Nelson Ridge Peak 7537

Myriopteris gracillima

Sabulina nuttallii

Saxifraga austromontana

Last Wednesday, July 24th, the crew sampled Nelson Ridge Peak 7537. With 4,000 feet of elevation gain over 12 miles, we observed a total of 62 species; Peak 7537 contained both a large and diverse sampling area. In future years, we would be interested in sampling nearby peaks off of this route with the expectation of observing Dryas at higher elevations. 

Some noteable discoveries of this week include Cryptogramma cascadensis, which is an uncommon find for this project. The range for Cryptogramma cascadensis is typically near Mount Adams. In addition, Collomia debilis and Campanula scabrella were both collected on this peak; a trend we have acknowledged on this project is these two species frequently being observed in the same locations. Overall, this was another productive and interesting peak!

Campanula scabrella

Cryptogramma cascadensis

Payton, Iris, and Winston with the peak behind them

Winston and David identifying a plant

Payton along the sampling slope