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Mickey Hot Springs
A blog post inspired me to take a long road trip to southeastern Oregon last weekend. I’ve been wanting to see Steens Mountain and the Alvord Desert for years and a blog post about the region on Jim...
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Two Desert-Dwelling Lizards of Southeast Oregon
Compared to the southwestern U.S., the Pacific Northwest region has only a modest diversity of reptile species. Snakes, lizards, and turtles are relatively scarce in Washington and Oregon. Reptiles...
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The Smoke-Shrouded Moon
The Pacific Northwest has been plagued by wildfires in recent weeks. Though spring and summer were extraordinarily cool in our region, the hot and dry weather that sets the stage for fires finally...
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Fall, Leaves, Fall
Last Saturday, I went for a stroll along the Salmon River, which is a tributary of the Sandy River near Mount Hood. The Old Salmon River Trail parallels the river and makes for an easy walk through a...
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Hanging by a Thread
Have you ever run into a small caterpillar dangling from a silk thread in the forest? I have, many times. I’ve wondered why they do this. Are these caterpillars preparing to pupate? Are they...
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Larch Mountain Salamander
The Larch Mountain Salamander (Plethodon larselli) is a small, rare amphibian that is endemic to Washington and Oregon. In appearance, it is superficially similar to several other salamander species...
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Columbia Desert Parsley
Columbia Desert Parsley (Lomatium columbianum) is a spectacular plant that is endemic to Washingon and Oregon. It is perennial and grows on open slopes in the eastern Columbia Gorge area. Although the...
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Tom McCall Preserve in Late April
The Tom McCall Preserve on the Oregon side of the Columbia Gorge is a wildflower wonderland. Dozens of showy wildflower species dot the rolling plateau and hillsides of the preserve in spring and...
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The Painted Hills
The Painted Hills of north-central Oregon belong on anyone’s short list of must-see landscapes in the Pacific Northwest. Hidden in a remote of valley of the Ochoco Mountains, the Painted Hills are far...
View ArticleBeautiful Time-lapse Imagery of Pacific Northwest Landscapes
John Ecklund took about 260,000 photos to create this mind-blowing time-lapse movie. Several iconic landscapes of the northwest are featured, including Mt. Shuksan and Mount St. Helens in Washington...
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Long-nosed Leopard Lizard
The northernmost reaches of the Great Basin Desert lie within the border of Oregon, in the southeast part of the state. There, you can find animals and plants that thrive in the parched ecosystems of...
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