Flowers of the Columbia Basin, WA

They are many species of flora found the the great Columbia Basin of central Washington state. These delicate wonders give life and dimension to a dry and barren landscape with the brilliant colors and life giving nectar and pollen.

Below is just a sample of these beautiful flowers of the Columbia Basin WA:

The bright green pistil and equally bright red stamens identify this plant as the Fragile Prickly Pear as opposed to the large Plains Prickly Pear.
It rarely surpasses 5" in height, with the clumps of stems (green segments, the needles are the leaves) staying small. Once in a while, though, you will find a large group of them covered with pale yellow to pale pink flowers (faded blooms) some time during May.

Another variable specie, you will see these plants in many shades of blue with an occasional white-flowered one. A pink specimen was even found this Spring nestled against a Big Sage. They are quite an incongruous sight when they grow in sand away from any shade. Also, we find them growing at a variety of elevations.

Snow Buckwheat begins blooming shortly before the Green Rabbit-brush. Minute white hairs on the stems and leaves give this low plant its silvery-gray appearance. A close look will show you that the stems have color under the hairs. This is noticeable where the wind has rubbed one stem against another. In late September these plants are covered with small, lovely white flowers.
They do indeed look like "snow" against the desert sands. The flowers, however, can also have pink anthers (the knob end of the stamen that contains the pollen) or have light to deep pink lines on the backs of each petal.

These desert flowers are not only colorful and delicate but fascinating as well. As we stated above "these are just a few" of these natural treasures on display, so please return and explorer the great Columbia Basin to view more of what the Northwest has to offer.