Through the Bonaparte Black Forest
We hiked across former trails on the Bonaparte Plateau, now burned by the Sparks Lake Fire of 2021. Some areas were barren, some have healthy succession growth, and some were untouched by the fire, but the effects of a long, hot dry summer and years of beetle kill also had a withering effect on vegetation.
We were surprised to see late-season blooms of arnica in the burned areas.
In the unburned areas were the distinctive leaves of Arctic butterbur (Petistates sp.)
We ran into 3 flocks of spruce grouse in the green areas along the way.
A few late-season asters were still in bloom, but winter frosts are not far way at 6500+ feet.
Fungi and lichen, lilies, and twisted stalk could be seen in the unburned forest areas, and in the burned areas we saw lots of fireweed, spirea, and arnica. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.
Walking through the burned area: