Dick and Daisy in the Aldrich Mountains of Oregon “Blue Mountains of Eastern Oregon”
Marin Chapter Meeting
“Blue Mountains of Eastern Oregon”
Speakers: Dick O’Donnell
Monday, September 14, 2026, 7:30 pm
Dick and Daisy on serpentine barren in the Greenhorn Mts, looking south, Strawberry Mt. in the distance
The five ranges of the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon are composed mostly of volcanic material with a few other rocks that generally originated where they are today. The exception is the ultramafic rock that originated in oceanic crust that was pushed onshore millions of years ago and was distributed sparsely in three of the five ranges. As Californians, and especially Marinites, we are pretty familiar with the ultramafic rocks serpentine and peridotite and their toxicity to plants. Not so eastern Oregonians. Even the botanists there are, for the most part, unaware. I spent a dozen springs, as many summers, and a few autumns walking around these ranges documenting the flora on and off serpentine and I have lots of lovely pictures to show.
Dick travels throughout northern California, Oregon, and Arizona every year to learn about their distinctive floras. A retired economist, he has no economic reason to do otherwise, he says. The best course of action, he adds, is to apply himself to the most rewarding undertakings and to share the findings with the botanical world. Dick takes a special interest in the plants that grow on serpentine, in particular the genera Hesperolinon (dwarf flax) and Streptanthus (jewelflower).
