Ptarmigan are nomadic（游牧的）in winter，moving erratically（不规律地，不定地）from one sheltered slope or patch of food to another from November to March.The birds are quite sociable in winter and usually feed and roost（栖息，安歇）in the snow close together.In April and early May，flocks of ptarmigan numbering several thousand sometimes appear in purposeful movement back to their breeding grounds.These huge flocks，perhaps created by the funneling effect（漏斗效应）of river valleys and narrow mountain passes，rapidly disintegrate when the summering areas are reached，as each cock demands his share of elbow room in the vast stretches of white and brown tundra.
Foods：
When snow covers the ground，Willow Ptarmigan eat willow buds，willow twigs（嫩枝，小枝，末梢）and a little birch.Rock Ptarmigan nip off birch（桦树，白桦）catkins（［植］柔荑花（如柳絮等）），birch buds，and a little willow.Whitetails mix buds and catkins of willow，birch，and alder（［植］桤木）in varying amounts.This diet lasts until well along in the courtship（求爱，求爱时期）period of spring，giving way as snow melts to a blend of insects，overwintered berries，new leaves，and flowers.The birds eat a potpourri（花香，肉菜杂烩）of vegetable matter in summer and occasionally take advantage of a particularly abundant crop of caterpillars or beetles（甲虫）.Gradually，as insects disappear and plants become dormant（静止的，隐匿的），the diet turns increasingly to berries，seeds，and buds.By midOctober most ptarmigan （except in coastal areas of Southcentral Alaska）are back to their winter menu.
Populations：
Ptarmigan are notorious for their heretoday，gonetomorrow populations，pulsing between superabundance（多余，剩余）and virtual absence in just a few years.The causes of the rapid population changes remain a mystery.Many people think that ptarmigan numbers fluctuate（变动）rhythmically（有节奏地），with peaks once every 9or 10years.Although there is good evidence for these cycles in Iceland，cycles are more legend than proven fact in Alaska.As with many other grouse，the population depends very heavily on each years production of chicks，since this years chicks will be next years breeding stock.Under these conditions，one or two years of poor reproduction or high winter losses can cause drastic declines in abundance.Conversely，one or two good years might result in more ptarmigan than you could shake a shotgun（散弹猎枪，鸟枪）at.
Hunting：
Ptarmigan hunting is fun.You never know what to expect from one trip to the next.On opening day you tramp（踏）through colorful thickets（灌木丛）of willow and dwarf birch（矮桦），your dog nosing coveys（一群，一队）of brown birds out of the brush while you mop（抹）your brow and wish you hadnt put on a sweater.Late in September，after facing a strong，cold wind for several fruitless hours，you top out on a rocky ridge and suddenly find yourself surrounded by several hundred stretchnecked，pintopatterned ptarmigan.You hang up your shotgun for five months，only to be tolled into the hills again by the bright blue days of March.Warmly clad（clothe的过去式和过去分词）in parka（皮制大衣）and mukluks（用裘作衬里的长统靴），you snowshoe across narrow alpine valleys following meandering trails of threepronged（尖端分叉的）ptarmigan tracks across the brilliant snow.
Ptarmigan hunting can be a serious business，especially if you live in Alaskas vast hinterland（穷乡僻壤，内地贸易区）and caribou（北美产驯鹿（=Rangifer））have been scarce（缺乏的，不足的）.Then is the time to go after ptarmigan in earnest，using all the tricks at your command.Snares are very effective when used by those who know the birds well.A favorite method is to build a thin fence of closeset willow branches，leaving small openings where the snares（陷井）are set.Another technique takes advantage of the fact that ptarmigan drag their feet in soft snow.A series of snare loops are tied into a long line，and the loops are placed flat on the ground around a favorite thicket of willows.Birds step into the loops，drag their feet forward—and are caught.
State Flower州花
阿拉斯加州的州花是在1949年被选出来的高山的“勿忘我”。在阿尔卑斯山草地上这种终年开放并且能长到5到12英寸高。这种花有五片相连的花瓣、天蓝色，花高1/4到1/3英寸。它们有白色内环和黄色花蕊。观看这种花的最好季节是在仲夏，从6月末到7月末。此花成为州花还有一段鲜为人知的故事。
Alaskas state flower is the alpine（高山的，阿尔卑斯山的）forgetmenot.It was chosen in 1949.The alpine forgetmenot is a perennial（四季不断的，终年的）that grows 5to 12inches high in alpine meadows.The flowers have five connected salviform petals，colored sky blue，that are a quarter to a third of an inch wide.They have a white inner ring and a yellow center.The best time to see the alpineforgetmenot is midsummer，from late June to late July.In addition to finding the Myosotis alpestris，botanists（植物学家）in Denali National Park might also come across the mountain forgetmenot （Eritrichium aretiodes）and the splendid forgetmenot （Eritrichium splendens）.
Alaskas official State flower &floral emblem was a popular representative of the Alaska Territory years before Alaska entered the Union.
The story started almost 100years ago at around the turn of the century and shortly after the population boom caused by the discovery of gold in Alaska and the Klondike［克朗代克河（在加拿大西北部，育空河的支流）］gold rush.
In 1907，a group of men got together and formed a lodge（山林小屋）（club or organization）limited to men who had arrived in Alaska before January 1，1900.This organization was called the “Pioneers of Alaska.”In 1908，the “Pioneers of Alaska”merged with two other lodges to form the “Grand Igloo.”It was in the constitution of the Grand Igloo（圆顶建筑）that the forgetmenot began its journey to become the official state flower and floral（植物群的，植物的）emblem of Alaska.A clause in the constitution declared，
“The official flower of the Pioneers of Alaska shall be the Alaska Forgetmenot.”
As the population of Alaska continued to grow，women became involved with organizations such as the Grand Igloo by forming Auxiliaries.They too adopted the forgetmenot as their official emblem.
Territorial status loomed（隐现，迫近）in Alaskas future and it occurred to the members of the Grand Igloo and the Womens Auxiliaries that the forgetmenot would make a most appropriate（适当的）floral emblem for the new Alaska Territory.