Sep 11, 2022
This photo by James Parsons was taken in the Paradise Park area on Mt. Hood. The dominant plant in this photo is bear grass (also known as soap grass, quip-quip, and Indian basket grass).
Bear grass (a relative of the corn lily) is an important part of the fire ecology of regions where it is native. It has rhizomes which survive fire that clears dead and dying plant matter from the surface of the ground. The plant thrives with periodic burns and is often the first plant to sprout in a scorched area.