I had looked so often for the first buttercup, and without success, that when I saw the first gleaming yellow blossom of the season I briefly mistook it for something else.

A scrap of wrapper from a wad of banana Laffy Taffy, perhaps.

Although I might just have been confused by dint of low blood sugar.

(I dearly love all flavors of Laffy Taffy, but none gets my saliva flowing quite so rapidly as banana.)

The date was April 7, the location near Virtue Flat, in the desert lands several miles east of Baker City.

It is a fine place to search for buttercups and for some of the other floral harbingers of spring, such as desert parsley and grass widows. The elevation is modest and there are many south-facing slopes where flowers, usually led by the buttercups, appear earlier than in the higher, colder forests.

But this spring, as you likely have noticed, has been atypical.

Flat out strange, in fact.

On my forays dating to early March — a prime period for the early buttercup — I saw quite a lot of snow, and considerable quantities of mud, but not a single colorful bloom.

And although my investigation wasn’t scrupulous, neither was it cursory.

I peered beneath clumps of sagebrush and I checked the nooks and crannies among the sun-warmed rocks, both places where my quarry sometimes shelters.

But to no avail.

Until April 7.

Which was, appropriately, a cold and windy day with an occasional spat of rain.

Once I saw that first buttercup I quickly came across a few dozen. Most, as is customary with the species, grew in pleasant little groves, conspicuous against the dull backdrop of last year’s dead grass.

This year, though, the buttercup was no bellwether for spring.

Occasionally wintry weather has persisted in the ensuing two weeks, with snow falling on April 18 in Baker City, La Grande and much of Wallowa County.

Besides delaying the annual wildflower display, the stubborn weather has forced hikers to either postpone their usual spring plans, or wade through slushy snowdrifts on trails that are typically bare by now.

On Sunday, April 16 my wife, Lisa, and I, and our daughter, Olivia, drove to Phillips Reservoir and the Powder River Recreation Area southwest of Baker City.

Most years the trails around the reservoir, and those along the river just below Mason Dam, are snow-free by the middle of April.

We didn’t bother trying the shoreline trail on the south side of the reservoir. That side, which is on a north-facing slope and thus sheltered from sunlight, was mostly white.

There were only a few patches of snow on the north shore trail, but the tread was soft and muddy in several sections, so the snow hadn’t melted long before.

We walked for half a mile or so, to where the trail crosses the first minor draw. I was not surprised that a respectable stream was flowing in the spot, which is dry most of the year.

We saw a few buttercups near the trailhead on the boat ramp road near the dam. But of grass widows, which usually grace the ground beneath the ponderosa pine forests with a purple-pink blanket starting in March, there was no sign.

The situation was similar at the Powder River Recreation Area, which is just off Highway 7 about 14 miles southwest of Baker City.

A paved trail runs on the north shore of the river, and a gravel path parallels the Powder on the south side. The latter trail was snow-covered, but the former was open.

We pulled into the parking area with fortuitous timing, as an osprey soared downriver and perched in a Douglas-fir long enough for Lisa to get several photographs.

Just after we pulled back onto the highway, Lisa saw the raptor swoop low and then climb, a small fish wriggling in its talons.

I came away from our visit somewhat discouraged.

Barring a dramatic shift in weather patterns, I suspect most hiking trails and forest roads at even modest elevations will be blocked by snow well into May.

As for the higher sites — the Elkhorns, Eagle Cap Wilderness, northern Blues, Greenhorns and Strawberries, to cite several — snow is likely to linger, particular on the sheltered side of passes, well past the solstice.

And at some places, such as Horton Pass in the Eagle Cap, hikers might be sloshing through slush through most or all of August.

The wildflower spectacle, though, ought to continue clear through summer.

As for mosquitoes, they, too, probably will be tardy.

But they’ll show up eventually, their reliability exceeded only by their capacity to annoy.

PENDLETON — Although snow is receding, national forest officials in Northeastern Oregon remind visitors that most forest roads are still inaccessible to wheeled vehicles due to snow or mud.

The conditions can lead to drivers getting stranded, and potentially damaging roads and adjacent land.

“We typically see incidents this time of year where families head up for the day, get stuck, and end up spending the night or making a very long hike out to look for help,” said Shane Dittlinger, recreation program manager for the Umatilla National Forest.

Many parts of the Blue Mountains lack cell service, so visitors should always be prepared to spend the night by bringing warm clothing, food and water.

Forest officials also ask visitors to avoid driving on roads saturated by rain or melting snow.

“Forest roads are not constructed to be all-weather roads, so they can be easily damaged when wet, especially during the spring season,” said Shaun Oliver, Umatilla National Forest engineer. “Tire ruts that are just an inch deep can leave lasting impressions that only grow with rain and erosion.”

It is illegal to drive a vehicle, on or off road, in a way that damages the ground or vegetation.

“We encourage forest users to responsibly enjoy their national forest roads and trails. This will not only avoid further damage of the resources, but also ensure that there are future riding opportunities across the Forest,” said Eric Watrud, Umatilla National Forest supervisor.