Blast Zone

October 9, 2014 - Crater and Dome

Following the 1980 eruption of Mt. Saint Helens, which is only 65 air miles from Hillsboro, it was only a matter of days before locals wanted to get a closer look at the geologic and environmental aftermath. Two years later, federal funding was approved to build a new road up to the blast area and to construct several visitor centers along the road. The first visitor center near I-5 opened in 1987 and the Coldwater Lake visitor center at the end of the road and closest to the crater opened in 1993. We made our first journey up the new road shortly after that.

May 18, 1980 Headlines

The eruption destroyed thousands of acres of native plants and trees as well as extensively changing the lay of the land in the blast zone. The area became a living laboratory for biologists and botanists to study the natural recovery around the north side of the volcano. See the link below for time lapse from space of the past 33 years in the blast zone.

We made a couple of additional trips up to the north side over the years, but it had been 10 years since we last made the trip. (In September of 2012, after training most of the summer, I climbed up to the south side crater rim of the mountain, and got a good look at the dome and caldera. See the link below for photos of that adventure.

I had hoped to make it up to the newest and closest-to-the-crater visitor center, the Johnston Ridge Observatory (JRO) in July or August, but that did not pan out. So, knowing the JRO would close at the end of October for the season, gave me the added incentive to go this month; not to mention that the impending foul weather would soon prevent access as well. (Visited on 10/09/2014)

It's a long 130 mile drive from our house up to JRO, so you want to do this early and go when the weather is good. The beginning of October was ideal for the trip, with clear skies, no wind, and little traffic once I got off I-5 at Castle Rock, WA, which is roughly the half way point.

The road up to the monument has not changed much, but the trees and shrubs have really filled in the Toutle River flood area and private land outside the monument has mature stands of Noble Fir covering hundreds of acres. The view from JRO, which opened in 1997, is outstanding and the building design is sturdy and low-impact. There are many trails for day hikes and backpacking on the north side, so given my limited amount of time on this visit, I took the Boundary Trail which starts at the JRO.

You've probably seen postcard or calendar pictures of Mt. Saint Helens with wildflowers blooming as far as the eye can see. Well, as expected, I missed the big show this year, but there were a few things here and there in bloom, so all was not lost. Next year we hope to come up to the area for a week or so and really explore the area. The east side of the mountain has many more trails and epic views to discover!

...

Links:

NASA Imagery of the Blast Zone Over 33 Years

2014 JRO and Hike Photos

2012 Climb to the Crater Rim

2004 Coldwater Visitor Center Photos

Sumac

Staghorn Sumac near Amber Glen - 10/19/2014

One of my favorite Fall foliage plants is Sumac. It's more of a tall shrub than a tree, and it can be seen growing as a no-maintenance plant in freeway landscapes, office parks, or in some suburban yards. There are over 35 species of Sumac that grow in North America, but most of the "ornamental" ones around here are Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) or Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra). You can easily spot the bright red and yellow leaves on these sumac this time of year. In fact, the word "sumac" comes from ancient Latin and Arabic and means "red." The common Staghorn name comes from the tiny hairy covering on the stems that resemble male deer antlers.

We had always heard that these plants are poisonous, but they are not. The confusion stems from an Eastern shrub that is called Poison Sumac (Toxicodendron vernix) and is toxic. It is more toxic than its notorious relatives, poison ivy and poison oak. The leaves of Poison Sumac can cause skin irritation, and burning them creates a highly toxic smoke that can destroy your lungs. Lucky for us, this species grows only in the Eastern U.S., in wet or boggy soil.

News to me, is that the non-toxic Rhus Sumacs are used in a wide variety of human pursuits, such as spices, flavoring for drinks, dyes, and tanning agents. You can find powdered sumac berry spice online in familiar branded bottles. In olden days (as in medieval days), the berries and leaves were used for treating various ailments. Staghorn Sumac is known to be a powerful antioxidant. And in the really old days, as in fossils, an extinct species of Sumac has been found just across the river in Washington!

