Redwoods -- the world's tallest living trees. Redwoods grow from seeds (or sprouts) the size of tomato seeds yet they can weigh 500 tons and stand taller than the Statue of Liberty. Redwoods can reach 380 feet in height. Giant Sequoias grow only on the Sierra's western slopes and can reach 311 feet in height. Coast redwoods exist primarily along a narrow strip of the California and Oregon coasts. Redwoods have no taproot. Their roots only penetrate 10 to 13 feet down, but spread out 60 to 80 feet. They rely on coastal fog for 20% of their moisture supply.
In 1968, three California redwoods state parks, Prairie Creek, Jedediah Smith, and Del Norte, were combined with Redwoods National Park to form Redwoods National and State Park. The boundaries were expanded in 1978 to their present size.
On the Pacific side of the Park, within site of the ocean is Fern Canyon. One must walk about a mile up a small stream (and get their feet wet) to find ferns growing in this abundance.
While the Park can be enjoyed from a vehicle, we found that hiking several of the many trails off the roads provided the most enriching experience. We hiked Trillium Falls Trail in the center of the park one misty morning. The two iconic flowers of the park are Trilliums and Rhododendrons. Unfortunately, we were several weeks too early for the Rhododendrons because it had been unusually cold this spring.
Although the Rhododendrons were not blooming yet, the redwood forest nymph could be seen hiding in the trees from time to time. They like to pose for photos before scurrying down the trail into the mist.
Known from the Pacific Northwest, south to California, and inland to Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, the western white trillium is the most widespread representative in the western states. All trillium species belong to the Liliaceae (lily) family and are rhizomatous herbs with unbranched stems. Trillium plants produce no true leaves or stems above ground. The “stem” is just an extension of the horizontal rhizome and produces tiny, scale-like leaves (cataphylls). The above-ground plant is technically a flowering scape, and the leaf-like structures are bracts subtending the flower.
We had a difficult time seeing any trilliums at first. But a local ranger said, get off the road and onto a trail and you will find them. They do not grow in large bunches but as individual plants scattered along the trails, often under other vegetation. Once we found the first ones, we were hardly out of side of them on the rest of the trail. What a treat they are.
Large or small, we love waterfalls. This is Trillium Falls.
How do you photograph a redwood tree from bottom to top? It is darn near impossible since they do not grow off by themselves where one can just back up and take the photo. The above image is comprised of eight horizontal over-lapping shots taken from the bottom to the top. Using Adobe Lightroom software, I rotate the images and then stitch them together into a single horizontal panorama. Then I rotate that image back into a vertical image and try to adjust the light accordingly.
The image below is a single image shot straight up the trunk.
Redwoods in the Lady Bird Johnson Grove in the Park. Lady Bird Johnson helped champion the formation of the Park and was present at the Park's dedication in 1968. We thought hiking in this grove was special with lots of different tree sizes and lots of trillium along the trailside.
Twenty miles north of Redwoods National and State Park is Crescent City and it's lighthouse. Crescent City is the northwestern-most city in California. Nearly all the Easter Lily bulbs grown in the U.S are produced on four farms just north of the city. Virtually all Easter Lily bulbs are then grown by flower shops and plant nurseries to bloom around the two weeks of Easter each year.