Don"t let this sunny picture fool you. The Hoh, a temperate rainforest on the western side of Olympic National Park in Washington state, sees between 12 and 14 feet of rain each year, making it one of the wettest places in the continental US. But all that moisture creates a lush, even mystical environment. The forest features a mix of conifers and deciduous trees draped heavily with moss, like the arching big leaf maple in our homepage image. A stroll through the forest will also reveal the massive Sitka spruce and western hemlock trees that may reach more than 300 feet up into the dense canopy. Below, the woods teem with ferns, lichen, and other vegetation. It"s an enchanted forest right out of a fairy tale.
Welcome to the Hoh
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Blue-footed booby, Galápagos Islands
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Instant romance
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Monet still makes an impression
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Hot and Spicy Food Day
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Does it swim in slow motion too?
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Groundhog Day
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Feel the spray in Monterey
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Reflections of the night sky
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Uncommon clouds are gathering
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Porto Timoni beach, Greece
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Celebrating a young girl s age-old discovery
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A personal collection becomes an institution
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An uncommonly cool critter
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A different view of sharks
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Bluespotted ribbontail ray
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Mysterious prairie mounds abound
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Memorial Day
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Let’s celebrate
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A fortress in the sky
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It’s Canada’s national day
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Incense making, Vietnam
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Ring of fire solar eclipse
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Finding a balance between wetlands and water treatment
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International Polar Bear Day
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To the 155th on the 155th
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At ease, it’s Armed Forces Day
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Cordouan Lighthouse, France
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Spring comes to Glacier National Park
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Did it see its shadow?
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Happy Fathers Day!