LATE SUMMER
in the flower meadows

August's warm days, even though sharply contrasted by cool, crisp nights, are characterized by a variety of brilliant floral hues -- for now the passing of the early flowers heralds the coming of the later varieties, giving us a medley of color that is hardly equalled during the other periods of the summer. Now, Nature has painted her hills in bold colors! Mingled with the brilliant reds of the Indian Paintbrush and Heather the Senecio and Arnicas, members of that largest of flower families - the Sunflower or Compositae - flaunt their brilliant yellows while the Purple Aster, also a member of the Sunflower group, contributes the beauty of its flower heads held aloft upon tall, slender stems for everyone to admire. While the Avalanch Lilies have long since disappeared -- only in rare, sheltered locations are a few remnants found -- the abundance of their triangular shaped seed pods, which are found everywhere on the slopes is sufficient to give one an understanding of why this is the best known flower of "The Mountain". But speaking of seed pods those of the Western Anemone (Pulsitilla occidentales) attract more attention than any other flower at the present time. They are very distinctive and unusual resembling as they do miniture feather dusters or mops for the numerous silky fibres, each one of which is attached to a seed, are borne in a cluster at the top of the single stem. The Louseworts -- there are several species native to the Park -- are pretty flowers in spite of their unattractive name. Their leaves are fern-like and the flowers of varying colors are peculiarly shaped giving rise to such common names as "Elephant's Trunk", Duck's Bill" etc., all of which is evidence of their distinctive character.

The Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) - those tall spikes of bright purple flowers that is so much preferred by the honey bee - is now very much in evidence in the Park and attracts a lot of attention along the roads. This flower was in bloom quite a while ago at the low elevations near sea level which gives one some idea of the seasonal differences found in the short span of miles between Puget Sound and "The Mountain". But the lower, forested slopes of Rainier also have their distinctive seasonal flora at this time. The waxy, pink flowers of the Pipsissewa or Princess Pine is now very common in the deep shade of the firs, hemlocks and cedars, while the Saprophitic plants -- of which Mr. Charles Landes writes in these pages -- attract considerable comment because of their unusual appearance. One cannot visit Mt. Rainier National Park and fail to be impressed by the variety and abundance of its flowers!

C. Frank C. Frank Brockman, Park Naturalist.

BEETLES - AND SUCH

A woodpile would seem like a very uninteresting place -- particularly when one is faced with the realization that said wood must someday be cut -- and yet one particular woodpile contributed quite a lot of interest the other day, for it was literally swarming with beetles. Possibly you have seen "engravings" or galeries of the wood boring insects on dead logs, or just beneath their bark. Most of those beetles on this woodpile were wood borers of the family Scolytidae. Tiny brown fellows they were that ventured into the open to enjoy the warm sunshine -- but they paid for their place in the sun, as many were promptly "chucked" into a bug bottle whose cyanide fumes caused them to lose interest immediately in their surroundings. Upon an Alpine Fir, broken off by last winter's snows, several Long Horned Beetles were found. These are so called because of the extremely long antennae which, in some species, are longer than the beetle itself.

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