Page 30 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Pacific Northwest

28  INTRODUCING THE P A CIFIC NOR THWEST

Flora of the Pacific Northwest

Deep forests, wildflower-filled alpine meadows, and grass-
covered steppes are all typical of the Pacific Northwest.
Although vastly different, these landscapes are often found
in close proximity to one another. The moist, temperate
climate of the region’s coastal areas fosters an abundance of
plant life, including the towering trees, mosses, and shrubs
that thrive in centuries-old forests, such as the rainforest
in British Columbia’s Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
In Washington’s Skagit Valley, tulips covering thousands
of acres bloom each spring. In the Cascade and Rocky
Mountains, and in the deserts and steppes east of the
mountains, the terrain is less hospitable and only the
hardiest plants survive. But even here, alpine meadows and
stands of juniper that scent the high desert attest to the rich
diversity of the region’s flora.

Wildflowers
The moist climate of
the coastal forests and
high-country meadows
provide perfect grow ing
conditions for colorful
wildflowers, such as
wood lilies, asters, Jacob’s
ladder, and purple
mountain saxifrage.

Lichens
Hardy lichens –
along with mosses,
liverworts, ferns,
skunk cabbage, and
orchids – flourish in
the dampness of
rainforests that
grow along the
coast of the
Pacific Ocean.

Mountain Forests
Many of the trees in the
rugged mountain forests are
several centuries old. Douglas
firs can live as long as 1,200
years and grow to be 260 ft
(79 m) tall. Fallen logs that
Sagebrush foster young trees are known
The arid environment of the Columbia River basin and the high as “nurse logs,” which, if they
plateaus of Oregon and Washington support only vegetation that survive 200 years, will earn
can survive with little moisture, such as sagebrush. “old-growth” status.

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