I’m Mario, a local botanist based in East Portland, and after two years of hiking, botanizing, and researching, I finally put together this beginner-friendly field guide to the plants of the Columbia River Gorge. The Gorge is one of the most botanically rich and ecologically diverse places in the Pacific Northwest. It's a place where desert meets temperate forest, basalt cliffs shelter rare endemics, and oak woodlands support intricate webs of life. From April through June, balsamroots blaze on the hillsides, delicate lilies bloom in oak shade, and tiny annuals tuck into rock cracks, before fading into the dry golden quiet of summer. That brief window is magical, and I keep coming back year after year.
Inside you’ll find:
Easy plant ID tips, including lookalikes and hybrids
Highlights of common, rare, and threatened plants
Info on geology, climate, and local plant communities
Traditional and cultural uses of native plants
Compact, lightweight design; fits in a pocket, backpack, or glove box!
This isn’t just an ID guide. Plants offer a way to understand a landscape. They tell stories about soil, fire, climates, people, and time. This guide gives you a way to notice why plants grow where they do and why that matters, helping you slow down, explore, and connect with the Gorge.
Whether you’re a seasoned naturalist or someone who just pulled off the highway to stretch your legs, this little guide is meant to be approachable, meaningful, and (most importantly) fun. Proceeds go to the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, whose ancestral lands are home to all these plants.