Spent a day hiking around the high desert of Oregon Badlands Wilderness, got lost a little bit, but I made it back to the trail and came across so many incredible plants! Though many think that deserts are barren landscapes, that couldn’t be more misleading. The Oregon desert this time of year was teeming with life: wildflowers blooming, snakes slithering, and lizards doing their funny little push-up routines.

What amazed me most were the ancient 1,000-year-old western junipers and the sandy, volcanic ash substrate that all the plants were growing in. There wasn’t much solid ground besides a few rocky outcrops here and there; it almost felt like hiking through dunes. Because of this, the soil is incredibly fast-draining and constantly shifting. It’s an extremely tough place for plants to survive with limited precipitation (<12 in/yr) and scorching hot summers. Yet, these plants have adapted remarkably well. Between these ancient trees and shrubs was a diverse array of wildflowers, many of which I had never come across before. The foundational pieces of this landscape were Purshia tridentata, Artemesia tridentata, and Juniperus occidentalis. I added some habitat pictures for reference, which I need to do more often lol.

When talking about the Oregon Badlands Wilderness, it’s important to mention the geology. The wilderness area sits on top of an inactive, 10-12 km rootless shield volcano called Badlands Volcano, which is a gradually sloped volcano where lava oozes out, unlike the dramatic mountain volcanoes you might be thinking of. As lava flowed out of its vent, it blanketed the landscape with igneous rock about 80,000 years ago. More recently in geologic time, the soils are composed of ash from the cataclysmic eruption of Mt. Mazama 7,700 years ago, whose ash deposited all across the state and forms much of the soil here.

Some of the notable species I saw were Diplacus nanus, Delphinium andersonii, Eriogonum ovalifolium, and Penstemon humilis. It was all pretty remarkable, and I learned so much about desert botany. I just missed the blooms of the Desert Sand Lily (Leucocrinum montanum), so I’ll have to come back earlier next year. Though the wildflower season seemed to be tapering off, there were still a ton of amazing species blooming, with more to come later this summer. One of the most unique places I have been in Oregon, and I am already ready to go again!

Oregon Badlands Wilderness - May 2024

Grassy Knoll, WA - June 2024

Silver Falls State Park, OR - May 2024