Mount St. Helens from Forest Road 99.
Forest Service photograph by D. Lapcewich
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A
lthough areas around Mount St. Helens appeared barren and lifeless
after the 1980 eruption, some plants and animals did survive.
Pocket gophers in underground burrows, fish in ice covered lakes and
salamanders hibernating in mud were protected from the hot, stone-filled
wind of the lateral blast. Plants such as willow, vine maple and black
cottonwood were able to re-sprout from roots protected in moist soil.
Despite surviving the eruption, many of these plants and animals were
unable to survive in the harsh new environment, but some were able
to tolerate the extreme condtions and help pave the way for new
colonizers. Winds brought light seeds and insects to the area. Plants
and insects attracted birds, deer and elk. Heavier seeds rode in on
the feathers of birds and in elk droppings. Ponds and springs
created by the eruption became the centers of life for survivors and
colonizers.
Today, many areas around the volcano still have a desert-like appearance,
but the vast majority of plant and animal species that were found at
Mount St. Helens prior to the
1980 eruption have returned. Some, like the Roosevelt elk have returned
in numbers that far
exceed pre-1980 populations. The interactions of these plants and animals
remind us of the
interconnected world we live in. |
