Annual census of flowering Frasera speciosa plants near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Colorado

Abstract

Each year from 1979 - 2011 the number of flowering Frasera speciosa (Gentianaceae) plants visible with binoculars along approximately 14 km of County Road 317 (Gothic Road) was counted in approximately 130 meadows or parts of meadows. Plants were also counted in four areas not completely visible from the road, the “Research Meadow” at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (a large meadow just south of Copper Creek), the townsite of Gothic, where RMBL is located, a meadow surrounding the Kyle cabin between the Gothic Road and the East River, and meadows along about 2km of the Kettle Pond Road, a dirt road that parallels the Gothic Road but on the East side of the East River (south to N38° 5268’, W106°58.2380’). The N – S road segment starts a few hundred m south of the border of the Gunnison National Forest, at the North Village valley of Mount Crested Butte (N38° 55.1582’, W106° 57.6223’), on the west side of the road, and continues to the north end of Emerald Lake (N39° 0.6949’, W107°2.5683’), shortly before Schofield Pass at the top of the East River valley. Altitude along the transect ranges from 2,920m to 3,190m, and areas included in the census extend approximately 2,850m below the road to as far as 3,322m above it, and range as far as approximately 600m from the road.