Time is flying here in Farmington, New Mexico mostly due to all the seed collections we have been making lately! The summer monsoon was just strong enough in the region south of Farmington to allow many of the forbs and grasses to seed out, which has created lots of field work for us.

One of my favorite collections was a globe mallow (Sphaeralcea), a common genus down here in the southwest desert. The plants in the patch we were collecting from looked very different from one another. This led us to believe that there were a number of different species growing in close proximity. Some had long narrow leaves, some had shorter fatter leaves and the flowers were ranging from bright orange to dark purple. This didn’t become apparent until we were in the middle of our collection process and we were thinking we would have to ship out a premade seed mix.

However, after much deliberation and advice from our mentor, Sheila Williams, we were able to figure out that it was Sphaeralcia emoryi, a species with alot of natural variation.

Sphaeralcea emoryi

Hopefully the frost holds off long enough for a few more collections!

De-Na-Zin wash we have been collecting in

Exposed sagebrush root on bank of De-Na-Zin wash

In Farmington, New Mexico, news about the weather is informative to the news about the plants. The news is, we have received some rain, about 40 miles south of town near the De-Na-Zin/Bisti Wilderness badlands area. A wash that we had started monitoring two months ago was yielding young shoots of a couple species.  When we returned last week, those little forbs in the wash were completely buried in a blanket of sand brought forth by a rushing flood that barreled through the desiccated desert. The dusty, smooth slopes of the sandy wash had been transformed into violently cut jagged banks. Hearty sagebrush plants had been ripped out of their bed and left to dangle on edge, calmly billowing in the wind. Heaps of disheveled soil were scattered around curves of the wash. Portions of the sand bed had been transported elsewhere in the flow, leaving areas deeply sculpted into fragile miniature canyons. Despite this destruction, many native plants were flourishing on the edges of the wash. Seeing how the wash had transformed was one of the highlights in the past couple weeks. It was a reminder that the earth is an organism- and this particular wash just went through a molt.  

Cute Little Tarantula of the De-Na-Zin

Blister Beetle- Genus: Megetra. If handled, adults exude an oil called cantharidin that causes dermal blistering and can be fatal to livestock if entire beetle is ingested

                                               As hours passed by collecting broom-like ragwort, hoary tansy aster, and galleta grass, the movement of a black, leggy patch caught my eye. It was the first tarantula I have seen in the United States. I went on a short (yes, Sheila, short) arthropod chasing safari at the De-Na-Zin site. For me, part of being a botanist is noticing the other biota of your surroundings and becoming fascinated by an organism that you don’t quite understand and taking a little time to observe.  

 The De-Na-Zin/ Bisti wilderness area has a reputation for being an abyss of eerie phenomenon. So far, the photo below depicts all strangeness I have seen. The wind and water of the De-Na-Zin can be quite powerful as well as artistic.

 Fall is here in Farmington- the cottonwood leaves are firing up. We are racing to collect seeds before the frost sets in. I see that many others are finishing up their internships. Please get in touch if you would like to visit the four corners area or are passing through! I will be here through December.  

Deidre Conocchioli

Farmington, New Mexico, Bureau of Land Management