Spring has sprung in the North Cascades

Congratulations! After surviving the dark and rainy days that is Washington winter, Spring is finally here in the North Cascades! Snow still clings to the high peaks, but meadows, rivers, and forests are bustling with new life. Longer days bring more sunlight, warmer air, and plants and animals are noticing.

If you take a walk along a lower elevation forest trail or peek into a river valley, you can see buds swelling on trees, the first wildflowers pushing through thawing soil, and birds returning from migration. But let’s not forget one of the best indicators of Spring in Washington, the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival! Spring is not coming, it’s here!

Read More from “From the Trail: Phenology and Climate Change in the North Cascades”