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2840 - AlpenPix (Wild) - 2010-12-09 (Dimension: 2318 x 1762 pixels - Counter: 5864) Linnaea borealis Locality: USA - Colorado - Peak 7 area, Summit County, Colorado, elevation 10,000 feet. Photographer: Jane Hendrix Note: This diminutive species has a trailing, woody stem and seems to prefer the cool, shaded, acidic soils under dense lodgepole pine and Engelmann spruce. My neighbor owns the lot where these photos were taken on July 19, 2007. Normally, Twinflower blooms sparsely in the wild in our area. On this site, my neighbor heavily watered his lodgepole pines from early June through September in an attempt to ward off mountain pine beetles which were at epidemic levels in our area. It worked for his trees. He saved them all without resorting to spraying. As an unexpected bonus, a small, inconspicuous colony of Twinflower soaked up that water and expanded its growth to blanket the entire forest floor behind his home. In addition, the plants produced blossoms of more intense rosy-pink than the usual pale pink found in our wild areas. What an amazing site it was to behold! (Sent: Alpine-l@nic.surfnet.nl) (Click on the picture to enlarge) |