RHH's photos with the keyword: prairie

Our oldest daughter is visiting from Northern Ireland and yesterday we went hiking at Fishtrap Lake in the channeled scablands of eastern Washington. We hiked the prairies on the west side of the lake and just as I had hoped found the Bitterroot blooming. Bitterroot is Lewisia rediviva, a flower that blooms before the leaves and lies right on the ground. They are, in my opinion, one of our most beautiful wildflowers.

This is Bitterroot, Lewisia rediviva, one of our most beautiful wildflowers.

The Bitterroot were just starting to bloom yesterday when we hiked the prairies at Fishtrap Lake in eastern Washington.

When at Hog Lake recently we hiked along the west shore of the lake and then back across the prairie. These are Aspen, the only native trees in our area that change their color in autumn. Most of the trees are Ponderosa Pines. The Aspen tend to grow in wetter areas, here near a pond.

Photographed after Hog Lake after a dry spring and summer, there was a lot of algae at the edges of the lake and some of it made these pleasing patterns.

We were out hiking today at a place called Goose Butte, but I have not had a chance to look at those photos, so am posting these from an earlier hike. Today we did about six miles of easy hiking along Crab Creek. We did about the same mileage several weeks ago on this hike to Towell Falls. Towell Falls is on Rock Creek on the Escure Ranch, now federal land but once a Basque sheep ranch. There is a larger and more impressive part to these falls, but we could not get to them since the water was too high on this side channel.

This was the canyon through which Rock Creek runs and in which Towell Falls is found. We were hiking on the Escure Ranch, now federal land, several weeks ago when these photos were taken. This is a good illustration of why this area is known as the channeled scablands, lack of fertility and the channeled nature of the land are both evident in the photo.

This was the trail we followed when we hiked on the Escure Ranch several weeks ago, really nothing more than an old two track. The Escure Ranch, now federal land, was once a Basque sheep ranch.

Photographed on the Escure Ranch in eastern Washington, these basalt outcrops are typical of the area known as the channeled scablands. Escure Ranch is a former sheep ranch that is now managed by the federal government.

Several weeks ago we hiked in this area of Washington's channeled scablands and followed Rock Creek to Towell Falls. This part of the scablands was once a Basque sheep ranch, Escure Ranch, and is now under the authority of the Bureau of Land Management. The channeled scablands are an area of poor fertility west and east of Spokane scoured by ancient floods.

This is Rock Creek in the channeled scablands of eastern Washington on what was once a Basque sheep ranch, Escure Ranch. We hiked there several weeks ago, following Rock Creek to Towell Falls.

This is Rock Creek in the channeled scablands of eastern Washington just above Towell Falls. We hiked this area several weeks ago, following an old road on what was once a Basque sheep ranch. The lady is my wife and she is looking for rocks as is her wont.

This is Rock Creek near Towell Falls in the channeled scablands of eastern Washington. We live in this area and during the present crisis have been hiking in this area an area of basalt outcrops, Ponderosa Pines, long narrow lakes, coulees and prairie.

This was where we hiked several weeks ago. Because of the current health crisis most public lands are closed but we have found some places close to home.

This Lomatium or Desert Parsley was one of the wildflowers we photographed on our last hike at Fishtrap Lake in eastern Washington. Unlike other of the Lomatiums many of which have ferny foliage, this has grassy foliage.

This is the Nine-leaf Lomatium, a common spring wildflower in eastern Washington. The Lomatiums are also known as Desert Parsley and these Desert Parsley were photographed near Fishtrap Lake in the scablands of Washington.

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.