Fall is upon us here in New England…and it’s amazing! Gone are the days of sweating profusely out in the field, mosquitoes, and landscapes covered in green vibrant plants and trees. We’ve officially entered the season of Asters, which has been a challenge for our team as we learn and re-learn how to properly identify Solidago species (Goldenrods). Here’s the jist of it:

There are about 25 Solidago species native to New England and they all look VERY similar, for the most part. The species we have come across so far are S. canadensis, S. rugosa, S. sempervirens and S. altissima.

S. sempervirens is my favorite because it’s the easiest to identify. The reason it’s so easy to identify is because it grows along the coast only, where other Solidago species cannot grow! It also has fleshy and large basal leaves (like many other plant species that grow along the coast) that are quite distinctive and help you feel confident about properly identifying the plant.

S. canadensis, S. rugosa, and S. altissima all look very similar and grow together in large stands that you would love to just be one species of Solidago, but more likely than not is a combination of several species. Our trick for properly identifying between these three lies in their leaves. Venation and hairs are two characteristics that help distinguish between these species. Whenever we come across a Solidago we check for nearly parallel versus netted venation first. That helps us distinguish between S. rugosa and the others because S. rugosa has netted venation while the others have three nearly parallel veins. To distinguish between S. canadensis and S. altissima you need a hand lens. The difference between these two species is all in the hairs on the abaxial surface of the leaf. S. altissima is typically only hairy on the veins of the underside of the leaf whereas S. canadensis is hairy on and between the veins of the underside of the leaf. Although this seems pretty straight forward, it’s definitely not black and white. Sometimes we see S. altissima individuals that appear to have hairs on the veins and in between the veins, for example.

The New England team has been busy collecting other species beyond the Asters as well. We recently went to Ponkapaug Bog in Milton, MA and collected the following bog species: Cloethra alnifolia, Chamaedaphne calyculata, and Kalmia polifolia. I especially love visiting this bog because I find bog habitats to be so special and unique. Sphagnum moss has always been one of my favorites. The way it creates a majestic carpet of shades of green and red has always intrigued me.

On another note, we have officially surpassed our goal of 200 seed collections, which feels incredible! We were able to reach this milestone through hard work and an opportunistic attitude. I think we were all a little surprised how quickly we reached our goal and how quickly this season has gone by. With only a month left we have each placed bets on where we will end up by the end of the season. My bet is 248 collections, but who really knows! As seed collectors, we are at the will of mother nature, which is always unpredictable. For all we know, our pace of seed collecting could double or be cut in half this November. I guess I’ll have to check in at least one more time to let you know where we end up!

Until next time,

Anna

Hi again!

I’m happy to have the time to post so quickly after my long over-due post just last week. Today we focused on one part of our internship that we haven’t done before: shipping seed.

As a team we have been so busy with field days and collecting seed, but now it’s time to begin the other part of our project which is to ship our collections to Cape May Plant Materials Center in Cape May, New Jersey.

I wanted to focus my blog today about shipping seed because it was my first time partaking in this part of the Seeds of Success protocol and it is quite detailed and important to our goals.

Before we can send out our seed collections the seed needs to be dried and free of pests. We typically allow for seeds to dry for 2 to 3 weeks and place pest strips in the containers we use to dry seeds (typically baking sheets). Whenever we make a collection we immediately fill out the data sheet that records all the necessary information related to our collection and make sure that the data sheet follows the seed wherever it ends up.

The combination of dried seed properly contained in a cotton bag and the associated field data sheet are what we send to Cape May. It is important that the package is lined with bubble wrap/newspaper/packing peanuts/etc. so that the seed is safely cushioned during its travels to New Jersey. The preferred shipment days are Mondays and Tuesdays so that the seed arrives in 2 days and is not left out during the weekend.

So far I only have experience with dry seed, but we do have a few collections of fleshy seed, which requires a different protocol due to the risk of mold. I currently have Peltandra virginica (Arrow Arum) in my refrigerator and will need to ship that collection immediately.

Once Cape May received our seeds they are cleaned and returned back to us. Depending on the size of the collection, portions of the collection are divided between restoration projects with an immediate need for seed, long term storage in Pullman, WA and short term storage at Garden in the Woods.

It has been interesting to finally process the dried seed because so much focus has been on finding and collecting seed in the field. As our internship continues into its final stages, the drying and shipping component of Seeds of Success will become just as familiar as the initial collecting has become.

For now I will continue to tape up boxes clumsily and triple check the protocol as I learn the ropes of this process.

Til next time!

Greetings!

It’s been a little while since I’ve posted – this is actually the first time I’ve opened up my computer in over 2 weeks. The NEWFS team has been out and about making collections as summer comes to a close. With fall moving in, we are getting closer to our goal of 200+ collections for the 2015 season. As of today we are at ~130 collections. I think today was the slimiest collection yet: Peltandra virginica (Arrow Arum). Check out the image below to see where it grows and what it looks like.

