COMMUNITY
East Oregonian
Thursday, July 29, 2021
Showy penstemon hard to miss
A6
BRUCE
BARNES
BLOOMIN’ BLUES
Name: Blue Mountain Penstemon
Scientific name: Penstemon venus-
tus
Penstemons are among the most
showy of the wildflowers of Western
North America. There are 30 species
of Penstemon in Northeastern Oregon,
making this area one of the most popu-
lar destinations for fans of penstemons.
In fact, the American Penstemon Soci-
ety has in the past held its annual meet-
ing in Walla Walla and in Enterprise.
“Venustus” is Latin for “grace-
ful” or “beautiful,” which is appropri-
ate for this Penstemon named for the
Blue Mountains. This is also one of
the most common penstemons in the
Blues, and is found only from North-
eastern Oregon to the southeast corner
of Washington and adjacent Idaho.
The plant grows in large mounds
that are often over 2 feet wide and 2 feet
tall. The large mounds of blue-purple
flowers often line the roads at around
4,000 feet elevation in the Blues. They
make quite a display when the mounds
are mingled with white yarrow and
red paintbrush. There are other simi-
lar species of Penstemon locally, but
this is the only one which grows in such
large mounds.
The flowers are densely arranged,
covering the upper fourth of the
unbranched stems. Each flower is
somewhat trumpet-shaped, with five
petal lobes. Someone with a sense of
humor named the genus “Penstemon,”
meaning five stamens. The flowers
actually have only four stamens, but
have a fifth fake stamen that has no
anther. The leaves are opposite each
other on the stems, with the leaf blade
edges serrated.
I was unable to find a record of
specific uses for this Penstemon species.
However, penstemons in general have
a number of uses, and in spite of the
relatively small area in which this plant
is found, it is so plentiful here that a
number of uses is quite likely.
Where to find: The large clumps of
flowers are easy to spot along roads and
in clearings of the forest at middle to
upper elevations of the Blue Mountains.
———
Bruce Barnes directs Flora ID,
producing plant ID software, found at
flora-id.org. Reach him at flora.id@
wtechlink.us.
Bruce Barnes/Contributed Photo
Blue Mountain penstemon, Penstemon venustus.
COMMUNITY BRIEFING
Treasure Hunt
Clue No. 3
Go cruising out on High-
land.
Get to the river, you’ve
gone too far.
I’ll give you a helping
hand.
Turn around, drive back
in your car.
It’s not way out in the
sticks.
There’s some grass and
big rocks.
Keep your eyes peeled for
some bricks.
You should find it, you
sly fox.
———
The annual National Night
Out treasure hunt is under-
way in Hermiston. The rules
and first clue were printed
in Tuesday’s East Orego-
nian and the second clue was
in Wednesday’s Hermiston
Herald.
The Hermiston resident
who finds the golden medal-
lion (approximately 3 inches
in diameter attached to a red,
white and blue ribbon) will
win an evening block party
Tuesday, Aug. 3 as part of
Hermiston’s National Night
Out festivities.
Pacific University
names spring
grads, honor roll
FOREST GROVE —
Local students graduating
from Pacific University in
Oregon in May 2021 include:
Hermiston: Aud rey
Lincoln, BS computer
science and mathematics,
summa cum laude, Dean’s
Academic Achievement
Award, Outstanding Senior in
Computer Science, Outstand-
ing Senior in Mathematics,
and Outstanding Senior in
Natural Science.
Pendleton: Caiden Marks,
BS biology, magna cum
laude.
Umatilla: Guadalupe
Flores, BA criminal justice,
law and society, and sociol-
ogy, magna cum laude; and
Elijah Pine, BA music perfor-
mance, music education and
Spanish, magna cum laude,
Outstanding Senior in Music
Education.
Local students named to
the dean’s list include:
Hermiston: Aud rey
Lincoln and Adriann Stew-
art, spring 2021.
Pendleton: Nick Bower,
fall 2020 and spring 2021;
Brittany Case, fall 2020 and
spring 2021; Isabelle Chap-
man, fall 2020; and Caiden
Marks, fall 2020 and spring
2021.
Umatilla: Guadalupe
Flores, fall 2020; and Elijah
Pine, fall 2020 and spring
2021.
Linfield names
spring dean’s list
MCMI N N VILLE —
More than 600 students
were named to the spring
2021 Dean’s List at Linfield
University. Local students
making the list include
Oliver Rodriguez of Herm-
iston, Christina Swafford
of Athena and Nick Zdroy of
Pendleton.
The Dean’s List identifies
students who have earned a
term GPA at least equivalent
to a cum laude (at least 3.650
GPA) for a given semester.
