Crater Lake

This month is six years since my visit to fabulous Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. America's deepest lake at nearly 2000 feet in depth, it sits inside the collapsed caldera of an ancient volcano. Wizard Island near the west side of the lake is a volcano within a volcano. The lake is fed entirely by rain and snow. The amount falling in each year is nearly equal to what evaporates of leaks out the bottom. Crater Lake is what I can only describe as being impossibly blue. Pictures don't do it justice.

Crater Lake seen from West Rim Drive

In addition to the lake, the park also features forests, wildflower meadows, waterfalls, pumice deserts, cinder cones, and formations called pinnacles. The pumice deserts were formed by volcanic eruptions depositing pumice. Like sand, it drains very well so there is little moisture retained in the ground. Like in a true desert, only the hardiest plants can scratch out a living. 

Pumice desert

The pinnacles were originally volcanic steam vents. As gas and steam were released, moisture mixed with the surrounding ash and formed a thick cement. Mount Mazama, the ancient volcano that formed Crater Lake, had its last major eruption 7700 years ago. Following a massive eruption of ash and pumice, a huge explosion caused the mountain to collapse into itself. 

Wizard Island, a caldera within a caldera

Red Cinder Cone, a shadow of the volcanic past

While visiting Crater Lake, I got to do a bit of exploring. I started a sunset hike up The Watchman, one of the peaks along the crater's rim. I got turned around by an incoming thunderstorm. On another hike across the pumice prairie and through a burned forest, I turned around when I lost sight of the horizon with more storms in the forecast. I went down into a canyon along a mountain stream and back up, saw the pinnacles, a waterfall, and small meadow with varying degrees of wetness. Different wildflowers were growing in different areas due to elevation, soil, and moisture levels- a great example of zonation.

Some of the wildlife in the park includes Clark's nutcracker, golden mantled ground squirrels, mule deer, black bears, foxes, bobcats, and pika. I was lucky enough to see the ground squirrel, deer, gray jays, and a tiny frog.

After leaving Crater Lake, I headed to the coast and stayed at the Oregon Dunes. There was no activity at the Sea Lion Caves nearby. The next stop before going home was a quick visit to Mount Hood. I stank after a week in the woods without showers, but the adventure was worth it. This week's information comes from USGS and NPS. All photos are my own. I'll be taking a break for vacation and will return in September with a look at some hard workers, just in time for Labor Day.

Sound of the Wild

Think about the sounds you typically hear over the course of a  normal day. It starts with the alarm clock and quickly fills with noise. The toaster, the hairdryer, the microwave, cars, cars, and more cars, people talking and shouting, buses, trucks, trains, planes, and of course your phone. If you're lucky you heard some birds singing on the way out the door. Other than the lawnmower, popcorn, and a log on the fire, my favorite sounds come from a land far from modern conveniences.
Next time you are out and about pay attention to what you hear. Insects buzzing, birds singing and calling, the wind in the trees (or your ears). In the mountains you might hear pikas and marmots barking, or larger animals like coyotes or wolves howling in the distance. In the fall, you might be treated to the eerie sound of bugling elk.

A not-so-distant coyote, not howling

Water is life, and it also provides a great soundtrack. I can listen to crashing ocean waves or a gurgling river all day long. Rain falling on surfaces other than pavement is a wonderful experience. The pattering on a tree canopy is soothing enough to forget about being soaked, and rain falling in a pond is a magical sound. In a naturally quiet environment like a cave, there's a good chance you'll hear only a single drop of water at a time, maybe a few seconds apart, maybe a few minutes. Even better than rain is the sound of thunder in the distance. This can be a bit worrisome if you're a long way from shelter.

The soothing sounds of the Firehole River

Late summer nights, if there is no thunder, fall asleep to the sound of the crickets. In the spring, fall asleep to the sound of the tree frogs. Another special spring sound, which I've only heard once, is the knocking sound the trees make after the thaw when they start absorbing water and their sap is flowing again. It took a while to figure that one out.

Pacific tree frogs, a sure sign of spring

Here is a link to a short video of some sounds recorded at Yellowstone National Park. Note that the pictures don't necessarily correspond to the sounds. See how many sounds you can figure out!

Species of the Month

As the snow disappears from higher elevations in the west, mountain hikes are once again becoming possible. That's where you'll meet our Species of the Month, although you are more likely to hear it than to see it. The American pika, though it looks rather mousy, is actually related to rabbits. Living high up in the rocky slopes of the Cascades, Sierras, and Rockies, it lets out a high pitched squeal as an alarm call when it spots a potential predator or passing hiker.

Pika adding to its cache of food (NPS)

Scientific name: Ochotona princeps

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

Class: Mammalia (mammals)
Order: Lagomorpha (hares, pikas, rabbits) 

Range: Mountains of western North America from British Columbia south to New Mexico

Habitat: Talus fields within mountain meadows

Pika on the rocks (NPS)

Lifespan: Up to seven years, average is three years
Diet: Grasses and forbs
Predators: Weasels, coyotes, raptors, martens, foxes, bobcats
Conservation Status: No special protection, though seven subspecies are considered vulnerable
Other information: This little critter looks like a big, chunky mouse or a rabbit with short ears. They are active during the day, gathering plants during the summer for immediate consumption and also to stockpile for the long winter ahead. Pikas build haypiles of grasses and forbs, selecting plants with the highest protein content they can find. Haypiles are kept outside during the summer to dry, then moved to the den for winter. Pikas do not hibernate; they remain awake in a tiny cave within the rocks and under the snow, eating their way through that haypile. Like other lagomorphs, they frquently consume their scats. Food is not totally digested, so they eat the scat to absorb more nutrients. Eating it a second time more fully breaks down the plant material. Pikas communicate though alarm calls and scent marking. Scent glands are on the cheek. They rub their cheeks on rocks to mark their territory.