The showy Sumacs have not gone unnoticed by poets either. I especially like this one by Rebecca Askew:

As Fall Begins

When the sumac leaves quietly turn red,

And autumn lingers, heavy, in the air,

Summer surrenders its last loving thread.

The veins in the leaves, have both dried and bled.

Summer's sun would still warm, but does not dare,

When the sumac leaves quietly turn red...

Follow the link below to read the rest of this engaging poem that captures the season so well. (And special thanks to Rebecca for letting me use it here! You can browse her other poems through the link as well.)

Our local sumacs typically bloom in early June with a greenish-yellow flower. Later, they produce "drupes," which are the tall red cones that are brush-like fruits that break open easily to cast the seeds about. The sumacs spread by seed and by new shoots from roots. So when you are out scouting for Fall color this year, keep your eyes peeled for these colorful shrubs.

Staghorn Sumac near Amber Glen - 6/30/2014

Drupes and leaves - 10/19/2014

Drupes and leaves - 6/30/2014

Young stalks - 10/19/2014

Flowers (from Wikipedia)

Links:

Complete "As Fall Begins" poem by Rebecca Askew

Article about extinct Sumac in Washington

Lava Land

When we visit Central Oregon, it's never hard to forget that this area has a volcanic past. With a plethora of cinder cones dotting the landscape and miles of lava fields piled up near those cones, the area was definitely a hot spot at one time. It's amazing that trees and plants can actually grow in this rocky stuff!

Ponderosa and Lodgepole Pines growing in rocks along
the Deschutes River at Lava Lands park.

We enjoy coming up to the high desert in September or October, after the crowds have thinned out and the weather is cooler. This year our visit coincided with near-perfect sunny dry days and clear, cool nights. It's a great time for hiking and biking, so we did that as much as possible.

From the U.S. Forest Service Lava Lands visitor center, you can see the extent of the cinder cone eruptions. This particular cone erupted about 7,000 years ago, spreading lava over a 25 square mile area. There is an active fire lookout structure and view point at the top of the cone, which you can drive or walk to - we drove!

     

This late in the season, I did not expect to see many wildflowers, so it was no surprise that my macro lens did not get much use! But the other local natural beauty is hard to resist, with towering Ponderosa pine, Lodgepole pine, Western Juniper, and Manzanita bushes. The reddish volcanic soil color makes a nice contrast to the evergreens, so there is plenty to aim the camera at.

Fortunately, we did spot a few blooms in the high desert area around Bend and Sunriver, where we stayed.

We found these bright pink monkeyflowers growing in the pumice rocks on the way up to the top of Lava Butte. They are either Cusick's Monkeyflower (Mimulus cusickii) or Dwarf Monkeyflower (Mimulus nanus). Both are native and seemed to be growing only on the south side, near the 4,500 foot level.

     

If you come to this area in late summer or fall, you'll definitely see the native Gray Rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa) blooming throughout the area. It's widespread east of the Cascades and some plants were blooming, while others had gone to seed, showing their prolific reproductive strategy (kind of like rabbits....).

     

Rabbitbrush seeds

On one afternoon, we hiked up Tumalo Mountain (7,775 ft) to get a 360 degree view of the area west of Bend. It's a steep, two mile jaunt through pines and lava rocks, but very popular. Due to "controlled burns" by the Forest Service, the view to the south was a bit hazy, but otherwise expansive. The only flower we spotted on this hike was the Subalpine Lupine (Lupinus arcticus ssp. subalpinus) - and I do mean just one! It was growing in the shade, so it must have been a late bloomer!

Going a few miles east of Bend or Sunriver, the high desert flora changes from pines to junipers and you begin to see miles of sagebrush. Luckily, we did not have to go far to find this sagebrush, as it was planted as part of a natural landscape right in town. It's probably Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), which is native to eastern Oregon as well as the entire west.

     

That wraps it up for blooms on this trip. Here's a few more photos of other common high desert flora we saw.

