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This dataset contains detailed microscopy-based observations of root colonization by three major fungal guilds—arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), dark septate endophytes (DSE), and fine root endophytes (FRE)—across multiple alpine plant species sampled from experimental black sand (early snowmelt) plots in the Rocky Mountains. Root samples were collected from plots subjected to different snowmelt timing treatments ("Early" and "Control") using black sand to cause early snowmelt to investigate the effects of phenological shifts in plants on fungal colonization. Each sample includes metadata on collection date, field location, plant species, and staining/scoring logistics, as well as quantified colonization metrics such as hyphae, arbuscules, vesicles, and other fungal structures. This dataset supports ongoing research into how alpine plant–fungal interactions respond to changing environmental conditions and may help identify shifts in mutualistic and non-mutualistic associations under climate-altered snowmelt regimes. 

High alpine ecosystems are particularly sensitive to climate-driven change, with vegetation expansion increasingly observed in historically barren soils. In late August and early September 2024, we revisited 50 previously established vegetation plots in Green Lakes Valley (Niwot Ridge LTER) to evaluate patterns of plant colonization and community change over time. Using legacy vegetation data from 2008 and 2015, we assessed changes in plant cover and composition in relation to microtopography and prior plant occurrence. We resampled plots using spatially referenced 1-meter radius surveys, estimating species incidence and cover while documenting moss, lichen, sedge, and grass diversity. These data can provide insight into how priority effects and fine-scale environmental variation influence alpine plant community dynamics and may inform predictive models of plant responses to ongoing climatic shifts.