World Wetland Day
Less than one percent of Mount Rainier National Park is categorized as a wetland. When you picture a wetland, you may be thinking of a lowland marsh or a swamp. But at Mount Rainier, wetlands are primarily small habitats found in the subalpine zone! There are two types found in the park. “Subalpine herbaceous wetlands” are composed of a mix of plants like fan-leaf cinquefoil, black alpine sedge (Carex nigricans), and lakeshore sedge (Carex kelloggii). These wetlands are found in high-elevation basins throughout the park. Occasionally dense patches of Barclay’s willow (Salix barclayi) may dominate these environments, forming “subalpine willow wetland”. The two types often form mosaics, with willow wetlands adjacent to streams and surrounded by herbaceous wetlands. Wetlands can also occur throughout the alpine zone in depressions holding snow beds or collecting melt water. Wetlands attract numerous species and support healthy ecosystems.
NPS Photo of subalpine wetland along the Skyline Trail, 9/16/21.
