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Trish and I just got back from a few weeks in Washington. We had a great time visiting our son Micheal and daughter-in-law Megan. Another thing I love about traveling is that I can see wildlife that doesn't live here is Missouri. I'd like to share a few examples (Part 1).
THE FIRST PHOTO is a NORTHERN ALLIGATOR LIZARD, which only lives in the Pacific Northwest. I had to search for a while to find a few of these cool lizards. They are quite secretive, and I spotted this one peeking out from under a piece of loose bark.
THE SECOND PHOTO is a bizarre kind of lichen called METHUSELAH'S BEARD. A lichen is actually two kinds of organisms living together in partnership: fungus and algae. The fungus provides a moist place for the algae to live, and the algae provide food by doing photosynthesis. This lichen hangs from trees, and it is the longest type of lichen in the world.
THE THIRD PHOTO is a CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE. We see a lot of black-capped chickadees in Missouri, but this species only lives in the Pacific Northwest.
THE FOURTH PHOTO is a PACIFIC WREN. This wren species lives—you guessed it—only in the Pacific Northwest. Missouri has house wrens, Carolina wrens, and winter wrens, but it's always fun to see a new species.
THE FIFTH PHOTO is a ROOSEVELT ELK. Wild elk used to roam throughout Missouri, but by the 1880s, they were completely extirpated by humans. They were reintroduced in 2011 to 2013, and now we have several breeding populations in Missouri. The Roosevelt elk, however, is a subspecies that lives—you guessed it again—only in the Pacific Northwest.
I'll share a few more Washington critters in another post soon.
THE FIRST PHOTO is a NORTHERN ALLIGATOR LIZARD, which only lives in the Pacific Northwest. I had to search for a while to find a few of these cool lizards. They are quite secretive, and I spotted this one peeking out from under a piece of loose bark.
THE SECOND PHOTO is a bizarre kind of lichen called METHUSELAH'S BEARD. A lichen is actually two kinds of organisms living together in partnership: fungus and algae. The fungus provides a moist place for the algae to live, and the algae provide food by doing photosynthesis. This lichen hangs from trees, and it is the longest type of lichen in the world.
THE THIRD PHOTO is a CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE. We see a lot of black-capped chickadees in Missouri, but this species only lives in the Pacific Northwest.
THE FOURTH PHOTO is a PACIFIC WREN. This wren species lives—you guessed it—only in the Pacific Northwest. Missouri has house wrens, Carolina wrens, and winter wrens, but it's always fun to see a new species.
THE FIFTH PHOTO is a ROOSEVELT ELK. Wild elk used to roam throughout Missouri, but by the 1880s, they were completely extirpated by humans. They were reintroduced in 2011 to 2013, and now we have several breeding populations in Missouri. The Roosevelt elk, however, is a subspecies that lives—you guessed it again—only in the Pacific Northwest.
I'll share a few more Washington critters in another post soon.
Photo Credits:
All photos by Stan C. Smith
All photos by Stan C. Smith
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