This was originally published on Native Plants & Wildlife Gardens.
A little known park in Seattle, Pritchard Wetlands is a treasure trove of Pacific Northwest native plants and wildlife. It may sound familiar, I included it in my recent post 5 Great Parks:: Seattle Edition. Situated along Lake Washington, the wetlands area of the park was historically part of the lake and underwater until the construction of the Ballard Locks in 1917. After the construction, the water level fell about nine feet and the area which is now wetlands was then above the water level. However, it wasn’t until the 1990’s that a renovation of the site turned it into the wetlands we have today.
Since moving to the neighborhood last fall, we’ve walked and watched the wetlands on a daily basis and I have taken photos through all the seasons so far of the flora and fauna. This spring I decided to try to document and identify everything I could with the help of bugguide.com and the new Washington Wildflowers app. Visit my Flickr page to see the full set of spring photos with those identifications. This past fall and winter to be added later while summer will be added as I continue taking photos.
I thought I’d try something different this post and more visual. Below please find an overview of the wide variety found in Pritchard wetlands this spring. (Click the image for a larger view.)
