Scenes from Moses Coulee and Beezley Hills mid-May 2023. Video by Leah Palmer
by Leah Palmer, TNC Writer/Editor
Dancing in the coulees, hills and valleys of Eastern Washington are carpets of color, as wildflowers burst through basalt rock. Among this sits two preserves stewarded by The Nature Conservancy of Washington—Moses Coulee and Beezley Hills—where (right now!) you can view constellations of violet, blue, pink, yellow and white blooms as they enhance the sage brush backdrop. It’s enough to either take your breath away or cause you to breath deeper, slower than before. And if you pay close attention, every other breath is filled with the aroma of sage carried on the breeze.
Moses Coulee is a TNC Washington preserve with inspiring landscapes and a beautiful wildflower display each Spring. Photo by Emily Heber.
With or without flowers dotting the landscape, it’s hard to imagine a more unique space in Washington state. Unlike your typical V-shaped valley, a coulee is a box-shaped valley, where cooled lava (basalt) was carved by Ice Age floods. This process left wide and flat valley beds with sheer rock walls, rocky mounds and columns framing either side.
Phlox and Lupine carpet Beezley Hills. Photo by Leah Palmer.
Though the ground is full of basalt rock, native flowers push past the surface each spring, oftentimes indicating rich food sources that the original inhabitants of these lands carefully cultivated. These include wild onions, bitter root, biscuit root (camas), thyme-leaf buckwheat, and other lomatium with a variety of starchy, medicinal, and flavorful value. Within the same space grows wild phlox, lupine, blue flax, Arrowleaf balsamroot, berries and a several sage varieties.
Daniel Misch, Moses Coulee Assistant Manager for TNC Washington, enjoys a sunset hike through the sagebrush. Photo by Leah Palmer.
Daniel Misch, Moses Coulee Assistant Manager at TNC Washington stewards over 30,000 acres filled with native wildflowers. This preserve also protects habitat for the greater sage grouse, pygmy rabbits, mule deer, a variety of song birds and 14 of 15 bat species found in Washington. “May is a wonderful time to visit Moses Coulee and Beezley Hills. Both preserves are bursting with wildflowers this time of year. Come check it out,” said Misch.
A short drive Southwest of Moses Coulee, sits Beezley Hills. Enjoy a short trail near the top of Monument Hill, where rolling hills and valleys unfold a colorful show of wildflowers and birdsong.
If you’re planning your next visit Moses Coulee and Beezley Hills check out the links below for directions and details.
