Peacock Larkspur

Delphinium pavonaceum

Peacock larkspur (Delphinium pavonaceum) is an endemic (native to a particular place) flower located in the middle Willamette Valley. It has a distance white flower with a purple center. The City has three Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) monitoring sites in and around Corvallis Forest. There sites are monitored yearly during flowering season, and plant counts are reported to Benton County and the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA). There are also several "augmentation sites" in the forest where peacock larkspur plugs were planted iln 2018 to help increase the population.

Work around this species aligns with the Corvallis Forest Stewardship Plan's Native Vegetation and Invasive Species Policy to "Promote native plant communities, protect and restore special status species, actively control and monitor existing invasive species, and follow best management practices for minimizing the introduction and establishment of new invasive species in the Corvallis Forest."

2025: 

Peacock Larkspur abundance varied with site during the 2025 season. Counts appear to be within typical long-term variability, though the decrease in peak abundance is more stark in comparison to 2024’s high abundance.

The Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE) did an official survey for Peacock Larkspur at the end of June, in preparation for a pipe replacement project that is occurring along Rock Creek Road. This included a GIS map of plant locations. They also developed a list of BMPs for the larkspur that will be followed during construction, and will be doing a survey the flowering season after the project is complete.

Heavily overgrown woody vegetation was removed from the Rocky Knoll site after all flowering was complete, but prior to burn season. Woody vegetation had been heavily encroaching on the site. This will hopefully enable more growth in future years.

Oregon Dept. of Agriculture (ODA) - Peacock Larkspur information sheet