Pondersa pine at left and Whitebark pine at right.

     

Greenleaf Manzanita (Arctostaphylos patula). Native.

With so few blooms to post this time, thought I would throw in these guys to ramp up the cuteness factor! They live a pampered life at the High Desert Museum!

North American River Otter

The pair put on quite a show at mealtime!

Links:

More of my Central Oregon Photos
High Desert Museum
Lava Lands Visitor Center
Sunriver Nature Center
Northwest Conifers Website

How Low Can You Go?

In the course of taking the photos for this blog, I get to go on some great hikes and visit new and interesting places. It can be the perfect activity for a retired guy, but at times, to get those close up photos of small, ground level wildflowers, one must get down low! Some of these gyrations to get that low remind me of the Limbo dance from the 1960's, without the music or beach sand. Remember when the Limbo was all the rage? Of course you had to be really flexible to do that dance. I tried it a few times only to end up with sand in my pockets.

     

Well, nowadays, I can get still low, but the getting back up part, after hugging the dirt, is more of a challenge. Although I will admit now that my two newer cameras have tilting LCD screens, the task has improved significantly.

So this post is dedicated to all of you who threw caution to the wind and tried out the Limbo at some point in your life. Feel free to comment below on any memories you have about the Limbo!

All of these plants have blooms that are quite small and tend to be little more than ground covers. Shown in chronological order, with photos from my "archives."

March - Bird's Eye Speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys)

Another really tiny flowered, weed-like, non-native plant, but with a remarkable blue hue. The flower color reminds me of the clear blue sky in central Oregon. It's called a creeper by botanists because it spreads through lawns and disturbed areas barely noticed. There are hundreds of Veronica species, but this one may be the lowest and it blooms early in the season. These were along our gravel road.

April - Dove's Foot Geranium (Geranium molle)

In April, these weedy invaders were growing all along Laurelview Road where we walk the dog. The tiny purple flowers are easy to spot, even at 1/3 inch wide, and the leaves have a unique shape and texture. To me, these are a splendid ground cover!

May - Cut Leaf Geranium (Geranium dissectum)

Like the related Dove's Foot, these seem to follow about a month later. The tiny purple flowers are easy to spot, even at 1/3 inch wide. We saw these along roads and pathways at the park. Note the completely different leaves, hence the name "cut leaf."

June - Pineapple Weed (Matricaria discoidea)

This little weed with the tropical name is actually a native of the Northwest. You really have to get down low to appreciate the nature of this plant! The slightly golden flower has no rays and does resemble a micro-pineapple of sorts. We spotted these growing along hundreds of feet of pathway at Jackson Bottom Wetlands.

July - Surprise!

When out for a walk along our road this time of year I tend to scan the ground for any interesting blooms or for trash to pick up. On this day, my spotted friend with the big nose found this little starling in the ditch. It was following its instincts to be completely still. We did not stick around long, as I did not want to meet the Mom.

August - Common Mallow (Malva neglecta)

These slightly pinkish flowers are about 1/2 inch wide and if you've tried to pull the plant up, you know it has a nasty taproot. This non-native from Europe is considered a weed by most gardeners. The Latin name kind of says it all for this guy! More likable members of the Mallow family: cotton, hollyhock, and hibiscus.

September - Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis)

This is the first year I spotted these tiny, salmon colored blossoms near the pond at Rood Bridge Park in early September. Another non-native ground dweller that grows mostly west of the Cascades, it opens in full sun only. These blossoms are about 1/3 inch wide. And who can forget reading "The Scarlet Pimpernel" book in high school? 

October - Pearlwort (Sagina procumbens)

You've probably seen this stuff growing in cracks on the road or sidewalks; or along gravel roads. This non-native and several similar species grow into mats, and spread along the ground from a central root. The very small yellow flowers (1/8 inch) are hard to spot, but if you get down low enough they come into view.

November - Fungus!

And finally, with November, comes the arrival of the fungus crop, with its many sizes and variations. Here's a mushroom shot from last year.