This tiny pond demonstrates the unique ecosystem here in the subalpine meadows of Mount Rainier. Life forms in the pool race with the weather to grow, reproduce, and store food in the short snow-free season between June and September. Soils around the pool are composed of fine particles of volcanic ash and mudflow materials. Tiny fragments of pumice, called ash, are so small and light that they can drift long distances through the air when ejected from a volcano. Many layers of ash from Mount Rainier coat Paradise meadows, but some ash layers were carried from Mount St. Helens and even from Mount Mazama in Oregon, which erupted and collapsed, forming Crater Lake. While ashy soil is nutrient-rich and provides fertile ground for the meadows, it is also quite fragile. Pocket gophers and meadow voles, members of the rodent family, dig small holes and tunnel trails year-round, which helps to stir and aerate the soil. Their activity is important because the fine soil is very easily compacted and eroded. In fact, as few as 12 footsteps in the same spot can compress the soil enough that plants will not be able to grow.