A blog of my botanical misdeeds and potentially interesting floral photos. All Photos Copyright Ross Kouzes

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This is a blog dedicated to interesting flora and the yard projects I undertake to make their cultivation possible.

2010/04/25

2010-04-25 Hood River Area

I try to go hiking around Hood River as often as possible from now to late May because it's probably NW OR's most spectacular botanical display.

We went to about 4300'. We even found snow.

Trillium grandiflorum.
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Figured this one out: Synthyris missurica ssp. stellata.
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Goal #1 for the trip: Find Fritillaria pudica in bloom. Check. I think this is a brand new one for me.
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Lower elevation. Goal #2, field of flowers. Check. Some sort of Ranunculus.
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Some Saxifrage.
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Lithophragma parviflora, Prairie Star Flower.
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The Balsamroot was just starting.
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Dodecatheon poeticum, Poet's Shooting Star.
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Delphinium nuttallianum. The goofy little black and yellow thing underneath the flower isn't a bee or the like but a part of the flower itself. Mimicry? Dunno.
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Some Lupine were starting to open.
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Triteleia grandiflora howellii, I think. The backs of the petals have a very blue streak to them.
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Goal #3: Find Fritillaria affinis in the Oak Forests. Check.
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Not Quite open.
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Double.
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Green.
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Tall and Green.
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Lisa admiring the Frit's in a very scary looking miniature sized forest.
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Goal #4: Find Lewisia rediviva in bloom near Mosier. Fail. We were tired and we'll have to try again next time.

Last, the stately Erythronium grandiflorum.
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2010/04/23

2010-04-23 Bovee's

My tiny little pygmy Drosera bloomed this spring, and the flowers were almost as exciting as you might imagine from a plant the size of a penny. Almost. The one below, Drosera callistos has a flower that is wider than the plant itself. The downside to this flower is that it is only open for 5hrs before fading. Ugh. Luckily I remembered the camera today!

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Visited Bovee's Nursery, as I am wont to do. It's only about 10 minutes from where I work, and so is a relaxing stopping place after a long day of grading. Bunch of stuff is in bloom.

Lewisia cotyledon
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My favorite Lewisia: tweedyi. Gonna get one from "Rare Plant Research", a nursery down by Clackamas on their May 15-16 open garden.
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Menziesia ciliicalyx, one of my favorite names to say, along with Metasequoia glyptostroboides and Strongylodon macrobotrys.
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Bovee's Specializes in Rhodododendron and it's Rhodie season!

25ft tall.
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R lueteum?
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R bakeri?
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Vireya's: Tropical Rhododendron from SE Asia, and hybrids.
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Lemon Lovely
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R javanicum
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R himantodes
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V744 John West
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2010/04/12

2010-04-11 April Rhodies etc

In case you're wondering, the business meeting that administration will vote on my tenure status is April 15. "Beware the Ides of April", said some guy, once, probably.

Anyway. Flowers. Right.

Pleione something or another. I'm terrible at remembering hybrid names. They're in English. If I ever register a hybrid, I'm going to call it 'Something Vulgar'. Just imagine the ridiculous circumstances that would ensue.
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Cypripedium formosanum
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Various Rhodies.
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R. macabeanum
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Kalmiopsis leachiana (named after Portlandonian Lilla Leach).
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I saw this in my wife's coffee cup. Somehow, she created a forested hill scene within her coffee fractal. I'm thinking large scale coffee art in the future...
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April rainbows bring May pots-o-gold, said that same guy, once, probably.
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