Peltandra virginica. Image from Wikicommons.

Recently we’ve been focusing on salt marsh species such as Spartina alterniflora, Distichlis spicata, Limonium carolinianum, and Iva frutescens. So far, my favorite is Iva frutescens. My fellow interns call me the “Iva Queen” because I try to collect as much as possible since it grows in robust populations along the edge of salt marshes. It’s quite satisfying to haul in 5 or so bags full of Iva fruit compared to some of the other species we collect. One mistake we made recently was not checking the tides before venturing out to the salt marshes in CT and RI earlier this week. With the recent Blood Moon, the tides were especially high and prevented us from being able to collect Spartina alterniflora and other salt marsh species.

One thing I have been appreciating lately is the cooling of temperatures. Although we still had some higher temperatures earlier this week, I think we are finally settling into some fall weather, which is my favorite. Wearing rain boots in 80+ degree weather was starting to get old (and smelly!).

Yesterday we took advantage of torrential rains in New England to finally do some office work. We organized and re-labelled the majority of our collections to make sure everything was in order. We went over how to package our seed before shipping and discussed what has and hasn’t been successful in our seed collections. It was great to realize that there were only a few mistakes out of the hundreds of seed collections we had between all of us. We have made so many collections just in the past month that I really wasn’t sure how everything kept organized! Garden at the Woods doesn’t have that much room for us, so the seed collections have been divided up between the interns for safe keeping until shipping.

Yet again I must comment on how quickly this internship is flying by! With so much travel and keeping so busy on the weekends, it seems nearly impossible that we are getting so close to our season end goals. I am so appreciative of all the knowledge I’ve gained and the relationships I have developed between the other interns and our supervisor. We have made plenty of mistakes (forgetting pens or newspaper or data sheets or rulers or you name it!), but from these mistakes we’ve become a closer and more efficient team. We can move quickly between landscapes and scout for seed and make decisions as a team, which takes a while to feel comfortable with!

I’ll be back with more comments about Seeds of Success very soon, with the weather cooling down I become more reflective and take more time to consider all of the events of the past summer and all of the collections we’ve made and why these seeds are so important. Hopefully this most recent Hurricane Joaquin will not be so destructive to the east coast as Superstorm Sandy was!

Best wishes!

Anna

The New England SOS team has been so busy that I’ve barely had time to sit down and reflect on what I’ve learned about native plants (and invasives!), seed collection, and restoration practices.

Viburnum dentatum at Bluff Point State Park in CT

Hydnellum peckii found in Andover, MA.

Sarracenia purperea found in bog near Colby College in Waterville, ME.

View of bog in Maine

Nymphaea odorata in a pond in Andover, MA.

Eutrochium dubium in CT.

So far we have collected Juncus gerardii (Black Grass) the most. Out of the Big Four salt marsh species, J. gerardii is the first to go to seed. The three others: Spartina alterniflora, Spartina patens, and Distichlis spicata are all just starting to flower and will be going to seed later in September and into October. A few other species we’ve collected so far are: Triglochin maritima, Viburnum dentatum, Swida amomum, and Prunus martima.

We’ve been traveling throughout the eastern seaboard a lot in the past month: from southern Maine to Cape Cod to Connecticut, we’ve been surveying and collecting native seed in some of the most breathtaking landscapes found in New England. I have to remind myself that this opportunity is temporary though and have already begun thinking ahead about the future and where I will be come December.

I hope to continue to work with plants, but I have also been getting more and more fascinated with restoration work and would love to learn more either through another internship or possibly graduate studies. With these options floating around in my head I also feel the need to appreciate my work now and to be present. It’s hard to be perfectly balanced when so many important tasks are at hand. But regardless, I feel quite content with my situation and know that in the end everything will work out.

Until next time!

Anna

Greetings from New England! It has been a truly lovely summer up hear in the northeast. The New England Seeds of Success (SOS) team has been getting lots of sunshine while we travel to project sites. We’ve continued our focus on salt marsh habitats but have also added projects inland such as a dam removal site in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

New England SOS team plus Laney Widener, NEWFS Botanical Coordinator

Last week we attended a Survey of Grasses workshop at Garden in the Woods, New England Wild Flower Society’s headquarters in Framingham, Massachusetts. The workshop was led by Dennis Magee, author of Grasses of the Northeast (2014). We spent a good chunk of the day reviewing over 40 genera that Magee divides into 12 tribes (groups of genera with common characteristics). Using informational handouts, dried specimens, dissecting scopes and a 10x lens, our group dove into the taxonomy of one of the largest plant families. It was a fantastic opportunity to work with a plant family I personally struggle to identify in the field. With each genera we discussed a variety of field characters that will help us be able to feel more confident in our accurate identification of grasses.

