So do insects, reptiles and amphibians. There are no rain forests in the eastern Olympics. Big leaf maples are replaced by vine maples. Both are the result of a great deal of rain. In fact, there may be two of each during the year.
Rain frequently falls as strong shower bursts.
In temperate rain forests, there tends to be one long wet season and a fairly dry summer where fog provides the necessary moisture. Average temperatures in a tropical rain forest are warmer and tend to vary less during the year, as do day and nighttime differences. The broad leaf trees associated with temperate rain forests, such as bigleaf maple, vine maple, alder and black cottonwood are deciduous, not evergreen. Whereas palms, bamboos, tree ferns and similar plants grow in tropical rain forests, they are absent on the Olympic Peninsula. There is a greater variety of plants and animals in tropical rain forests than in temperate rain forests, although surprisingly the latter may support more living material.