Tuesday, June 12th, my wife and I drove down to the Columbia River gorge from Spokane, arriving at Catherine Creek, our first destination, very early in the morning. We slept for several hours there in the back of our van and at dawn hiked the trails in the area. We went to see the Western Ladies' Tresses, a native orchid which grows only there in Washington State. We knew they would not be blooming yet but wanted to see how far along they were. We found them but they were only just starting to send up flower spikes. Catherine Creek is one of our favorite places, however, and so we spent most of the morning there photographing the wildflowers, the insects, the creek and magnificent scenery of the Columbia gorge. These are some of our pictures.
Forktooth Ookow
Klamthweed Beetles on Klamathweed
Large-flowered Brodiaea
Catherine Creek was once a homestead of some kind and that is still evident in the remains of old wooden fences and flowers that are not native to our state.
Cornflower
Moth Mullein
Rose Thorns
Yellow Salsify
Sweet Pea
