. The Canadian field-naturalist. . Figure 3. A view of a portion of the outwash plain summit occupied by the tufts of Hierochloe alpina and the Alectoria species in the distinctive community found on such sites. Eriophorum in the meadows are still not identi- fiable from inflorescences of the current season. Most have only the beginnings of green color- ation where new leaves have begun to appear. July 2. The small lake northeast of camp is now ice free excepting for a remnant on the windward (SE) shore. July 8. First Rubus Chamaemorus in bloom; first Polygonum viviparum flowering scape seen;
. The Canadian field-naturalist. . Figure 3. A view of a portion of the outwash plain summit occupied by the tufts of Hierochloe alpina and the Alectoria species in the distinctive community found on such sites. Eriophorum in the meadows are still not identi- fiable from inflorescences of the current season. Most have only the beginnings of green color- ation where new leaves have begun to appear. July 2. The small lake northeast of camp is now ice free excepting for a remnant on the windward (SE) shore. July 8. First Rubus Chamaemorus in bloom; first Polygonum viviparum flowering scape seen; another Pedicularis spp. in bloom. Ice nearly gone from north arm of Pelly Lake, al- though it still remains in piles along shore where blown by the wind. Community Descriptions Outwash Plain Summit Without doubt the most interesting and un- usual community in the Pelly Lake area is that found on the relatively flat summit of the out- wash plain, a xeric environment and one in which the substrate of coarse sand and gravel affords little retention possibilities for the small amounts of moisture available (Fig. 3). These areas are occupied by a community in which two lichen species are by far the dominants, and these are Alectoria ochroleuca and A. nitidula, the latter a dark brown, nearly black species perhaps adapted in this manner for the capture of as much radiation as possible dur- ing brief periods when moisture available will permit metabolism. At most times, Alectoria is so dry as to crunch perceptably underfoot, and evidently can be metabolically active only dur- ing brief periods during and immediately fol- lowing the relatively rare precipitation or, perhaps more frequently, when dew condenses on the thalli. The only species of higher plants found in abundance in this community are Hierochloe alpina, Luzula confusa, Ledum. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearan
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