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Comparing the view: Mount Rainier National Park on June 10 and today (Paradise). Learn more at https://www.nps.gov/mora/index.htm and about “subalpine species adapted to withstand the burden of deep snow” at https://npshistory.com/nature_notes/mora/vol4/vol4-15c.htm and https://npshistory.com/publications/mora/forests-1922.pdf and https://www.usgs.gov/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/mount-rainier-ecology#:~:text=The%20Subalpine%20Zone,meadows%20and%20clumped%20tree%20communities. and #mountrainier #interpretation #nps #nationalparks #publiclands #photography #landscapephotography #spring Image credit National Park Service #snow #wawx #trees #mountain #snowload #history #subalpine #research

Image 1 of 2 taken from Paradise in Mount Rainier National Park on June 10, 2025. Tall trees on the left and in the background generally stand upright, while smaller trees in the center and foreground appear to be slightly bent as they appear from under the snow. In this view, a part of Mount Rainier is visible in the background and the sky above is blue with a scattering of clouds.

Image 2 of 2 taken from Paradise in Mount Rainier National Park on June 19, 2025. In this image, the smaller trees in the center appear to be more upright relative to the image from the previous week. The vegetation on the slopes is now visible in a number of places and stretches of the park trail system can also be seen emerging from the snow. Mount Rainier is visible in the background and the sky above is blue with a scattering of clouds.

Shades of Gray Jay, the camp robber of the subalpine. We ran into a little beggar flock on our way down from the top of Crystal Mountain. #grayjay #gray #photography #nature #naturephotography #subalpine #birds #birding #jay #Corvidae #corvids #birdphotography #PNW #Cascades #mountains #Nikon #NikonZ5

A gray jay perched on a small branch from a larger tree trunk in the background.

A gray jay on the ground which is covered by low growing alpine plants..

A gray jay perched on a branch of subalpine fir.

The hike down from Crystal Mountain through the subalpine was a visual cavalcade of waning withering wildflowers, butterflies, and fuzzy bees, even a weird looking katydid.
1) Butterfly grouped into genus Plebejus, known as the Blues
2) Butterfly grouped into genus Argynnis, known as the Fritillaries
3) A shield-backed katydid in the genus Steiroxys
#nerdalert #butterflies #butterfly #insects #PNW #nature #naturephotography #subalpine #Cascades #photography #Nikon #NikonZ5 #katydid

A Blue butterfly alights onto purple blue aster flowers.
Butterfly grouped into genus Plebejus, known as the Blues

A fritillary butterfly alights on small white flowers. The butterfly is orange with black markings.
Butterfly grouped into genus Argynnis, known as the Fritillaries

A shield-backed katydid rests on a rocky surface. The katydid is brown-colored.

Paintbrush in a meadow of other wildflowers.

#pnw #plants #flowers #wildflowers #subalpine #hiking #nativePlants #photography #castilleja #indianPaintbrush

A group of brilliant red flowers stands in front of a backdrop of various other plants and flowers. The red flowers are have a bristly appearance, at the end of a long thin stem, giving the appearance of a paintbrush.

#NZ Part 2 was more mellow #tramping in the caples and greenstone valleys, with a little jaunt up into the #subalpine to get between them. #Christmas dinner of nice cheese at McKellar hut was a great way to spend the holiday! U shaped valleys, lots of birds, and ending every day with a swim were all highlights. #Aotearoa #southIsland