Once an American Indian remedy for headaches and sore throats, the Canada Mayflower is now a possible predictor of climate change. The flowering stages of this plant—also known as maianthemum canadense—provide crucial data for AMC’s Mountain Watch Program. Blooming between May and July, the four-petaled flowers and leaves grow on a single stem and produce small clusters of green-speckled berries that turn tan, then red. Mountain Watch volunteers document the aromatic plant’s stage of growth on paper when they pass by it on hikes.
Studying this plant’s phenology, or response to changes in the environment, and the responses of five others found in lower elevations of New England and Mid-Atlantic forests has supplemented AMC’s research in alpine regions of the White Mountains. Since 2004, Mountain Watch participants have collected data aimed at linking flowering times to climate trends. Record participation and expanded efforts have furthered this goal; nearly 1,900 participants recorded 8,300 plant observations in 2008. 2009 results are still being calculated.
“We have a long-term climate record at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center and at Mount Washington, and we’re looking at that more in depth and at the phenological timing [of certain plants],” says AMC Air Quality Scientist Georgia Murray. “Then we can get a sense of how closely linked some of these species are to temperature.”
While it’s too soon to highlight Mountain Watch data trends, Murray notes that temperature swells may disturb the synchronicity between plant flowering times and migrating pollinators. For example, plants that expend energy to flower as soon as the temperature changes can’t afford to produce as many flowers as the season continues.
Another ramification if warming continues is the migration of low elevation plants to alpine areas. This upward shift could create a fierce competition for space between such species and alpine plants, possibly leading to the latter’s extinction.
That’s why closely monitoring blooming times is so crucial—and seems to be so popular. AMC’s research team expanded the program to the Mid-Atlantic region this year with a few willing chapter members.
Volunteers will monitor 12 new species. “From the volunteer perspective, it was telling that we got high numbers of data back for forest flowers right away,” Murray says. “This is why we decided to expand in the Mid-Atlantic region—because we found that interest was there right from the start.”
Partnerships similar to those in the White Mountains could further efforts in the Mid-Atlantic, Murray says. Seasonal and permanent staff from Baxter State Park, the Green Mountain Club, and the Adirondack Mountain Club already conduct Mountain Watch monitoring using AMC protocol.
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