Please pre-register. Contact trip leader Ernie Crediford at ernest_crediford@live.com if you plan on attending.

This Bureau of Reclamation land is home to one of Washington's rare plants, the Gray Cryptantha.  This special place is called “Basalt Gardens” because of its outstanding diversity and its beautiful basalt sculpture walls.  Everybody shows up here: Death Camas lilies, purple thread leaf Phacelia and so much more! After lunch, we’ll proceed up the Vantage Hwy for a look at a different environment with new blooms.

Basalt Gardens, once a dumping ground for old appliances, is a designated shelter to one of Washington’s rare plants.  It is home to many flowering plants and shrubs as well. Antelope brush, with its sweet-smelling yellow blooms, frames the rainbow of colors from all the flowering species found there.  This is an exceptional wildflower area. After lunch, we will proceed past Gingko State Park, up the old Vantage highway to DNR land where we will find even more species, including our hedgehog cactus and the thyme leaf buckwheat with its tiny clusters of flowers.  This is one trip you don’t want to miss.

Meet: 9:00 a.m. Van Giesen Park & Ride. This is a long day: dress appropriately for the weather, bring lunch and snacks, and don’t forget your cameras. Please pre-register. Contact trip leader Ernie Crediford at ernest_crediford@live.com if you plan on attending.