On the first weekend of May I drove to Columbia Hills State Park to visit the Dalles Mountain Ranch. The lower hillsides were ablaze with the golden flowers of arrow-leaf balsamroot and the purple flowers of desert lupine. There are no established trails in the Park, so I explored for awhile.

Meadowlarks were singing their welcoming song and a few groundhogs were enjoying the fresh shoots of grass. But the wind was cold and gusting mightily.

After taking a few photos I decided to return another day for a longer outing.

Wild Cucumber

Groundhog

Balsamroot

Death Camas

Lupine

Hillsides turning golden from Balsamroot in bloom

Big-head Clover

Balsamroot