Human Activities Are Killing These Rare Native Flowers That Grow Along Washington’s Columbia River

Swaggering for a treacherous stretch of over 200 miles, the dramatic Columbia River turns sharply south, ultimately emptying into the Pacific Ocean along the Washington-Oregon border. Dotted along its banks are constellations of rare flowers in purples, blues, pinks, and yellows. These rare, trumpet-shaped ornamental flowers are called the “Grey Cat’s Eye.” Lately, however, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seems unable to arrive at a decision, whether to protect these flowers or not.

The peculiar dilemma triggered the Center for Biological Diversity to sue them and file a petition to protect these sensitive, feline blooms. The lawsuit was filed under the Endangered Species Act. According to the center, these flowers were once known to exist in 45 places, but now, they are edging toward the brink of a perpetual collapse. Total annihilation, maybe. They have already vanished from at least 25 of these sites, and most of the remaining ones are traveling the curve of steep decline.

The largest population of grey cat’s eye is known to nestle in the Hanford Dunes complex, a patch of federal land built into the Hanford nuclear site and the Benton County side of the Columbia River. This bouquet flourishes across the river, in an area tucked alongside the Ringold Boat Launch in Franklin County. This site and the Wanapum Dunes in Grant County are upriver from the Wanapum Dam.

Earlier, clusters of hundreds of these flowers could be observed swinging in the sunlight, like little cats bobbing their heads in afternoon naps. Their mischievous yellow stamens could be observed opening and closing, like cats winking their eyes. Now, sadly, the population of these cat’s eyes seems to be dwindling at a rate which is beyond human control. The culprits are many.

Waning sand supply, frequent wildfires followed by encroachment of invasive annual grasses, cheatgrass in particular. A declining population of pollinating birds and insects is another factor, as are large-scale pesticide use, habitat conversion, climate disruption, groundwater regime changes, habitat loss, intensive industrialization, and inadequate regulatory mechanisms. To make matters worse, parties of notorious plants invade their territories, often leaving them bereft of the essential space they need for growth. One of these is cheatgrass, but there are also candidates like Russian thistles, tumble mustard, and diffuse knapweed.

Commenting on how best to protect and preserve these rare flowers, Mark Darrach, an independent scientist and expert on the species, shared with the center that gray cat’s eye is a “spectacular and signature perennial plant species of the increasingly endangered central Washington dune communities. It has been recognized as a sensitive plant species for nearly 50 years.” Over the last several decades, he said, the plant’s habitat and required pollinator populations have collapsed along with much of its associated unique dune plant community.

If the flower comes under the protection of the Act, it would compel the federal agencies like the Bureau of Reclamation and the Bureau of Land Management to ensure their actions don’t jeopardize the species’ survival. The strategy would likely also involve the development of a recovery plan and bring additional funding or research and conservation. “Time grows very short to recover this truly beautiful and important species,” said Darrach.