Nelson’s checkermallow, a perennial herb and threatened species, blooms near the Nestucca River, June 10, 2016. The Willamette Valley plant that can produce “lavender to deep pink flowers” was federally listed as threatened without critical habitat in 1993, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These photos were captured from Walker Flat, near McGuire Reservoir and off the Nestucca River in Yamhill County. Walker Flat is a 10-acre parcel designated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concernby the BLM to protect the checkermallow, or Sidalcea nelsoniana. Photos by Maysa Miller, a Chicago Botanic Garden intern working for the BLM. More information about the species:
www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/species/data/nelsonscheckermallow/