Spring is prime time to visit rain forests (with spirit of Dr. Seuss)

I like to imagine myself with Dr. Seuss whenever I spend time in a Pacific coastal rain forest. What strange and marvelous worlds would that man conjure if he spent an hour among the plant colonies thriving on a nurse log or tree branch?

Tree-lichen kingdoms and moss-bearded giants would surely find their way into his imagination (and mine) when I stroll with him. It’s not difficult to play the game because temperate rain forests are so rich with unusual nooks and crannies, and chock full of amazing little critters.

There are waxy things, slippery things, odd smelling things, and in spring, you’ll find lots and lots of green. Wherever you look, you see walls of green, green, green. It’s no wonder I think of oobleck.

Rain forests constitute around 6 percent of the earth’s surface, and most of that is in the Amazon. Unlike their tropical cousins, Pacific coastal rain forests receive most of their moisture seasonally, meaning spring is the time of year when everything explodes with a million shades of green.

Contrary to popular belief, the Hoh isn’t the only rain forest in our region. Here are five others worth a look — reaching into Canada — and what Dr. Seuss might like about them.