“These mallows sprang up where the Oregon Department of Transportation constructed the turn off to Route 104 off the U.S. Highway 101 at Perkins Lane in Warrenton,” Reba Owen wrote in an email. She also posted a photo of the flowers on Facebook.

If the plants are, indeed, mallow plants, a member of the hollyhock family, they will re-seed themselves and bloom again next year. Two other Facebook posters think the plants are Clarkia amoena, which also self-seeds every year. Which one it is remains a mystery, but the result is a beautiful sight.

“So this was an all-dirt construction site, so it isn’t a normal happening,” Reba noted. “Who can we thank for this beautiful planting? Maybe someone who reads the Ear will know.” If you do know, please email the Ear at ewilson@dailyastorian.com (Photo: Reba Owen)