Like all minerals, glacial ice has a crystalline structure which absorbs or reflects light. When you look at glacial ice you are looking into and through thousands of crystals. As light strikes the ice surface all colors of the spectrum are absorbed except blue, which is reflected back. As the Mendenhall Glacier slowly recedes up the valley, land buried for thousands of years is uncovered. Bare and barren, this land soon supports a rich growth of vegetation and wildlife.
Plant succession begins when lichens and mosses grow on rock and soil.
Soon, other pioneering plants such as lupine, fireweed, willow, and alder become established. These plants add organic matter and nitrogen and prepare the soil for other species such as Sitka spruce, and western hemlock. With each advance and retreat of the glacier, the process begins again. Wildlife A newly created forest provides a variety of habitat for birds, fish, and mammals. As the forest matures, the diversity in vegetation provides for more diversity in wildlife.