The Hunt for Endangered Red Plant II

 

Our search for the endangered Gentner's Fritillary (Fritillaria) continues in the the Jacksonville Woodlands. This is a 255 acre area in and around the town of Jacksonville Oregon, a National Historic Landmark - founded during the gold rush in 1851-52. The 16 miles of interconnected trails are 90% easy, the only moderate difficulty being some steep areas, but those can be avoided with little effort. It's a great place to go hiking even with the littlest kids, as well as a nice area for an easy walk, or strenuous cross country jog. There's a bounty of wildflowers, birds, butterflies, as well as historical mining digs, with interpretive signs. Be sure to pick up a wildflower guide brochure before you venture into the woods. This is the best area in the entire world to find a Gentner's Fritillary - yet its rareness makes it difficult to find even here. April is the best time of year to find one. The town of Jacksonville, has a festival celebrating the flower in late April. But sometimes warm weather brings them out a couple weeks earlier than expected. And though the flower is a perennial bulb, the same plant will not always bloom every year. It is illegal to pick or dig up these flowers. The US Fish and Wildlife service monitors every known location of the plant, and is actively working on it's recovery.