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1 



202 



1956 - ColoradS 



203 



Oct. 5 - Auto trip - Denver - Golden - Lookout Mt. - 



Clear Creek - Idaho Springs - Chicago Creek - 

 Echo Lake - Summit Lake - Mb. Evans - Summit Lake - 

 Echb Lake - Squaw Pass - Bergen Park - Evergreen - 

 Bear Creek - Red Rocks Park - Denver. 



The lower hills are grassy or scrxibby, with Rhus 

 trilobata (?), Cercocarpus, and a heterogeneous 

 population of Juniperus, varying from a green pyramidal 

 form to a very glaucous pyramidal one, also some 

 prostrate Juniperus communis. This is characteristic 

 of sandstone hills, including the red sandstone and 

 conglomerate beds of Red Rocks Park (these are mostly 

 bare rock with vegetation only in cracks and on ledges, 

 a very small Berberis (Mahonia) is very common) and 

 granite hills and cliffs as along lower Bear Creek 

 Canyon. 



Upward, scattered pines appear^ soon forming an 

 irregular forest, as at Lookout Mt. On Lookout Mt. a 

 gray squirrel with enormous ears was seen in the pine 

 forest. This pines must be a form of P. ponderosa, 

 but the cones are very small and the triinks vary 

 from red to black, from platy to very rough. It is 

 2-needled, needles 5-8 cm. long. Mixed with this are a 

 few spruces - app>arently Picea pungens and Picea 

 engelmanriii. The pines soon change, upward, to Pinus 

 contorta var. murrayana, which forms dense forests on 

 ridges and open slopes, mixed with spruces in canyons* 

 Canyon bottoms, v*iere open, often have Salix and 

 a very narrow-leafed (cont'd on p. 204) 



Echo Lake 10, 6crD ^. 



Slopes covered by dense forest of Picea, some Abies, 

 a little Pinus contorta up to 20 (rarely 25-30) cm dbh. 

 No dominant size class. Little \mdergrowth of groiind 

 cover, patches of Pyrola, Vaccinium. Abxindant lichens 

 (Parmelia) and mosses. 



Bog at head of lake dominant ly Poa, but with patches 

 of Salix, some Potentilla fruticosa, Sedtim common, 

 .Gentiana occasional, Pedicularis locally common. Various 

 other herbs. 20-50 cm. of peat. 



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