Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Birds > Songbirds

The Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens) is the darkest, most richly colored chickadee in North America and the quintessential avian voice of Pacific Northwest temperate rainforests. Perfectly adapted to the dripping, moss-draped canopies of Douglas firs,...

Northern Pocket Gopher

Mammals > Rodents

The Northern Pocket Gopher (Thomomys talpoides) is a subterranean powerhouse and premier ecosystem engineer of western North American mountain meadows and grasslands. Operating almost entirely underground, this stout, burrowing rodent uses its massive chisel-like...

Western Jumping Mouse

Mammals > Rodents

The Western Jumping Mouse (Zapus princeps) is a charming, kangaroo-like rodent native to the lush mountain meadows and babbling alpine streams of western North America. Famous for its extraordinarily elongated hind legs and an exceptionally long balancing tail that...

Western Matsutake

Fungi > Agarics & Gilled Mushrooms

The Western Matsutake (Tricholoma murrillianum), revered in the Pacific Northwest as the Pine Mushroom, is one of the most culturally celebrated, valuable, and aromatic wild mushrooms on Earth. Closely related to Japan’s legendary Matsutake, this heavy,...

Salmonberry

Plants > Flowering Shrubs

The Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) is a quintessential, beloved native berry shrub that illuminates the dripping understories of Pacific Northwest temperate rainforests. Renowned for its stunning, solitary magenta-pink spring blossoms and its juicy, raspberry-like...