This past week the SOS East group visited the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We started on Hatteras Island after a 4 hour drive from our home base in Chapel Hill. Meeting up in separate vehicles at the Hatteras Lighthouse parking lot, we drove together to the Buxton Woods Coastal Preserve to begin our day of site monitoring, species identification, and seed collection.

We started off by getting a good sense of the diversity in plant species at the site. In the tidal marsh area on the Sound side of the island, we saw lots of potential. With big populations of Typha angustifolia and latifolia, Juncus roemerianus, and Schoenoplectus americanus, among others, this is sure to be a fantastic spot to return to in the coming months.

During this particular visit, we split into pairs and collected both Juncus roemerianus (Black Needle Rush) and Schoenoplectus americanus (Chairmaker’s Bulrush). The Juncus, for those of you who are not familiar, is strikingly dark in color when seen in large patches, and you may be able to point it out in the image above in the background on the right. It also requires gloves and at the very least some thick pants and sleeves to protect your skin from the needle-sharp leaves. The Schoenoplectus, on the other hand, is easy to collect from, with seed heads neatly arranged near the tip of the waist-high plant in easy to see clusters.

Our next stop was way up north, almost two hours up NC 12 along the Atlantic coast on Pine Island, just North of Duck and Kill Devil Hills. There we stayed at the Pine Island Sanctuary and spent the afternoon and following morning surveying and collecting more seeds. We ended up collecting an impressive amount of berries from Vaccinium fuscatum (Black Highbush Blueberry). Although not as tasty as our store bought (or farm fresh) Vaccinium corymbosum, this berry is abundant on its bush, and was a nice treat for us in the heat of our hot NC summer. We also made collections of Juncus effusus and Eleocharis fallax.

As we prepared for our next site, I found this little guy on my car:

Our next stop was Currituck Banks Estuarine Preserve, further north on NC 12. Although we weren’t able to see any of its famed wild horses on the beach, or its elusive wild boars, we did see lots and lots of stunning panoramic views from atop its sandy dunes!

Here we began a collection, the following morning, of Prunus serotina (Black Cherry). Despite the name, care should be taken if the berries are eaten. Any bit of the seed that is crushed by your teeth while eating the flesh will release enzymes that can convert the harmless amygdalin (found in the flesh), to cyanide. So don’t chew on the seeds!

The other beautiful view we got during our time there was in what I understand to be a maritime forest. Lots of interesting trees here!

Our last stop was Kitty Hawk Woods, where we had a nice hike through the woods to the Sound Side, accompanied by a student Intern from the University of Mars Hill in the mountains just north of Asheville, NC. We will be sure to return for more surveying, collecting, and good company.

Until next time.

In early June, I began working as part of the Seeds of Success (SOS) East program stationed at the North Carolina Botanical Garden.  The first few weeks were full of training, herbarium research, organizing gear, searching for potential collection sites, making contacts, and applying for permits.  These are all essential tasks of course, but after a few weeks of mostly indoors work, the crew was more than a little antsy to get into the field.

Within the past week, our permits to collect seed have begun to roll in.  This was fantastic news for us, because it meant we got to load up and ship out to the North Carolina Outer Banks on Tuesday morning!  Our first foray was into the Buxton Woods Coastal Reserve, right next to the Cape Hatteras lighthouse.  The Outer Banks is a chain of barrier islands; thin strips of sand separating the mainland coast and Pamlico Sound from the Atlantic Ocean.  The islands measure about 3 miles at their very widest points, making it convenient to investigate both the sound side and the ocean side coasts.   The Outer Banks is naturally the first part of the North Carolina coast to absorb the effects of hurricanes coming in off the Atlantic.   SOS focuses on species that will colonize and stabilize coastal areas, particularly after hurricane damage, so these islands are a great place to find what we are looking for.  We have a list of about 160 species targeted for collection.

As soon as we got out and began looking around at Buxton Woods, I was grateful for all the time we have spent in the herbarium and in the keys researching some of our species that may get confused.  Having moved to the Southeast fairly recently from the Pacific Northwest, I’ve been confronted with dozens and dozens of unfamiliar taxa.  While I can say that my knowledge of the Southeastern flora has grown by leaps and bounds over the past month, I still have so much to learn!  Even so, our study of the species list really paid off.  Before last month, I couldn’t have told you anything about Schoenoplectus americanus, which is a type of brackish-marsh dwelling sedge also known as chairmaker’s bulrush.  At this point, however, I think I will forever recognize Schoenoplectus and the closely-related Bolboschoenus species when I come across them in their watery habitats.  S. americanus was one of the first collections we made at Buxton Woods, along with seeds from Juncus roemerianus (black needle rush).  I quickly learned to be cautious where you step, not only because of the water mocassins (!), but because the deep marshy mud will suck the boots right off your feet!

Ground level view of Schoenoplectus americanus and Eleocharis fallax, two of the species my crew collected seeds from this week.

