hood's Phlox at the Top of Dalles Mountain Road, Columbia Hills, WA.
This photo of Hood's Phlox (Phlox hoodii) was shot at the top of Dalles Mountain Road in the eastern Columbia River Gorge. The area around the summit and the radio towers is the best place I've found to see Hood's Phlox, Showy Phlox (Phlox speciosa), and Douglas' Buckwheat (Eriogonum douglasii). Look for the phloxes in April and the Buckwheat in May.
I find phloxes tough to photograph. They are so white that you have to be very careful with the exposure. If you are not careful, either the highlights are blown out, or the background foliage is underexposed. But the most challenging part, I think, is composing a good photo with such a repetitive yet randomly organized subject.
