National Parks Week - Mount Rainier
Wildflowers near Tipsoo Lake, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
Earth Day 2022
Beyond the obvious major feature of this park, which I have posted many photos of, and those of us who live here refer to simply as "The Mountain", one of the biggest draws for visitors to the park is the wildflowers. Hundreds of species of alpine and subalpine wildflowers bloom in the summer, carpeting the meadows and hillsides with extravagant displays of color. And at the height of the lupine bloom season, it sometimes seems as though the air in the entire park is perfumed with their fragrance.
Last summer however, the Pacific Northwest was hit with an unprecedented heat wave in June, with temperatures reaching previously unfathomable highs of 110-115 degrees F (43-46 C) for multiple days in a row. This caused rapid melting of the snowpack at Mount Rainier and damaged plants that were just emerging from the ground. So the wildflower display last year was much more sparse than usual, and the lupine that normally fills the hillsides and lake basins in August was especially noticeable for its absence. It was another reminder of the consequences of climate change and the impact it has on our planet and these beautiful places. I very much hope that last year was an aberration, but I also very much worry that it was not.
National Parks Week - Mount Rainier
Wildflowers near Tipsoo Lake, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
Earth Day 2022
Beyond the obvious major feature of this park, which I have posted many photos of, and those of us who live here refer to simply as "The Mountain", one of the biggest draws for visitors to the park is the wildflowers. Hundreds of species of alpine and subalpine wildflowers bloom in the summer, carpeting the meadows and hillsides with extravagant displays of color. And at the height of the lupine bloom season, it sometimes seems as though the air in the entire park is perfumed with their fragrance.
Last summer however, the Pacific Northwest was hit with an unprecedented heat wave in June, with temperatures reaching previously unfathomable highs of 110-115 degrees F (43-46 C) for multiple days in a row. This caused rapid melting of the snowpack at Mount Rainier and damaged plants that were just emerging from the ground. So the wildflower display last year was much more sparse than usual, and the lupine that normally fills the hillsides and lake basins in August was especially noticeable for its absence. It was another reminder of the consequences of climate change and the impact it has on our planet and these beautiful places. I very much hope that last year was an aberration, but I also very much worry that it was not.