Most of my encounters with Great Hound's Tongue (Cynoglossum grande) on my Columbia River Gorge wildflower hikes have been with individual plants. It's a spectacular and beautiful perennial that seems to draw a lot of attention. There is a single plant that grows next to a popular trail at Catherine Creek, and there is always little path to it flattened through the grass when it's in bloom.
Russ Jolley (Wildflowers of the Columbia River Gorge) associates Great Hound's Tongue with oak woodlands, and that's where I've found it, too. I would add that I usually find it growing within a few feet of poison oak, so take care. When Great Hound's Tongue is in bloom, the Poison Oak foliage is easy to spot because it is a very glossy bronze color.
There are many Great Hound's Tongues that bloom in the open woods above the road between Bingen and White Salmon, Washington. Look for it about the middle of April.
