AMC Field Guide to the New England Alpine Summits, 2nd

by Slack, Nancy G.; Bell, Allison W.

• ISBN13: 9781929173891
• ISBN10: 192917389X
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-05-01
• Publisher: Appalachian Mountain Club Books

Summary

Back by popular demand, this practical field guide captures the splendor of the rare, yet accessible, alpine zone of northern New England. This fascinating ecosystem is an enchanting world of delicate flowers, hardy plants, and remarkable wildlife that survive in the harsh and unpredictable climate of New England's highest peaks from Vermont to Maine, including Mounts Mansfield, Lafayette, Washington, and Katahdin. Full-color photos and authoritative text offer quick answers to visitors' questions: What is that lovely little pink flower along the side of the trail? How do these plants survive through winter? Which birds am I likely to see above treeline? New to this edition is an appendix on the phenology of the alpine zone--the study of the effect of climate change on plant species. Nature enthusiasts will appreciate this detailed look at climate change and its impact over time on this rare and fragile environment. This new edition also highlights the environmental success story of the rescue of Dwarf cinquefoil, an extremely rare alpine plant that was removed from the endangered species list in summer of 2002 due to decades long efforts by AMC and other conservation advocates in the region. Special features include: >A hiker's guide to the ecological zones that change with the elevation as mountain slopes rise to the summits >The unique world above tree line: biological communities, geology, weather, and other phenomena >More than 200 full-color, annotated photographs of alpine species: flowers, trees, shrubs, grasses, mosses and lichens, birds, mammals, insets, the local landscape, and more

Author Biography

Dr. Nancy G. Slack is a plant ecologist and Professor of Biology at Russell Sage College. Her research and writing topics include bogs, fens, alpine, and bryophyte ecology.

Allison W. Bell is a designer, writer, and photographer in Northampton, Massachusetts. Together, Slack and Bell have co-authored 85 Acres: A Field Guide to the Adirondack Alpine Summits.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. 5
Introduction	p. 7
History of Exploration	p. 8
Geology	p. 11
Weather & Climate	p. 17
From the Trailheads - an Ecological Hike Up the Mountain	p. 19
The Northern Hardwood Forest & Transition Zones	p. 19
The Spruce-Fir Forest Zone	p. 22
The Balsam Fir Forest Zone	p. 24
Into the Krummholz	p. 26
The Alpine Zone	p. 29
Treeline	p. 29
Those Amazing Alpine Plants	p. 30
Herbaceous Plants	p. 33
Trees & Shrubs	p. 45
Clubmosses & Ferns	p. 55
Grasses, Sedges, & Rushes	p. 56
Mosses, Liverworts, & Lichens	p. 59
Adaptations of Alpine Plants	p. 65
Alpine Plant Communities	p. 69
Animals of the Alpine Zone	p. 79
Birds	p. 79
Amphibians	p. 84
Mammals	p. 85
Insects	p. 88
Conservation	p. 91
Success Story-Dwarf Cinquefoil	p. 91
Summit Stewards	p. 94
Phenology & Mountain Plant Monitoring	p. 95
Mountain Watch Programs	p. 98
Flowering Chart to Use for Alpine Plants	p. 100
Index to Illustrated Species	p. 102
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.