RHH's photos with the keyword: ponderosa pine

This was the area where we hiked last week near Fishtrap Lake. The area is known as the channeled scablands as is the area where we live, an area of thin soil, Ponderosas, ponds, coulees and long narrow lakes. We hiked part of the way along the west side of the lake and then over the prairie.

This is typical scenery of the area where we live known as the channeled scablands. The basalt outcroppings are one common feature and the only trees are the Ponderosa Pines.

This is typical of the area where we live and where we hiked last week known as the channeled scablands. The basalt outcroppings, bunchgrass and Ponderosa Pines are the most notable features.

This is part of the trail we hiked last week across the prairie west of our home. At this point it followed an old channel not far from Fishtrap Lake.

On our hike last week near Fishtrap Lake we hiked through an area that was burned in 2014 in the Watermelon Hill Fire. The fire burned about 15000 acres and the effects of the fire are still visible. Prairie fires are very common in our area and one of things we worry about when the summers are dry.

This is the Western Dwarf Mistletoe, a native parasitic plant that has Ponderosa Pine as its host. The photo was taken on a frosty morning on one of our daily walks near our home.

Western Dwarf Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that has Ponderosa Pine as its host. It is very common in the areas where we take our daily walks because the trees grow so closely together allowing the mistletoe to spread.

This is the Western Dwarf Mistletoe on a Ponderosa Pine. The plant is a common parasite of Ponderosas in our area and this frosted example was taken on a winter morning on one of our daily walks.

At least in the open areas we hiked on Manastash Ridge, the Ponderosa Pine was the only tree and they were scattered over the ridge. Most of our hike was in the sun, therefore, and I suffered some sunburn as a result. More pictures and the story of our hike can be found on my blog at: ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2010/06/manastash-r... .

Thursday and Friday my wife and I managed to get away to do some hiking. We left very early Thursday morning and drove to Manastash Ridge, southwest of Ellensburg, Washington, on the east side of the Cascades. There, on Thursday, we hiked the Ray Westberg Trail and the Boyscout Trail. The day was sunny and warm, though it was raining west of the Cascades. This photo was taken from the Ray Westberg Trail about halfway up the ridge and shows one of the Ponderosa Pines growing on the ridge. The area was like a huge flower garden with Buckwheat, Pussytoes, Alliums, Larkspurs, Balsamroots, Penstemon, Phlox, Irises, Paintbrush, Salsify, Lupines, Tritellias, Asters, Groundsels and Arnicas all in full bloom. The highlights, though, were the Bitterroots, (Lewisia rediviva) which were blooming profusely on nearly every patch of rocky soil. We went on Friday to hike in the Cascades, but that's another story and another series of pictures. I'll be posting more pictures from both hikes and also adding a new post to my blog as soon as possible, but this will have to do for today.