Washington 2009 II - Mt. Saint Helens, Columbia River Gorge
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This is the view from the Forest Learning Center, Weyerhauser's visitor center several miles from Mt. Saint Helens. The Toutle River is visible in the foreground, it originates from the glaciers on the volcano. The hillsides are green with millions of trees that were planted by the Weyerhauser foresters a few months after the eruption. This area was in the blow-down zone.
is 5 miles north of Mt. Saint Helens. It is named for David Johnston, the geologist who announced to his headquarters in Vancouver, WA that the eruption had begun, yelling, "Vancouver, Vancouver, this is it!" into his radio; seconds later he was engulfed in a "hurricane of rock". 57 people died on the mountain that Sunday, but it would have been worse if it had erupted on a weekday. The visitor center is built into the hillside, complete with tree trunks and wildflowers. The area is a National Monument run by the National Forest Service.
Dirty Socks; Alpine Buckwheat; Eriogonum pyrolifolium
Buckwheat Family Mount Saint Helens National Monument June 26, 2009 I didn't get down on the ground to smell this plant, but it is supposed to have an unpleasant odor similar to dirty socks!
I found this vein of quartz in the lava layer on the side of the cliff while we were hiking on the Devil's Elbow.
, it can be seen going across the upper part of the hillside. It was quite narrow at the area near the ravine. Note the layers of igneous rock from past eruptions of Mt. Saint Helens.
We saw this warning sign when we started the hike to Spirit Lake and thought, "How bad can it be?" We found out when we got to the Devil's Elbow!
We crossed over the Columbia River on this bridge from Oregon to Washington on our way to the Pacific Ocean.
I thought this pillow lava below the North Head Lighthouse looked like a funny face! :) Eons ago, the lava traveled many miles from one of the Cascade volcanoes to the beach.
The scenic North Head Lighthouse is located near the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. It is built on a cliff of lava.
Springbank Clover; Trifolium wormskjoldii
Pea Family Oysterville, WA June 27, 2009
Hardhack; Steeplebush; Spirea douglasii
Rose Family Silver Lake, WA June 27, 2009
Washington has many farms for flowers, bulbs and seeds. As we were driving south from Mt. Rainier to Mt. Saint Helens, we passed the DeGoode Flower farm. Of course, we had to stop so I could get some photos! These pretty pink and white flowers are Astilbes.
These Roosevelt Elk ate chewing their cud on the grassy area below mountain called the Pumice Plain. Small trees have begun growing here.
Cardwell's Penstemon; Penstemon cardwelli
Mt. Saint Helens National Monument June 26, 2009
The layers of lava and ash from ancient eruptions, the hummocks of sediment, a small lake and erosion from the 1980 eruption are all visible in this photo. The lateral blast from the eruption blasted the hillside to the bedrock 5 miles north of the volcano.
Cardwell's Penstemon; Penstemon cardwelli
Mt. Saint Helens National Monument June 26, 2009 This plant was growing on the cliffside along the Devil's Elbow trail. My picture snapping on this steep-sided, narrow trail made Kenny nervous!
Seeing these boulders that were thrown from the mountain during the lateral blast gives the visitor an appreciation of the power that was released during the eruption.
, a fishing resort 40 miles west of Mt. Saint Helens. The lake was formed from an ancient eruption of the volcano. The hotel room balconies are located over the lake, people can fish from their room!
Brass Buttons; Cotula coronopifolia*
Aster Family Ilwaco, WA June 27, 2009 These little yellow non-native flowers are common in the western states. They have only disk flowers, no ray flowers (petals).
Silverweed; Potentilla anserina
Rose Family Ilwaco, WA June 27, 2009 This is a common plant on the west coast.
Gooseneck Barnacles; Pollicipes polymerus
Ilwaco, WA June 27, 2009 The feeding arms were out of the shells when the tide went out. Barnacles use these feathery appendages to capture small organisms in the water. These animals were attached to a log that had washed up on the beach.
Oysterville, WA June 27, 2009
Fireweed; Epilobium angustifolium
Evening Primrose Family Silver Lake, WA June 27, 2009 Fireweed is a very common plant in the northwest. It often grows in disturbed or burned areas.
