Avalanche Lillies
It's always interesting as you climb higher in the mountains to observe how you are not only progressing from one ecological zone to another (i. e., montane, subalpine, alpine), but also moving backward in season. At my house, which is just under 200', spring plants begin stirring in March or April and are past their prime in June, when much of the mountains are still buried in snow. The trailhead for Lena Lakes is about 700' and not much different. July is definitely summer there. But as you get higher and higher you move back in season. Species of flowers that are shriveled at lower elevations change to flowers in full bloom, then to ones just blossoming, then to ones still under snow. And then, when you turn around and head back to the trailhead you reverse the process, moving from spring back to summer and through the whole lifecycle of the flowers in the course of a few hours. Avalanche Lilies, somewhere above Upper Lena Lake, Olympic National Park, Washington.
Avalanche Lillies
It's always interesting as you climb higher in the mountains to observe how you are not only progressing from one ecological zone to another (i. e., montane, subalpine, alpine), but also moving backward in season. At my house, which is just under 200', spring plants begin stirring in March or April and are past their prime in June, when much of the mountains are still buried in snow. The trailhead for Lena Lakes is about 700' and not much different. July is definitely summer there. But as you get higher and higher you move back in season. Species of flowers that are shriveled at lower elevations change to flowers in full bloom, then to ones just blossoming, then to ones still under snow. And then, when you turn around and head back to the trailhead you reverse the process, moving from spring back to summer and through the whole lifecycle of the flowers in the course of a few hours. Avalanche Lilies, somewhere above Upper Lena Lake, Olympic National Park, Washington.