Mount St. Helens

The area of Southern Washington State around the Mount St. Helens Volcano has been nearly devoid of life since the 1980 eruption - making it a biology lab like no other as scientists observe it springing back to life. The regenerating ecosystem offers biologist John Bishop of Washington State University in Vancouver a chance to study what happens as the mountain springs back to life. Bishop and his team are learning that recovery of an ecosystem is unpredictable and fragile, particularly by observing the impact of a small invader species insect from the weevil family.