Bartlett Cove Beach Rocks

The beach trail to the Bartlett Cove Campground has several informational waysides.

NPS Photo / S. Tevebaugh

Take a close look at the beach rocks and you'll notice they have lichen growing on them. In the classic story of plant succession, lichen spores carried on the wind are among the first life forms to return to the barren landscape after the glacier ice melts away. Landing on rocks, the lichen spores anchored themselves to the rock, and began to break down the rock surface making it possible for mosses to find purchase. Moss further breaks down the rock into soil making it possible for flowering plants and trees to move in. Alder helps put nitrogen into the soil making it possible for bigger trees to grow, like quick growing willows and cottonwoods. Later, spruce seeds germinate in the alder-leaf litter and, once they emerge into sunlight, they also grow rapidly. The spruce trees grow to great heights and will eventually crowd out the other trees. This process of each organism preparing the land for the one that follows is called succession. However, it is not always as systematic as that. If a spore or seed arrives in an area and finds what it needs to live, it will grow.