Nature Minute: Vanishing Prairies, Part 1

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Vanishing Prairies, Part 1

When you think of the Pacific Northwest you probably think of misty forest full of towering trees and glacier-covered volcanic peaks. You think of killer whales and salmon in Puget Sound and coffee-fueled hipsters of Seattle and Portland. Do prairies ever cross your mind?

The Puget Sound region is home to remnant prairies, an ecosystem that currently only covers 10% of the area it covered before the arrival of European settlers. Why did the prairies disappear? Settlers replaced prairie grasses and flowers with pasture grass, crops, and orchards. Cities sprang up in other areas. Forests took over some prairies after the settlers didn’t keep up the Indians’ practice of setting fires to keep the prairies open. Invasive species overran others.

I was privileged to visit Glacial Heritage Natural Area, a mounded prairie, earlier this year to pull invasive Scotch broom. Mounded prairies are covered in small hills of indeterminate origin. Weather was the biggest challenge that day. Part of the time it was sunny and warm, but there were periods of sideways rain and even sleet. I got into such a frenzy pulling my archenemy that when I happened to find some broom that was already pulled, I was disappointed.

Flash forward to May, and the place was almost unrecognizable. The weather deteriorated to constant downpours, but the biggest change was in the flora. During my first visit, the only plants I could identify were Scotch broom, Himalayan blackberry, and a shooting star that had already bloomed. This time, the place was awash in color. There was more blue camas than I’ve ever seen, as well as endangered golden paintbrush and a bunch of other flowers I’m not familiar with. Next week we’ll discuss some of the critters that call our prairies home, as well as look into the mysterious geology of the mounded prairie. Until then, enjoy some pictures of the flowers!