![snow Douglasii (Douglasia nivalis)](https://i0.wp.com/www.wenatcheenaturalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/IMG_3136.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1)
Welcome to my second post about a few spectacular Wenatchee Mountain endemic plants. Way back in a March blog, I featured the striking native wildflower, Snow Douglasii, blooming at the edge of melting snow in the upper Wenatchee Foothills at 3700″ in chilly mid-March.
![snow Douglasii in bloom on May 25, 2020, Icicle Ridge at 5300"](https://i0.wp.com/www.wenatcheenaturalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/IMG_3135.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1)
Two months later on May 25, 2020, I found this same species in full bloom on Icicle Ridge at 5300 feet, also with melting snow nearby. How interesting to have a plant able to thrive at such a wide range of elevations, yet is only found in the Wenatchee Mountains and north into Okanogan County. That’s an endemic species for you: widespread where it grows within a narrow limited geography.
Botanists call our region “The Wenatchee Mountains.” This geography has the highest concentration of endemic plants in all of Washington. 35 are state-classified as rare plants and 30 more are “just” endemics. Many rare plants are endemic, but not all endemics are rare!
![Tweedy's lewisia (Lewisiopsis tweedyi)](https://i0.wp.com/www.wenatcheenaturalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/IMG_3158.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1)
Our region’s most beloved endemic plant is Tweedy’s lewisia, affectionately nicknamed Wenatchee Rock Rose (Lewisiopsis tweedyi). Look for it around rock outcroppings in the Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine forests. From May to June, you’ll find it along trails in the Mission Ridge, Icicle, Tumwater, Chiwawa, and Entiat watersheds.
![Habitat of Tweedy's lewisia (Lewisiopsis tweedyi)](https://i0.wp.com/www.wenatcheenaturalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/IMG_3082-rotated.jpg?resize=600%2C800&ssl=1)
![Tweedy's lewisia or Wenatchee Rock Rose](https://i0.wp.com/www.wenatcheenaturalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/IMG_3081.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1)
The petal colors vary from peach to pink to white, and the fleshy large basal leaves frame the blooms in green. This endemic plant is widespread just along a narrow strip of the eastside of the Cascades, from Kittitas to Okanogan County.
![Whited's milk-vetch (Astragalus sinuatus)](https://i0.wp.com/www.wenatcheenaturalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Astragalus-sinuatus-1.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1)
History was made on May 6, 2020, when a rare endemic plant was featured on the front page of the Wenatchee World newspaper. The bold headline read “DNR Land Swap Will Protect Plant Unique to Malaga Area.” Whited’s milk-vetch is a state listed endangered plant that only grows within a 10-square mile patch of Earth, near Malaga.
![Habitat for Whited's milk-vetch](https://i0.wp.com/www.wenatcheenaturalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/IMG_6159.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1)
I was pretty excited to read: Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz said in the release. “We strive to ensure that state lands can best support our beneficiaries — schools, counties, and critical services across Washington state. Through this exchange, we will be able to do that while preserving this unique plant habitat.”
![Penstemon eriantherus var. whitedii Whited's fuzzy-tongue penstemon](https://i0.wp.com/www.wenatcheenaturalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/IMG_2765.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1)
During May, I had my own personal experience learning about a Wenatchee Mountain endemic – Whited’s fuzzy tongue penstemon (Penstemon eriantherus var. whitedii). It is classified by the state as a rare plant with few documented locations in the Wenatchee area. During the Covid19 stay-at-home order, I found myself walking on the Castle Rock Natural Area trails very close to my home. Surprisingly, I found my first fuzzy tongue penstemon next to the trail. Starting on May Day with newly trained eyes, I was able to spot and take field notes documenting dozens of plants in this small city park.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.wenatcheenaturalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/IMG_2779.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1)
![Habitat for fuzzy tongue penstemon](https://i0.wp.com/www.wenatcheenaturalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/IMG_2784.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1)
At first glance, this disturbed steep habitat doesn’t appear to be a very inviting place for a special plant. However, the thin rocky slopes are exactly where this plant thrives. As I widened my explorations in the Wenatchee Foothills, I was able to document over 200 more plants across a wide range of elevations, soil types, and aspects. I am a community science volunteer for the UW RareCare Program, that works closely with the Washington DNR Natural Heritage program, tracking rare plants. I reported my findings to both programs.
![In the Wenatchee Foothills, Fuzzy tongue penstemon blooms in May](https://i0.wp.com/www.wenatcheenaturalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/IMG-1281-rotated.jpg?resize=600%2C800&ssl=1)
![Fuzzy tongue penstemon grows in gravelly unstable soils](https://i0.wp.com/www.wenatcheenaturalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/IMG-1317-rotated.jpg?resize=600%2C800&ssl=1)
What should you do when you think you’ve found a rare plant? Plant identification can be tricky, and there are many look-alike species. First, take photos of the flowers, leaves, full plant, and the habitat and record your location. Then, reach out to a local botanist or member of the Wenatchee Valley Washington Native Plant Society. for technical guidance. The state of Washington Natural Heritage program publishes a list of all state-identified rare plants. and the Burke Museum Herbarium website includes photos and distribution maps for all species. If you think you’d like to become a community science volunteer helping to grow our collective knowledge of rare plants, consider signing up for the RareCare program.
References:
- Review of Endemic Plants of the Wenatchee Mountains and Adjacent Areas Prepared for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 1 by Joseph Arnett, Sept. 10, 2012. Natural Heritage Report 2012-06, WA DNR.
- FIeld Guide to the Rare Plants of Washington, edited by Pamela Camp and John G. Gammon, University of Washington Press. An on-line version of this publication is at: https://www.dnr.wa.gov/NHPfieldguide