It is computed following the
posting of grades at the end
of each semester.
Kids triathlon
features three
times the fun
HERMISTON — Area
children and youths are
A link to register is avail-
able via www.hermiston.
or.us/parksrec or www.face-
book.com/hermistonrec. For
questions or to inquire about
volunteering, call 541-667-
5018.
Party in the
Pasture with Blue
Tattoo
Bryce Cain Photography/Contributed Photo
Lee Oswald, Bud Ashcraft and Gene Miller of Blue Tattoo
perform during a 2019 event in Montana. The band will rock
Party in the Pasture on Saturday, July 31, 2021, at Camp Free-
dom, just south of Power City near Umatilla.
invited to get into the spirit of
the Olympics with the Herm-
iston Kids Triathlon.
Swim, bike and run — life
jackets and training wheels
are allowed — during this
non-timed, non-competi-
tive event. Youths ages 4-12
are invited to experience the
sport of triathlon with a short
swim, bike ride and run.
The event is Saturday,
Aug. 7 at 9 a.m. at the Herm-
iston Family Aquatic Center,
879 W. Elm Ave.
Coordinated by Herm-
iston Parks and Recreation,
participants must register by
July 30. The cost is $10 for
residents of Hermiston and
$14 for nonresidents.
Each participant will
swim first, go directly to bicy-
cling and finish with running.
No experience is needed and
parents are encouraged to
assist and participate along-
side their kids.
Also, be sure to smile
while having fun because 60
Minute Photo will be on site
taking action shots. In addi-
tion, people are needed to
help with the course.
UMATILLA — Cow pies
are optional as Blue Tattoo
pulls out all the stops for
Party in the Pasture.
Bonney’s Ag Sales and
the Umatilla Chamber of
Commerce teamed up to host
a celebration of summer and
lifting of COVID-19 restric-
tions. Blue Tattoo, a Pacific
Northwest rock ‘n’ roll band,
will perform Saturday, July
31, 3-10 p.m. at Camp Free-
dom, just south of Power City
on South Highway 395 near
Umatilla. The event is free to
the public.
Drummer extraordinaire
Kelly Nobles of Umatilla
called the venue “a Wood-
stock-type setting.” People
are invited to bring their
recreational vehicles, camp-
ers or tents for dry camping.
The Bridge Bistro & Brews
is hosting a beer garden and
there will be food trucks on
hand offering up a variety of
fare.
Bring a lawn chair and
sunscreen and get ready to
party. For more information,
contact Mark Ribich, cham-
ber director, at 541-922-4825
or mribich@umatillaor-
chamber.org.
Hermiston
Raceway revs up
for fast action
HERMISTON — The
action is going to be lightning
fast as Hermiston Raceway is
getting revved up for Satur-
day Night Thunder.
Debuting for the first time
at the Hermiston track is
Inland Wing Sprint cars, plus
pavement pounding action
by West Coast modifieds —
with racing by some of your
local favorites, including
street stocks, bombers and
hornets.
The event is Saturday,
July 31, with the gates open-
ing at 5:30 p.m. and racing
starting at 7 p.m. The race-
way is at 81236 N. Highway
395.
General admission for
adults is $20; students/
seniors/military are $15
and a family pass is $50 (for
two adults and three youths
or seniors). In addition,
Speedy’s Grill will be open
to help fans re-fuel with food
and drinks.
Those planning to attend
are encouraged to purchase
tickets in advance via www.
hermistonraceway.com. For
questions, contact 509-845-
5510 or info@hermistonrace-
way.com.
–EO Media Group
Have executive leadership experience and
a commitment to restoring salmon and
protecting tribal treaty fishing rights?
The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission is seeking a dynamic,
high-level strategic thinker, a great spokesperson, and an effective
manager to serve as its Executive Director.
Help guide the organization tasked to provide technical assistance and
coordinate the fisheries management responsibilities of its four
member tribes—the Yakama, Umatilla, Warm Springs, and Nez Perce.
Be a part of the tribal effort to put fish back in the rivers
and protect the watersheds where they live.
To see complete position details, visit:
www.critfc.org/executive
Position closes August 31.
COLUMBIA RIVER INTER-TRIBAL FISH COMMISSION
YAK AMA · UMATILLA · WARM SPRINGS · NEZ PER CE
Hermiston Parks & Recreation/Contributed Photo
Children and spectators stand poolside during the 2018
Hermiston Kids Triathlon. Registration is open through Fri-
day, July 30, 2021, for this year’s event.
Por tland, Oregon · www.critfc.org · (503) 238-0667