This week we have finally collected seed! After what seemed like months of training, preparation, research, and communication with land and property managers, our first common native plant species of interest are producing seed. Our first collection was Triglochin maritima (seaside arrowgrass) in the Juncaginaceae family. We found a viable population in the Scarborough Marsh in Scarborough, Maine (about 15 minutes south of Portland, Maine). We’re still waiting on seed collection bags, so we used a large brown paper bag and my lunch bag to make the collection! As we surveyed the marsh and upland margins, I was happy to notice my improvement in recognizing plant species and being able to recall their latin name and whether they were native or invasive. Although our first few weeks were slow in field work, this time for me has been well spent with my head deep into Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide (1989), A Field Guide to Coastal Wetland Plants of the Northeastern United States (1987), Life in the Shifting Dunes (1960) and A Beachcomber’s Botany (1963).

Salt marsh in Rowley, MA.

The rest of the week the New England SOS team is heading to Charlestown, Rhode Island and then to the Cape. We’ll be camping at Nickerson State Park to get an early start to our collection in the Cape. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to camp during my work week – what luck! Until next time!

Hi there! My name is Anna DeGloria. I am thrilled to have this platform to help share my experiences with the New England Wild Flower Society (NEWFS) and the CLM internship program. This is my first blog, ever, so please bare with me.

It’s only been 2 weeks and so much as already happened. Just a few weeks before this all started I was working as the program assistant for the Environmental Program at the University of Vermont (UVM). The whirlwind of starting this internship has been both intense and exciting. Not even 24 hours into this experience did my NEWFS team experience our first challenge: LaGuardia Airport. En route to our east coast training at the North Carolina Botanic Garden our flight was cancelled due to poor weather. As we watched the rest of the passengers scramble and moan in disappointment I was both shocked and pleasantly relieved how cooly our group took the news. We sat down briefly and discussed the options: wait for the next flight to NC, go back to Boston, or rent a vehicle and drive.

We ended up renting a van and driving from LaGuardia to North Carolina through pounding rain storms. We made it to North Carolina by 4:30 am. As we were checking in, I was given a key to a room occupied by another east coast CLM intern. I was nervous to barge into the room and scare the crap out of her, but luckily she didn’t even flinch as I stumbled into our shared hotel room, desperately collapsing on the most welcoming sight: a bed.

The next day was jam packed with lectures and informational talks introducing us to our internship. It was neat to learn about how the east coast Seeds of Success (SOS) differs from the large majority of SOS interns based throughout the west. SOS east is possible due to a federal grant responding to damage caused by Superstorm Sandy in 2013. SOS east is working to collect bulk seed from coastal wetlands for restoration projects.

I remember sitting in an advanced environmental studies course titled Adaptation to Climate Change when Superstorm Sandy battered the eastern coastline. While at UVM I learned quite a bit about our vulnerability to storms like this; Hurricane Irene hit Vermont in 2011 hard and quickly made me realize the seriousness of future strong storms. I became fascinated with the term resilience and have since then noticed its prominence in climate change dialogue. I am delighted that our work with SOS east will so directly apply to building resilience along the eastern coastline–an area I call home and care deeply about.

This week the NEWFS team has been busy getting in touch with land owners, reserve managers, and organizations that may want to partner with us or at least grant us permission to collect seed from their land. We traveled to Rhode Island to meet with National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) wildlife biologist Nick Ernst to discuss strategy and learn more about the John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge and the Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge.

NEWFS team walking with NFWF wildlife biologist Nick Ernst at the John H. Chafee Restoration site.

Nick showed us ongoing projects to measure a changing wetland and discussed the challenges his team is working on to build resiliency. He told us how Rhode Island is expected to experience 4 mm of sea level rise each year, seemingly insignificant but threatens the precious habitat and ecosystem services this wetland provides. The Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammodramus caudacutus) for instance, is threatened by this sea level rise because they nest in the salt marshes.

As we walked around these sites we discussed plant species of importance, the challenges of collecting enough seed and how best to serve the need of restoring Rhode Island wetland communities.

Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge was once a dump site.

Salicornia, a tasty member of the Amaranthaceae, family commonly found in saltmarshes.

After meeting with Nick I believe the NEWFS team learned a tremendous amount about why our work is so important and why it’s going to be a challenge. We have a lot to do in the next 6 months and the only way we are going to accomplish our goal is by having partners like NFWF to team up with and to better understand what seed needs to be prioritized. Our goal is somewhat daunting but I am so happy to be working with the NEWFS team–we’ve already proved ourselves to be a resilient bunch and I believe our work will be rewarding and successful.

Thank you for taking the time to read my first blog, I hope it provided some insight into the SOS east program and how the New England Wild Flower Society is involved.

More to come!

Anna DeGloria, CLM Intern