This is the show garden at the DeGoode Flower farm. It was a nice surprise to come across this beautiful spot. :)
has begun grow in the crater to help rebuild it, however the glaciers are slowly grinding the rock down. Volcanoes exist on a delicate balance of fire and ice.
Aster Family Mt. Saint Helens National Monument June 26, 2009
Wildflowers are beginning the slow recovery of life at Mt. Saint Helens. These Indian Paintbrush and Penstemon plants are colorful pioneers in the Devastated Area.
Silverleaf Phacelia; Phacelia hastata
Mount Saint Helens National Monument June 26, 2009
This area is 5 miles north of Mt. Saint Helens, these wildflowers are growing in the "Devastation Zone". On May 18, 1980 this hillside took the full force of the eruption, huge trees growing on the slopes here were obliterated and just disappeared.
We saw these logs at a lumber mill in Longmire, WA. The mill is located on the Columbia River, where the cut lumber is loaded onto ships. This is a common sight in western Washington.
Beach Sand Spurry; Spergularia macrotheca
Ilwaco, WA June 27, 2009 I recognized this wildflower from seeing it on the California coast 2 years ago.
Bog St. Johnswort; Hypericum anagalloides
St. Johnswort Family Ilwaco, WA June 27, 2009 This St. Johnswort looks very different than others in the genus.
Cape Disappointment Lighthouse
is at the mouth of the Columbia River,it is the last lighthouse on the southwest Washington coast.
Marsh Cinquefoil; Potentilla palustris
Rose Family Silver Lake, WA June 28, 2009 I had seen this flower growing in a marsh in Alaska in 2004. Unlike most other Cinquefoil flowers that are yellow or white, these are maroon. I didn't notice what pollinators visited it, but I would imagine they would be beetles or flies.
Small-flowered Forget-Me-Not; Myosotis laxa
Silver Lake, WA June 28, 2009 I was surprised how many different kinds of Forget-Me-Nots there are in Washington. This kind has quite small flowers. I found this plant growing along the bank of Silver Lake at the Mt. Saint Helens Visitor Center.
If you buy pre-potted plants at a garden center, they may have come from the DeGoode Flower farm. This greenhouse was full of potted plants ready to be shipped across the country.
Scientists study tree growth rings from ancient trees that grew far from Mt. Saint Helens to learn about past eruptions. For several years after an eruption, growth of the trees slowed, causing the tree rings to be small and close together. This section was in the visitor center at Silver Lake.
Pacific Lupine; Lupinus lepidus var. lobbii
Pea Family Mt. Saint Helens National Monument June 26, 2009 These pretty little lupines grow in the most devastated areas in front of the volcano. Lupines are legumes, they have nodules with nitrogen-fixing bacteria which help enrich the soil for future plants.
is a type of volcanic rock that is made when lava cools rapidly, trapping air bubbles in it. Pumice is so light, it can float in water. The white rock is pumice.
This is what the sign was warning hikers about! Kenny had enough of the Devil's Elbow trail at this point.
These trees were blown down during the 1980 eruption, they were on the ridge behind the devastation zone. Weyerhauser loggers took out blowndown trees for months after the eruption.
We saw this large container ship and 2 fishing boats at the mouth of the Columbia River in Astoria, Oregon. The river is shallow and has tricky sandbars where the it enters the Pacific Ocean. Special pilots must bring the ships through the sandbars into the river. The people on the small boats were fishing for salmon.
Sea Sacs Seaweed; Halosaccion glandiforme
Ilwaco, WA June 27, 2009 These hollow seaweeds were washed up on the beach. Even though they are green, they are in the Red Seaweed family (Rhodophyta).
Plumbaginaceae Ilwaco, WA June 27, 2009
Beach Knotweed; Polygonum paronychia
Ilwaco, WA June 27, 2009 I found this plant growing near the jetty at Cape Disappointment.
Yellow Pond Lily; Nuphar polysepalum
Silver Lake, WA June 28, 2009 This is a very common aquatic wildflower, found over much of the United States. It grows in shallow water.
Yerba Buena; Satureja douglasii
Mint Family Silver Lake, WA June 28, 2009 I found this plant growing near the first visitor center.