Natural Heritage Inventory

[arghman]

With everyone going out and taking all these great pictures of things flowering above treeline, I just wanted to make sure people were aware of the state Natural Heritage Inventory programs. These are bureaus within the state environmental agencies that track rare plants and animals. Much of their information comes from interested citizens; if you see something that's on the tracking list, you can check with the state NHI program and help them keep their information up-to-date about the quantity and quality of threatened / endangered plants (and animals).

Links and other information:
NH Natural Heritage Bureau
Maine Natural Areas Program
(I don't have the other states' links offhand, apologies to you Adirondack frequenters)

All New England states have a list of plants that they track. Here are many of the alpine plants on NH's list, posted below. (They have a complete list on their website but alpine species are not separated out.) If you see diapensia, Lapland rosebay, mountain avens, alpine azalea, or Bigelow's sedge in large quantities on a well-traveled trail, I wouldn't bother reporting it as they probably have it on file, and I'm sure the Alpine Garden is well-studied. But if you're on a lesser-traveled trail and see a few plants in isolation, take note & consider submitting a report. (They want to know location, condition and approximate number of plants.) I've sent in a few reports; most of the observations I've made were of plants in locations already known to NH NHB but if it's been a few years since someone last looked at them, they will be happy to get an update. (Skip the grasses, though, unless you're a botanist. And purple crowberry's too hard to distinguish from black crowberry which they don't track.)

Also if you do see something on that list, please do *not* post specific locations in a public place (such as this bulletin board).

Arctostaphylos alpina (Alpine Bearberry)
Arnica lanceolata (Arnica)
Betula glandulosa (Dwarf Birch)
Betula minor (Small Birch)
Cardamine bellidifolia (Alpine Bitter-cress)
Carex bigelowii (Bigelow's Sedge)
Cassiope hypnoides (Moss Bell-heather)
Castilleja septentrionalis (Pale Painted-cup)
Diapensia lapponica (Lapland Diapensia)
Empetrum atropurpureum (Purple Crowberry)
Epilobium alpinum (Alpine Willow-herb)
Epilobium ciliatum (Ciliated Willow-herb)
Epilobium hornemannii (Hornemann Willow-herb)
Euphrasia oakesii (Oakes' Eyebright)
Geocaulon lividum (Northern Comandra)
Geum peckii (Mountain Avens)
Loiseleuria procumbens (Alpine Azalea)
Oxyria digyna (Mountain Sorrel)
Paronychia argyrocoma var. albimontana (Silverling)
Phyllodoce caerulea (Mountain-heath)
Potentilla robbinsiana (Robbins' Cinquefoil)
Polygonum viviparum (Viviparous Knotweed)
Prenanthes boottii (Boott's Rattlesnake-root)
Rhododendron lapponicum (Lapland Rosebay)
Rubus chamaemorus (Baked Apple Berry)
Salix herbacea (Dwarf Willow)
Salix planifolia (Tea-leaved Willow)
Salix uva-ursi (Bearberry Willow)
Saxifraga aizoon var. neogaea (Livelong Saxifrage)
Saxifraga rivularis (Alpine Brook Saxifrage)
Sibbaldia procumbens (Sibbaldia)
Silene acaulis var. exscapa (Moss Campion)
Solidago cutleri (Cutler's Goldenrod)
Vaccinium boreale (Alpine Blueberry)
Veronica wormskjoldii (Alpine Speedwell)
Viola palustris (Alpine Marsh Violet)

 

[sweeper]

I been watching the wild Orchidsof NE for a few years now. I've found several in the the Whites. I just bought a new house and have found 5 different ones, so far on the property.

My favorite is the Large Purple Fringed. This one blows away even Lilacs. Look for it towards the end of July in wet areas.

 

[arghman]

fyi -- NH just updated their plant tracking list this week (http://nh.gov/dred/divisions/forestandlands/bureaus/naturalheritage/ListsForms.htm). They haven't updated the town-by-town list yet.

Both Empetrum species (black and purple crowberry) are off the list, which means that when they get around to updating the Res1100 lists as well, I can finally buy some from the nurseries without having to worry about the plant police.

(and Cassiope hypnoides has been officially renamed Harrimanella hypnoides what an awful name change)