|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|
It’s spring and Washington’s wildflowers are blooming all across the state. Here are a few of the preserves that are open to the public where you’ll find the most lavish displays in May:
East Side
Beezley Hills
Find yellow balsamroot, blue delphinium and bright pink phlox among the sagebrush and bluebunch wheatgrass. The Conservancy owns more than 6,000 acres at Beezley Hills, which includes the Beezley Hills Monument Hill Trail north of Quincy. To locate the trail, travel east on SR 28 to the edge of town. Turn north on Columbia Way, and go eight miles to Monument Hill Road. The trailhead is on the east side of the road and identified by a walk-through gate.
Learn more about the Conservancy’s work at Moses Coulee and Beezley Hills right here.
Yakima Canyon
The Yakima River Canyon is the only place where the endangered basalt daisy grows. Many hiking trails originate from the Yakima Canyon Road between Ellensburg and Yakima. The Conservancy’s Yakima Canyon Preserve is about 13 miles south of Ellensburg, just upstream from Red’s Fly Shop.
Learn more about the Conservancy’s work in the Yakima Canyon right here.
West Side
South Sound Prairies
One of the rarest ecosystems in the state, the prairies of South Puget Sound were sustained for thousands of years by Native Americans who used fire to keep forests at bay and encourage wildflower growth. Thanks to restoration and conservation by the Conservancy, volunteers and partners, visitors today can see spectacular displays of wildflowers. See them at the Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve, one of the world’s most unusual geological formations. The preserve has a wheelchair accessible pathway through the unique mounded landscape. Head south on I-5 past Olympia and take the Littlerock exit (exit 95). Drive west through Littlerock and continue on 128th Ave. SW until it ends at an intersection with Waddell Creek Road. Turn right on Waddell Creek Road and look for the Mima Mounds entrance on the left.
Learn more about the Conservancy’s work in South Puget Sound Prairies right here.
Yellow Island
Yellow Island is among the most colorful of the Conservancy’s preserves, long known to passengers aboard Washington’s San Juan Islands ferries for itsdramatic wildflower displays. The small island’s springtime floral display is greater than that of any similar-sized area in the 170-island San Juan archipelago. The island is open to daytime visitors, but you must find your own way there by private boat or kayak (some San Juan kayak guides offer tours).
Learn more about the Conservancy’s work on Yellow Island right here.
Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Photographer/Org (prickly pear cactus); Photo © Photographer/Org (cheetah).
Join The Nature Conservancy on