Camassia Natural Area is one of the finest hidden gems in the area. It's privately owned by the Nature Conservancy, and the main parking area would probably only work for about four cars. This is land shaped during the Ice Age by the Missoula Floods, which took away the topsoil and left behind huge boulders from places as distant as Canada. It takes water a while to percolate down through the rock, so it's often damp here. That makes great habitat for things like salamanders and camas flowers. The camas will bloom in the spring, but we came searching for salamanders and fall beauty.
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We found many uprooted bulbs, which look like camas. They were sustenance
for Native Americans. Why they were uprooted and left lying on the ground,
I couldn't say. |
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| Fern fronds poke hopefully from the ground, even in November. |
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| Madrone berries. |
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| Jasper is very fond of catching grasshoppers. |
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| Ensatina. |
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| Giant Pacific salamander. |
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| Pacific madrone tree. |
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| Oak gall. |
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