Howker Ridge • Sub & Alpine Plant Catalog
Migrated the Howker Ridge plant catalog to nh48.info and centralized photo database for faster loading and public access into another dataset. Recent improvements include expanded species metadata, refined habitat tags, higher-quality photo references, and a cleaner browsing layout.
Added late fall plant observations, cleaned up notes, and refreshed habitat tags based on recent trail surveys and photo reviews.
After hiking the Howker Ridge Trail on Mount Madison, I became captivated by the unique geology and location of the Howker Ridge Trail. Traversing an incredibly diverse set of ecosystems ascending Mt. Madison, the trail hosts a uniquely diverse set of ecosystems I'd argue, hard to find this close together anywhere in New England, I'm working on photographing, documenting, and in the future recording exact locations of some of these plants with conservation and alpine regulations in mind. Howker Ridge, like many areas in the White Mountains was subject to different levels of logging which adds a layer of complexity.
Vaccinium uliginosum
Low alpine blueberry shrub with rounded leaves and edible bluish berries, hugging windy mountaintops.
Symphyotrichum cordifolium
A delicate lavender-blue aster that froths along woodland edges in autumn, offering late nectar to butterflies with its airy sprays of starry blooms.
Cladonia cristatella
A tiny gray-green lichen that looks like a miniature forest outpost – its upright stalks capped with brilliant red “hats,” like an army of toy soldiers standing at attention on a mossy log.
Solidago canadensis
Tall golden plumes that brighten late-summer fields and clearings, serving as a buffet for bees and butterflies.
Polystichum acrostichoides
An evergreen woodland fern whose leathery fronds stay green even at Christmas, adding a splash of life to winter woods.
Polytrichum commune
A tall, spiky moss that forms lush green carpets on damp forest floors – its upright stems topped with starry leaves and “hair-capped” spore capsules reaching for the sky.
Cinna latifolia
A tall, elegant forest grass with loose, nodding seed heads that dangle in airy clusters – giving shaded streambanks a graceful, drooping accent.
Icmadophila ericetorum
A whimsical forest lichen with a minty green crust that ‘pukes’ up bubblegum-pink dots – often found adorning rotting logs on the damp forest floor.
Doellingeria umbellata
A tall meadow aster with umbrella-like clusters of white daisies, brightening late summer wetlands and field edges with a starry spray of blooms.
Rhododendron groenlandicum
A fragrant bog shrub with fuzzy-backed leaves and white flower clusters, found in peat bogs from lowlands to wind-sheltered alpine nooks.
Rhododendron lapponicum
A rare alpine rhododendron hugging White Mountain summits – tiny leathery leaves and a burst of pink-purple blooms in early summer, surviving only in sheltered cracks of the highest, harshest peaks.
Lobaria pulmonaria
A large, leafy green lichen draping tree trunks in rich, old forests – its lobes resemble lung tissue, inspiring the name “lungwort.”
