Читать книгу 50 Best Short Hikes: Yosemite National Park and Vicinity онлайн

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In turn, plants inhabiting each so-called niche look different. At high elevations, savage winds and the heavy burden of a snowpack necessitate a short stature, while in a dense forest, being the tallest herb is advantageous because its leaves intercept the most sun. Plants in drier environments tend to have smaller leaves than those of their streamside compatriots. Meanwhile flowers come in all manner of shapes and colors, each long selected to maximize visitation by certain pollinators. A long tubular red flower attracts hummingbirds, while a wider, shorter, blue-tubed species will be visited by bees. Patchy, yet regular, wildfires are essential to create some habitats and therefore increase the diversity of species that exist in Yosemite. Some wildflowers and shrubs germinate only after an intense wildfire has cleared the overstory, while others thrive beneath a dark canopy of mature pines and even acquire energy directly from the trees’ roots.

Although you may not be able to greet many plants by name, take the time to stare at the myriad of shapes and sizes, considering that no one species can live everywhere but that together plants do a remarkable job of exploiting every inhabitable inch of Yosemite. And of practical importance, two of the most colorful locations are meadows (especially those around 8,000 feet and in the alpine) and along stream banks.