This picture was taken late in the afternoon at the base of the heights that rise up to Tom McCall Point at Rowena Plateau in Mayer State Park. The trees are Garry Oaks (Quercus garryana) which tend to be somewhat stunted on the east side of the Cascades. The blossoms in the shade are Northwest Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza deltoidea).
The golden-colored field in the middle distance is the plateau at Tom McCall Preserve. The shaded hillsides in the distance are across the Columbia River near Lyle, Washington.
Tom McCall Preserve is a Nature Conservancy property located about six miles east of Mosier, Oregon on the Historic Columbia River Highway.The Preserve is one of the finest locations in the Columbia Gorge for wildflower viewing. Wildflowers start to bloom here in early March and continue throughout the spring.
Ash Creek Images
Photographs of the West by Doug Gorsline
Balsamroot Blooms Under Garry Oaks at Tom McCall Preserve, Columbia Gorge.
