Craters of the moon national Monument, idaho
More Clark's Nutrackers. I was happy to get something without a blue sky background.
There are large areas covered by volcanic cinders. Not much grows in them, but there is one plant that does.
Dwarf Buckwheat. According to the information at the visitor center, these little mats of plants (3-6 inches across)
have a root system that spreads out for 5-6 feet diameter around the plant. The black cinders are reported to reach 150 F
ground temperature in the summer.
I guess my best shot of the black-tailed Red Squirrel.
And I like this of the Yellow Pine Chipmunk.
This is the lava flow from the North Crater. I'll have photos of the North Crater later today.
The mountains in the background are not volcanic.
A view of Craters of the Moon National Monument. Taken with a wide angle lens, this view probably spans
at least 10 miles in the background. Lava beds spread across the landscape. The mountain in the background
looks like an old volcano, but I'm not sure if it is. It is out of the park boundary.
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