A high-altitude mountain ridge in New Hampshire covered in red and orange alpine shrubs and large grey rocks, looking out toward a massive green peak under a cloudy sky.

Alpine Bearberry (Arctostaphylos alpina)

Tundra’s Autumnal Awaking

Sprawling aggressively across the weather-beaten slopes of an ancient glacial cirque, a dense mat of alpine bearberry (Arctostaphylos alpina) and hardy tundra shrubs breaks into a fiery display of crimson and rust.

David S. McMeans · Nikon Z8 · Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S

Franconia Ridge Loop, Franconia Notch State Park, Grafton County, New Hampshire, USA

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Tundra’s Autumnal Awaking

Sprawling aggressively across the weather-beaten slopes of an ancient glacial cirque, a dense mat of **alpine bearberry (*Arctostaphylos alpina*)** and hardy tundra shrubs breaks into a fiery display of crimson and rust. This low-slung, creeping flora carpet anchors the fragile soils of the Presidential Range's alpine zone, thriving in a microclimate defined by hurricane-force winds and poor, acidic soil. As late afternoon sun beams fracture a heavy, shifting cloud deck, they sweep across the deep ravines to illuminate a stark boundary line where stunted green krummholz gives way to a vast, multi-colored deciduous canopy blanketing the low valleys far below.

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