Find Nature In Washington

Additional Wildlife of Washington

To flesh out your understanding of the region’s natural history, here is a breakdown of the specific taxa you can expect to encounter in the Evergreen State.

Birds (Avifauna) The Marbled Murrelet is a seabird that defies logic; it spends its life on the ocean but flies miles inland to nest on the wide, mossy branches of ancient old-growth trees. It is the primary driver for old-growth conservation in the state. The Glaucous-winged Gull is the ubiquitous “seagull” of the region, vital for cleaning up carrion on the beaches. In the shrub-steppe, the Brewer’s Sparrow is the voice of the sagebrush, relying on the vast, treeless expanses of the east.

Mammals The Southern Resident Killer Whales (J, K, and L pods) are culturally and ecologically distinct from other orcas; they eat only fish (mostly Chinook salmon) rather than marine mammals. They are critically endangered and rely heavily on the salmon runs of the Columbia and Fraser rivers. The Olympic Marmot is an endemic species found only on the high alpine ridges of the Olympic Peninsula, known for its piercing whistle and social behavior. The Mountain Beaver (Aplodontia) is a primitive rodent found in the wet coastal forests; it is not a true beaver and is considered a “living fossil,” having changed little in 40 million years.

Insects The Mardon Skipper is a small, imperiled butterfly found in the glacial outwash prairies of the south Puget Sound. These prairies are among the rarest ecosystems in the U.S., maintained historically by indigenous burning to cultivate camas. On the slopes of Mount Rainier, the Rainier Plecoptera (Stoneflies) are adapted to the cold, glacial meltwater streams, emerging even when snow is still on the banks.

Plants The Western Rhododendron is the state flower, blooming pink in the understory of the coniferous forests. The Subalpine Fir is the tree that defines the “krummholz” (crooked wood) zone on Mount Rainier, growing in stunted, wind-battered mats at the treeline. In the eastern desert, Balsamroot covers the hillsides in yellow during the spring bloom, a critical food source for deer coming out of winter.

Fungi Washington is the home of Agarikon (Laricifomes officinalis), a rare, massive bracket fungus found in ancient old-growth forests. It was historically important to indigenous peoples for medicine and spiritual carving and is now being researched for antiviral properties. The Matsutake (Pine Mushroom) is a highly prized edible found in the sandy coastal soils under pines, known for its spicy, cinnamon-like aroma.

Washington Biodiversity Profile

Washington is a state of extreme biological contrast, arguably more so than any other state. It is defined by the Olympic Peninsula in the west, an evolutionary island isolated by the ocean and the Puget Sound. Here, the Hoh Rainforest receives up to 140 inches of rain annually, creating the quietest place in the lower 48 (One Square Inch of Silence) and a “cathedral forest” of massive Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlock draped in clubmoss. Because of its isolation, the peninsula hosts endemic species found nowhere else, like the Olympic Marmot.

Inland lies the Salish Sea (Puget Sound), a complex estuarine system carved by glaciers. It serves as a mixing bowl for nutrients, supporting massive eelgrass beds that feed herring, which in turn feed salmon and the region’s iconic orcas.

The spine of the state is the Cascade Range, a volcanic arc. Unlike the granite peaks of the Sierra Nevada, these are stratovolcanoes. Mount Rainier, which you are planning to visit, is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous U.S. Biologically, it functions as an arctic island; as you ascend, you pass through distinct life zones—from ancient cedar forests to subalpine meadows famous for their “profusion bloom” of wildflowers, finally ending in permanent ice and rock.

East of the Cascades, the landscape undergoes a radical shift into the Rain Shadow. The Columbia Plateau and the Channeled Scablands are a stark, arid landscape scoured by the Missoula Floods. This shrub-steppe ecosystem is dominated by sagebrush and bunchgrasses, hosting species more typical of the Great Basin. The Palouse in the southeast is a unique region of rolling loess (windblown silt) hills, historically a distinct prairie ecosystem that is now almost entirely converted to wheat agriculture.