Bird Creek Meadows
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Mount Adams from Ollalie Lake
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At work in the WSU herbarium
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“Mount Adams has always had a special lure for me. Its memory has been the most haunting of all.
Adams is more intimate than Rainier. Its lines are softer; it is more accessible.
It has always been my favorite snow-capped mountain.”
William O. Douglas, Of Men and Mountains
Adams is more intimate than Rainier. Its lines are softer; it is more accessible.
It has always been my favorite snow-capped mountain.”
William O. Douglas, Of Men and Mountains
Mount Adams has been called the “forgotten volcano” despite advocacy on its behalf by Justice Douglas, its status as the second highest mountain in the Pacific Northwest, and its proximity to the city of Portland. And if the Mountain itself is little known, then its flora is doubly so.
Our books began with an observation made by Susan, as we approached the end of a short hike on the Round-the-Mountain Trail at Mount Adams. It was in the fall of 2003 and most flowers had vanished from the small, dry meadows along the southwest segment of that trail, but the landscape, scenery, trees, and environment were of such compelling interest, that she suggested that we undertake a project to document the flora of Mount Adams. We soon discovered how little comprehensive work had been done on the floristics of the mountain and that we would thus have to work “from the ground up,” beginning in the herbarium and and carried on through several seasons in the field.
That Mount Adams was so little known, compared to Mounts Hood, Rainier, and St. Helens, and therefore that its fascinating plant life was likewise little known, seemed to us a clear omission in the knowledge of Northwest flora. Foremost in our minds throughout the project was the correction of that situation. From its beautiful flowers to its many birds, to the grandeur of its glacial and volcanic landscapes, here is a mountain that awaits discovery! It has been our most fervent hope that these books will promote such an awakening.
Our books began with an observation made by Susan, as we approached the end of a short hike on the Round-the-Mountain Trail at Mount Adams. It was in the fall of 2003 and most flowers had vanished from the small, dry meadows along the southwest segment of that trail, but the landscape, scenery, trees, and environment were of such compelling interest, that she suggested that we undertake a project to document the flora of Mount Adams. We soon discovered how little comprehensive work had been done on the floristics of the mountain and that we would thus have to work “from the ground up,” beginning in the herbarium and and carried on through several seasons in the field.
That Mount Adams was so little known, compared to Mounts Hood, Rainier, and St. Helens, and therefore that its fascinating plant life was likewise little known, seemed to us a clear omission in the knowledge of Northwest flora. Foremost in our minds throughout the project was the correction of that situation. From its beautiful flowers to its many birds, to the grandeur of its glacial and volcanic landscapes, here is a mountain that awaits discovery! It has been our most fervent hope that these books will promote such an awakening.
The Mount Adams books, including sample chapters and sections from each:
The Flora of Mount Adams, Washington
The Wildflowers of Mount Adams, Washington
Here is a listing of a dozen fine spots, easily reached by road, to see the flowers of Mount Adams.
Species list for The Flora of Mount Adams ---- Slideshow of 160 of Susan's photographs
Click to see a Powerpoint presentation outlining our work at Mount Adams