Each spring the western end of the Columbia River Gorge, from Troutdale to Hood River, puts on a spectacular show of wildflowers from early April through May and into June. I've devoted many more weekends photographing the blooming season in the east Gorge, and so you'll find many more photos on my other three pages of Gorge wildflower thumbs. One of these days I vow to spend more time photographing the west Gorge bloom.
One of the things that sets the western Columbia River Gorge apart from the eastern Gorge is the amount of rainfall. The greater annual rainfall in the west Gorge results in much lusher foliage. Compare the vivid greens and thick foliage of the above pictures with the sparser and drier look of the plants on the other three pages of thumbnails, which were all photographed between Hood River and the John Day Dam:
