Alp Lily

The Alp lily, scientifically known as Lloydia serotina, was not always called that it was first named mountain spiderwort. This flower Starts out looking like a piece of dark grass and gets to be about 6 inches tall, but then in June a six petal white flower, with brown purplish veins blooms. The stem only has about two long thin leaves. Alp lily grows in rocky terrain, mountain tops and sense it grows high up on mountains it’s not eaten much by animals. Places like North America, the western states, throughout Alaska, Great Britain and New México. In the British Isles global warming is affecting the life of the alp lily, scientist say that it might be the first of the plant family to be extinct there.

http://science.halleyhosting.com/nature/basin/3petal/lily/lloydia/lloydia.htm

http://montana.plant-life.org/species/lloydia_sero.htm

http://www.enature.com/flashcard/show_flash_card.asp?recordNumber=WF0448

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloydia_serotina

Alpine Azalea

Loiseleuria procumbens is found is the tundra. This plant grows in mats. It only grows up to 15cm because of the short growing season on the tundra. It has tiny leaves that grow very close together with pink or white flowers. They often grow with lapland diapensia.

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LOPRhttp://www.fossweb.com/CA/modules3-6/StructuresofLife/activities/organism_cards/tundra.pdf

Thompson Pass/Worthington

Thursday 6/9/11

4:00PM-8:00PM

Cloudy, 53F, 11mph winds

dwarf willow- Salix herbacea

crow berries- Empetrum rubrum

narcissus flowered anemone- Anemone narcissiflora

arctic willow- Salix arctica

common dandelion- Taraxacum officinale

green map lichen- Rhizocarpon geographicum

blackish oxytrope- Oxytropis nigrescens

low bush cranberry- Vaccinium vitis-idaea

dwarf blueberry- Vaccinium cespitosum

bell heather- Erica cinerea

alpine azalea- Loiseleuria procumbens

fir clubmoss- Huperzia selago

lapland diapensia- Diapensia lapponica

mountain avens- Dryas octopetala

Labrador tea- Ledum groenlandicum

frogs pelt- Peltigera neopolydactyla

alp lily- Lloydia serotina

small flowered painbrush- Castillja coccinea

moss campion- Silene acaulis

pale gentian- glaucous gentian

sitka alder- Alnus viridis

dwarf fireweed- Chamerion latifolium

Kamchatcha Rockcrest- Arabis kamchatica

black cottonwood- Populus trichocarpa

variable willow- Salix viminalis

There were a lot of cool things growing up on the pass. It was the only opportunity we had to explore the tundra. We were able to identify a lot of plants that we hadn't seen before. Most of the plants on the tundra are shorter than the ones we've seen before. The willows were very cool because we got to see the exposed roots that grow out from just below the surface. It's always dissapointing to see how much the glacier is receding. I remember it being a whole lot larger when I was a kid. There has even been a noticable change since I saw it last summer.

Mineral Creek

8 June 2011
1800-2100
Overcast, Light wind and a slight drizzle
51 degrees F.

Trail head

Salmon berry- Rubus spectabilis
Fireweed- Epilobium angustifolium
Forget- me- nots- Myosotis alpestris

Trail

Red berry elder- Sambucus racemosa
Horsetail- Equisetum hyemale
Spiny wood fern- Dryopteris expansa
Smooth alumroot- Heuchera glabra
Stevens spirea
Shepherds purse- Capsella bursa-pastoris
Devils cub- Oplopanax horridus
Trailing Black currant- Ribes laxiflorum

Bog

Cloudberry- Rubus chamaemorus
Round-leaved sundew- Dosera rotundifolia
Bog Roesemary- Andromeda polifolia
Tufted Clubrush- Trichophorum cespitosum
Dwarf Nangoon Berry- Rubus arcticus
Sphagnum Mosses- Sphagnum spp.
Fir Clubmoss- Huperzia selago
Crowberry- Empetrum rubrum
Marsh Violet- Viola palustris
Wild Geranium- Geranium maculatum
Alaska Violet- Viola langsdorfii
Bog Blueberry- Vaccinium uliginosum

On the way back

Sitka Valerian- Valeriana sitchensis
Sitka Willow- Salix sitchensis
Sitka Alder- Alnus viridis


Animals

Bald Eagle- Haliaeetus leucocephalus

The trail was awesome. I have never been to a bog before, and seeing the sundew was a first. The bugs were not as bad as they could have been, which was a plus. Even though the bog was being destroyed by four wheelers and people littering there was still stuff to be seen out there.

Tundra and Worthington Glacier

June 9, 2011

Weather- Windy , cold, and cloudy at a temperature of about 45.

Tundra

witches hair lichen- Alectoria ochroleuca
Blackish oxetrope- Oxytropis nigrescens
Narcissist Flower Annenome -Anemone narcissiflora
Cetraria nivalis
Starflower- Trientalis borealis
alp lilly Lloydia serotina
low-bush cranberry -Vaccinium vitis-idaea
star-tipped reindeer lichen -cladina stellaris
moss heather- Cassiope mertensiana
Alpine bearberry- Arctostaphylos alpina
Crowberry -Empetrum
Alpine willow -Salix petrophila
Dwarf willow -Salix herbacea
Glacous gentian- Pale Gentian
Lapland diapensia- Diapensia lapponica
Labrador tea -Ledum groenlandicum
Frogs pelt- Peltigera neopolydactyla
Star campylium moss -Campylium stellatum
Mountain buttercup -Ranunculus populago
Small flower paintbrush- Castillja coccinea
Alpine azalea- Loiseleuria procumbens

Worthington Glacier

Dwarf fireweed- Chamerion latifolium
Sitka alder- Alnus viridis
Scowlers willow -Salix scouleriana
Variable willow -Salix viminalis
Dwarf fireweed- Chamerion latifolium

The hikes were great, I thought that the tundra hike was going to be just a couple of the same species over and over, but there was more than I thought. It looks barren till you look at it. the Glacier was home to the nitrogen fixers, the ones that break down the rocks to make soil for others to live in. It was an odd site, I was at the glacier last summer and now it looks to have receded a lot more than I thought it would have.

Thompson Pass

Thompson Pass

6/9/11

Chilly, windy and overcast.

Plants

Variable Willow---Salix commutata

Green Map Lichen---Rhizocarpon geographicum

Narcissus Anemone---Anemone narcissiflora

Blackish Oxytrope---Oxytropis Nigrescens

Alp Lily---Lloydia serotina

Lowbush-cranberries---Potentilla fruticosa

Alpine Izalia---Loiseleuria procumbens (L.) Desv.

Moss Campion---Silene acaulis

Labrador Tea---Ledum groenlandicum

Dwarf Willow---Salix herbacea

Bell Heather---Erica cinerea

Red Capped Lichen---Cladonia cristatella

Arctic Willow---Salix arctica

Villous Cinquefoil---Potentilla villosa

False Pixie Cup---Cladonia chlorophaea

Creatures

Bumble Bee---Bombus

Worthington Glacier

Plants

Fireweed---Eqilobium angustifolium

Sitka Alder---Alnus sinuata

Variable Willow---Salix commutata

Black Cottonwood---Populus trichocarpa

Creatures

Mew Gulls---Larus canus

Thompson Pass was cool but the wind was a major down side it was cold and unwelcome. I was surprised to find out how jagged and rough the rocks were it was interesting because i never would have imagined them that way and the small pools of water that were up there were much warmer than i had expected them to be which was very cool.

Worthington Glacier was also an experience i hadn't been there since i was about 8 years old and i can remember where the ice used to be and its way farther back then i had seen it. I was surprised to see all those sea gulls nesting around there too i didn't know they did that. I liked getting up close to the glacier though it was small it was still a giant to me at least.

Thompson Pass

Thompson Pass

June 9, 2011

Weather- Windy , cold, and cloudy at a temperature of about 45.

Plants Observed-

Dwarf Willow- Saliz herbaccea

Crowberry - Empetrum nigrum

Artic willow- Salix arctica

Common Dandelion- Taraxacum officinale

Corral lichen- Cladia retipora

Low bush cranberry- Vaccinium vitis-idaea

Alpine blueberry- Vaccinium uliginosum L

Bell heather- Erica cinerea

Narcissi flower anemone-Anemone narcissiflora

Labrador tea- Rhododendron tomentosum

Freckled frog lichen- Peltigera aphthosa

Small flower paint brush- Castilleja

Alpine lily – Lilium parvum

Glacier-

Plants observed-

Sitka spruce- Picea sitchensis

Dwarf fireweed- Chamerion latifolium

Black cotton wood- Populus balsamifera L

Worthingto Glacier/Tundra Hike

9 June 2011
1530-2100
37F-45F

Tundra
Narcissist Flower Annenome Anemone narcissiflora
Cetraria nivalis
witches hair lichen Alectoria ochroleuca
Blackish oxetrope- Oxytropis nigrescens
Starflower- Trientalis borealis
alp lilly Lloydia serotina
low-bush cranberry Vaccinium vitis-idaea
star-tipped reindeer lichen cladina stellaris
moss heather Cassiope mertensiana
Alpine bearberry Arctostaphylos alpina
Alpine willow Salix petrophila
Dwarf willow Salix herbacea
Crowberry Empetrum
Alpine azalea Loiseleuria procumbens
Lapland diapensia Diapensia lapponica
Labrador tea Ledum groenlandicum
Frogs pelt Peltigera neopolydactyla
Campylium stellatum Star campylium moss
Mountain buttercup Ranunculus populago
Small flower paintbrush Castillja coccinea
Glacous gentian Pale Gentian
Worthington Glacier
Sitka alder Alnus viridis
Dwarf fireweed Chamerion latifolium
Scowlers willow Salix scouleriana
Variable willow Salix viminalis

It was another amazing hike I had not been to Worthington yet but I will definatly be back soon. What I gound really interesting about this trip was up on top of the mountain tundra. Seeing how all that life can survive in such extreame conditions is fascinateing. Their was so much diversty up there than I ever could have expected. At worthington it was cool to see the markings in the sides of the rocks where the glacier ripped through. The Ice tunnel cave was amazing being able to look up inside there and look underneath a massive glacier was incredible.

High bush cranberry

The shrub High bush Cranberry, scientific name Viburnum trilobum, is not really a cranberry at all it just looks and tastes like one. These red berries hang clusters from bunches of white flowers which stem from twigs with dark green maple look alike leaves then from rough tough grayish stems that can get to be about 4 meters tall. Birds and many creatures munch on these berries, people can eat high bush cranberries right off the plant or make jelly, sauce for meat, even ketchup. It has been used as a home remedies to cure swallows glans and pains like cramps. The berries ripen around September but not till the plant is at least 5 years old. The high bush cranberry is a pretty tough plant that can handle rough weather, it likes well-draining wet soil in forest and along rivers throughout the northeast and northwest of America.

http://www.gaspesielesiles.upa.qc.ca/fhtm/pfnl/en/PFNL%20anglais/1926226-Highbush%20Cranberry.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viburnum_trilobum
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/roller/cranberry/resource/highbush-cranberry.jpg