Pika (NPS)

Look for pikas at Mowich Lake in Mount Rainier National Park. This week's information once again comes from the good people at UM's Animal Diversity Web.

Splitting Hares

Continuing last week’s theme of animal comparisons, we will examine the tortoise’s fabled racing opponent, the hare and try to figure out how it’s different from a standard rabbit. Both are members of the mammalian order of lagomorphs, along with a cute little critter called the pika (which we won’t discuss today).

Desert cottontail, a rabbit species (NSP)

Jackrabbit, a hare species in spite of its name
(NPS)

Unlike the functional differences between turtles and tortoises, the differences between rabbits and hares are mainly cosmetic. In general, hares are larger and have longer ears. But there are more differences, being on Day One (before, actually).

Hares have a longer gestation period, by about two weeks. If rabbit and hare litters are born the same day, the hares will have fur and open eyes. They quickly become mobile. The rabbits will be hairless, blind, and cold. Unlike you, they can’t regulate their body temperatures. If you see a baby bunny just keep in mind, baby hares have hairs.

Baby hares are called leverets (USFWS)

Baby rabbits are called kits or kittens (Rabbit Smarties)

Hares live in above ground nests, while rabbits with the exception of the cottontail, are subterranean nesters. Hares are also faster and skittish, while rabbits are more relaxed and make better pets. Don’t try to catch a wild one to keep as a pet though.

So like last week, we found some similar looking critters, but there are differences. One thing these wascally wabbits have in common is that they both multiply like rabbits. Or hares.

This week’s information comes from NationalGeographic.

Road Trip Adventure- Volcanic Idaho

Continuing on our road trip, this week’s Nature Minute takes us to Idaho’s Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. Located in south central Idaho, the area was once a hotbed of volcanic activity. Ancient lava flows created a unique landscape and habitat. Enjoy this week’s story from the road.

The lava flows that give Craters of the Moon its signature look and name sprang from the Great Rift between 15,000 and 2,000 years ago. The lava beds cover over 1000 square miles, flowing from 25 vents that spewed in at least 8 volcanic events during that time period. Craters of the Moon is the largest of several lava beds in the Great Rift.

Volcanic landscape of Craters of the Moon

Lava in the midground, sagebrush steppe in the
foreground and background

Geological features of the Monument are spatter cones, cinder cones, fissures, lava tubes, and kipukas. The cones and fissures are volcano types. Lava tubes and kipukas are formed by lava movement.

Spatter cones are formed when thick lava is ejected from a volcano. It remains molten when it hits the ground, but due to high viscosity, the blobs of lava do not flow away. Rather, new molten blobs are ejected and they stick together, forming a cone. Cinder cones form similarly, but the lava blobs cool and harden in mid-air, becoming lava bombs (actual geological term). The size and shape of the bombs is dependent on gas content.

Spatter cone (NPS photo)

Fissures are large volcanic cracks in the ground. A full-length fissure eruption is probably the rarest of all volcanic eruptions. Spatter and cinder cones can form in a fissure if it becomes clogged in any area. 

Lava tubes form when the outside of a lava flow cools, forming a hard rock shell. After the remaining molten lava drains, the hollow tube remains. I have been inside a lava tube, the Ape Cave at Mount Saint Helens in Washington.

Lava tube (Oregon State University photo)

Kipukas are islands of older lava flows surrounded by newer lava flows. Vegetation on kipukas is different from the surrounding lava flow areas. At Craters of the Moon, the kipukas are islands of sage steppe surrounded by black lava rock.

Kipuka (NPS photo)

Despite its barren appearance, Craters of the Moon supports a diverse ecological community. Plants include sagebrush, prickly pear, limber pine, and Indian paintbrush. Animals in the Monument include the pika, sage grouse, pygmy rabbits, northern harrier, and common nighthawk.

Limber pine

While visiting, I observed a northern harrier overhead. I took a nice stroll through the Devil’s Orchard, so named by a 19^th century preacher who failed to see beauty in Creation and declared the place to be a garden fit for the devil. I enjoyed seeing the lichen that are working around the clock to turn rock into soil so larger plants can colonize. The twisted branches of the limber pine, knotted by mistletoe, set against a stark black backdrop made for an eerie sight. I enjoyed my brief visit and would like to return for a more in-depth look around. I chose not to linger because Craters of the Moon was the undercard for the main even, Yellowstone.

Limber pine with "witch's brooms"

Polished lava rock with swirls

Hardened slow-moving lava flow

Information this week comes from the National Park Service about kipukas, including the picture above. Great Rift information comes from a paper by the folks at Idaho State University. Photo credits go to National Park Service (spatter cone) and Oregon State University (lava tube). All others are my own.