By: Nora Tanel
On Sunday, June 30th, 14 people met at the Rite Aid in Ashland to go to the famous Lost Creek Falls. After figuring out carpools, we took Dead Indian Memorial road, turning left onto Shale City Road. The lack of information on how to get to the trailhead is one of the reasons for Lost Creek Falls’ notoriety. Luckily the whole entourage arrived in one piece.
The main emphasis of the hike was on insects. Specifically, we focused on decomposers, which is basically anything that you would find under a log. However, slowly our attention shifted to pointing out any insects that were found along the way. We were even able to use Loupes to get a closer look at some of the creatures we found.
Photo credit: Val Rogers
While it is only about three quarters of a mile to get to the falls, we did need to cross the creek a few times. There was still a variety of wildflowers in bloom including western columbine and Oregon sunshine. A full list of all flowers and butterflies that were seen on the trail can be found at the end of this post. We were even able to spot many pollinators including a variable checkerspot butterfly as well as bumble bees. One of the best parts about this trail is the creek that the group followed the whole way. The gurgling creek paired with the sound of song birds proved magical. It was a great opportunity to show the importance of water to all different types of life.
One of the insects that we saw most often is the Spittle Bug. It is known for its frothy, spit-like liquid that they produce when feeding on plants. They were often found on the thicker stems of grasses. Once we arrived at the falls, we all took a moment to be in awe of its beauty. Using binoculars we were also able to spot a fully grown salamander at the bottom of the falls, about seven inches long! The group stopped here to rest and eat some food while we talked about the designation and the history of the Cascade- Siskiyou National Monument as well as everyone's experiences in the Monument thus far.
After refueling, a small group decided to adventure out to an overlook on top of the bluff to hopefully catch a glimpse of Lost lake. It is the only naturally made lake in the Monumen that was formed when Lost Creek was cut off from the falls by a landslide.
It was a wonderful, quick morning hike. Everyone had a noteworthy time, filled with looking under rocks and investigating various flora. Certainly, it would have been difficult to think of a better way to spend the morning than exploring this special corner of the Monument.
List of Plants
Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum)
Yarrow (Achillea)
Pacific Trillium (Trillium ovatum)
Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium occidentale)
Western White Anenome (Pulsatilla occidentalis)
Orange Honeysuckle (Lonicera ciliosa)
Oregon Checkermallow (Sidalcea oregonia)
Giant Red Indian Paint Brush (Castileja miniata)
White Inside Out Flower (Vancouveria hexandra)
Slender Cinquefoil (Potentilla gracilis)
Common Wooly Sunflower (Eriophyllum lanataum)
Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens)
Columbian Windflower (Anemonastrum deltoideum)
Deerbrush Ceanothus (Ceanothus integerrimus)
Washington Lily (Lillium washitonianum)
Arrowleaf Buckwheat (Erigonum compositum)
Harvest Brodiaea (Brodiaea elegans)
Cascade Oregon Grape (Berberis nervosa)
Bride’s Bonnet (Clintonia utifloria)
Three Leaf Foamflower (Tiarella trifoliata)
Creeping Snowberry (Symphoicarpus malus)
Common Cowparsnip (Hercaleum maximum)
Columbian Tiger Lily (Lilium columbianum)
Diamond Clarkia (Clarkia rhomboidea)
Candy Flower (Claytonia siberica)
List of Butterflies
Variable Checkerspot
Silvery Blue
Cedar Hairstreak
Thicket Hairstreak