Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Which Tree? Why the Douglas-Fir, of course!
It should be Washington State’s Tree, but apparently Oregon has that distinction. (Washington’s is the Western Hemlock.) But the Doug-Fir is the tree I see the most, or perhaps the one I recognize most easily on the trail.
Tall, dark and handsome with thick bark – the tree I mean,
often surrounded by Vine Maples adding beautiful contrasting color.
You’ll find ancient giants in the Grove of the Patriarchs in Mt. Rainier National Park, though you can’t get to them currently. They’re on an island in the Ohanapecosh River, and the only suspension bridge was damaged a few years ago, yet to be repaired. (Not me on the bridge.)
Across the bridge you enter a wonderland of ancient trees, over a thousand years old, some close to 300 feet tall.
Yes me with the twin firs, to show you just how big these trees are.
“The coast Douglas-fir variety is the dominant tree west of the Cascade Mountains in the Pacific Northwest. It grows in the coastal regions from west-central British Columbia south to Central California. In Oregon and Washington its range is continuous from the eastern edge of the Cascades west to the Pacific Coast Ranges and Pacific Ocean.” Wikipedia
I have both Douglas-fir trees and Western Hemlocks in and around my yard, and sometimes can’t tell the difference.
I know the big one below is a Douglas-Fir,
and is a favorite of the birds, including this recent visitor, a Hairy Woodpecker.
A few years ago we had what I thought was a dying Doug-Fir but the arborist told us it was a Western Hemlock. He also strongly encouraged us to leave it as a standing snag for the wildlife which we did. The neighbors weren’t thrilled at first, but the birds loved it.
Sharing my favorite tree with Sunday Stills, #Trees.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 
Douglas Fir are everywhere in BC. I had one in my yard once. I loved it!
Yes indeed! They are wonderful trees and we’re lucky to have them in the Pacific Northwest!
Good for you for leaving the snag. Great for wildlife. 🙂
It looked so funny at first, we wondered if we’d made a mistake. But we’re so happy we kept it, as so many birds use it for food and nesting!
Wow, just wow!! They are so tall and massive, very beautiful, Susanne!! The snag isn’t attractive but it’s great that you guys left it there for the critters, yay! ❤️☺️
Thanks, John! The snag wasn’t good to look at when we first had it trimmed, but we love it now for the birds it attracts.
Very nice! You probably have different species there than down here. Robins, Northern Mockingbirds and Hummers are common here and some smaller birds.
We have all manner of birds here including robins, chickadees, juncos, hummers, nuthatches, woodpeckers, wrens, stellar jays, finches, warblers, and more! But I’m not familiar with the northern mockingbird.
Wow, I’m sure there are more birds here that I don’t remember! 😂👍🏻
Well, I had a comment all tapped out on my phone, and I turned the phone and it all disappeared. LOL. Anyway, I LOVE any kind of pine or evergreen. Susanne! I was in Portland two weeks ago and always stand in awe of the massive Douglas Firs there. You in that pic really shows just how big they are. I’m glad you kept the snag and that it has so much wildlife associated with it. How tall is the tallest tree in your backyard?
I didn’t know our state tree is the Western Hemlock, will have to google it. We’re surrounded by Ponderosa Pines here, but the larch trees are everywhere, too, now that I can ID them when they’re green.
I also need to pick your brain about our upcoming visit to Yellowstone NP.
I love Douglas-Firs as they are lovely, dark and deep, and everywhere on the west side. I had to ask Bob about height as I really have no idea! The ones in our yard and surrounding are probably in the 80 ft. range. There’s an old-growth we can see from our yard nearby that’s probably 150 ft. high!
I love Ponderosa Pines too and enjoy them when we cross the mountains. 🙂
And oh, Yellowstone! My favorite! Where to begin? A land of marvels and wonders!
I remember you went to Yellowstone a couple of years ago in September, if I recall correctly. We’re staying at the KOA in West Yellowstone. We have our dog with us, so we’ll be a bit limited for hiking. But it’s OK. I’m doing some research. We’ll have 4 entire days to drive to the areas of interest. I’ll reach out to your contact page if that’s ok.
Yes! I just sent you an email!
Great photos.
Thank you!
I always loved Douglas Firs, we get some in the Northern High Country of AZ. Amongst all the Ponderosa Pine. I wonder if I too loved them because I recognize them. 🤣 Those along with the Aspen are hard to get mixed up. Thanks for your wonderful photos.
Thanks so much for you comment! 🙂 It’s fun when you can identify them.
Lovely big trees Susanne. I had Doug Firs on a Port Townsend property until a big windstorm blew a dozen or so down. A sad event, but it made it easier to decide where to build the house!
Thanks, Graham. I sometimes worry about being surrounded by trees in a windstorm, but I think they’re healthy and stable. At least that was the assessment of the arborist who took a look a few years ago.
Yes, it can be a concern. After the house was built, I ended up having to take down one more tree that was just too close.
Beautiful! And very sweet birds…
Thank you. I love the birds!
Dear Susanne
We love such big trees. Here are the oaks the biggest trees.
Keep well
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Thank you. 😊 I love oak trees too but they are not as prevalent here as the Douglas-firs are.
Majestic trees indeed! I can tell just from your photos how special it would feel to walk among them – awesome in the proper sense of that word!
Thanks, Sarah. 😊 Most of the forested trails we walk are full of giant Doug-firs!
You are lucky to live close to so many ancient and beautiful trees. Don’t tell Trump about them though, I read that he wants to cut every tree down to make more lumber!
Best wishes, Pete.
Yes, indeed. There are still old-growth forests that are filled with giant ancients. But logging is also a big industry here and there is continual fighting over what should or can be logged. Hopefully, the old-growth forests on state and federal lands, and in the national parks will continue to be protected. Let the loggers have the second-growth forests and tree farms.
These are beautiful. I love old growth forests.
Thank you. Me too. 🙂