Kevin Dodge, Shirley Gay, and Steve Kite led a walk though Ice Mountain Preserve. The northwest face of the ridge is an immense talus slope, as the North River gradually eats away at the base of the mountain.
The pores between the boulders are a magnet for cold air. The air vents out at the bottom of the slope. In winter and spring, these vents are covered with ice.
The trapped and released cold air provides growing conditions that are closer to boreal than mid-Atlantic. Most of the veg we saw was mostly gone by, but one Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) was still holding on.
Closer to the trailhead, we found a few examples of Cut-leaved Grape Fern (Botrychium dissectum).