This beautiful dwarf iris grows only in the lower Clackamas and Molalla river canyons. Despite its super-local range, it’s not considered endangered, though it’s still a rare thrill for wildflower seekers to find them in bloom. These little plants grow in open, sunny gaps in Douglas fir forests and produce their pale blue or white blooms in late spring. This photo was taken on a rocky outcrop high above the water along the Clackamas River Trail.
The lower Clackamas River canyon has burned three times in the past two decades, most severely in the 2020 Riverside Fire. The Clackamas River Trail has since remained closed by debris and landslides from this latest fire, so we won’t know until it reopens how the Clackamas iris has fared. If forest recovery in other recent burns is any indication, the iris here should have survived – and in fact, should be thriving in the more open conditions created by the fire.
___________
Image Description: A trio of white iris bloom in a diagonal line, accented with narrow yellow throats. The blooms are framed by bright green, strap-shaped iris foliage. A neighboring fern sneaks a frond into the right side of the image.
Photo © WyEast Images (2026)
WyEast Images 
Leave a comment