Cinder Garden

In the heat of the day, the surface temperature at Craters of the Moon National Monument can reach 140 degrees fahrenheit, especially in areas with dark volcanic rocks. During my recent visit, the early summer wildflowers were putting on quite a show. It takes an especially hardy plant to survive the drying winds, extreme heat, and barren soil. Not how the plants evenly space themselves throughout the cinder.


cinder garden in craters of the moon national monument


cinder garden in craters of the moon national monument



big southern butte, a volcanic cone, with cinder garden in foreground