Getting those first seeds into the bag was deeply satisfying for me.  We were finally doing what we came here to do!  The rest of the week was spent exploring the Coastal Reserve system on the Outer Banks, which includes the Currituck Banks and Kitty Hawk Woods Coastal Reserves, in addition to Buxton Woods.  We also made collections at the Pine Island Audubon Santuary, where we were fortunate enough to stay at a bunk house on the property.  We made about 6 collections for SOS, and did quite a bit of scouting to see which sites contained our species of interest, and where these species were in terms of phenology.  I kept a running list of which species we found at each site, which is helping me to learn the plants better and will be useful when we plan to return to each site. Many of the plants we looked at were either still in the vegetative stage, or had just begun to flower.  We will revisit each site at intervals through the season to capture the full spectrum of seed maturity times.

My crew hard at work pressing specimens and recording data on Pine Island Audubon Sanctuary

Rhexia mariana, or Maryland Meadow-beauty. This is a species we will revisit at Pine Island in the next month to see when the seeds are mature.

The view out from the dunes at Currituck Banks Coastal Reserve.

We will return to the North Carolina coast next week to continue our collections and reconnaissance.  The crew is moving into the full swing of field season, and it feels good.  I’ll be saving up our stories until next time.

Til then, cheers!  And watch out for snakes.

Emily

A couple weeks ago, I was asked to introduce the Pine Hill Preserve to a group of high school students. The task of introducing the preserve and its mission in a compelling way felt like a challenge. The landscape of the preserve is dry, thorny, steep, and shrubby. It lacks most of the features that usually attract people to the outdoors – and in fact, it wasn’t really protected for the purpose of recreation in the first place. Instead, the primary mission of the preserve is to protect several species of rare plants.

Around the same time, we found out that a new species – Carex xerophila, named in 2014 – may constitute a new rare plant for the preserve. Before this sedge was recognized as a unique species, it had been lumped in with Carex brainerdii and Carex rossii in the Pine Hill Preserve area.

Inflorescence from the newly described Carex xerophila

As I considered the possible addition of this new rare plant and my upcoming task of presenting the preserve, I got to thinking about the philosophy behind rare plant conservation. Is it truly important to prevent species from going extinct? If so, why?

There are a few go-to responses to the question of why to protect rare plants. One is that if a species goes extinct, there are likely to be unforeseen consequences for the entire habitat. In complicated ecosystems where pollinators, primary producers, predators, and prey are tightly intertwined, it is nearly impossible for us to predict what will happen when a species disappears.

Another is that individual species of plants can be immensely valuable to humans in ways that aren’t always obvious. Medicinal plants are a good example – many of the compounds used in pharmaceuticals come directly from plants. So, when we drive a plant to extinction, we could be losing an effective treatment or even a cure for some human ailment.

But is it worthwhile to protect a species even if it isn’t a linchpin in its ecosystem, and even if it doesn’t hold any secrets for our well-being? I think that protecting a species from extinction could be justified as a simple demonstration of respect for life. We don’t understand very much about many species, and in some ways we don’t know very much about life itself – so perhaps we should prevent extinction simply out of deference to the unknown.

Carex xerophila at Pine Hill Preserve (low shrub on bare soil)

Hey there,

It’s Erin checking in from Lakeview, this time with a few visuals. So far, I have been working in Oregon for about two months. Lakeview surely hasn’t changed since my arrival, but my outlook on the surrounding landscape has. As for the town, I have been exploring more and have come across the little things that make Lakeview standout. Although it’s not a big city with great diversity or numerous places of local commerce, this makes room for its own quirky spots and artwork.

Here is a sign advertising Lakeview as the “tallest town in Oregon.”

I stumbled upon this quaint piece of artwork in a surely unvisited alleyway in town.

As for the surrounding landscape, I have rounded up cattle trailers full of information on local flora, fauna, and landforms that makeup the “outback.” Since my first week at the BLM we have made a total of 12 collections, including the beautiful Astragalus lentiginosus.

Astragalus lentiginosus (Freckled Milkvetch)

As well as collections, we have made plenty of optimistic vouchers. One of my favorites is the complementary colored and charming Calchortus macrocarpus.

Calchortus macrocarpus (Mariposa Lilly)

A few of my favorite species that we’ve stumbled upon are in the Polemoniaceae and Asclepiadaceae families.

Linanthus ciliatus (Wickerbrush)

Asclepias speciosa (Showy Milkweed)

Asclepias fascicularis (Narrow Leaf Milkweed)

A few notable activities since I have started: Visiting Bend, Oregon for a very informative  grass workshop under the Carex Working Group, and the vehicle rodeo put on by the BLM to test our driving skills.

Vehicle Rodeo at the Lake County Fairgrounds

Grass workshop in Bend

Although the local forbs and artwork have left me wide eyed and breezy, the tempestuous weather the past two weeks has been quite the challenge in the field- starting with temperatures above 100 degrees last week, to the thunderous rain of this week, and ending in a dust storm last night- has combined to create an awe inspiring finish to the week.

A rainbow over the Warner Mountains.

-Erin

It has been a bittersweet time this month as it will be on of my last in this part of the state. I am going to be leaving intern status to start my Permanent GS 9/11 gig in Rawlins, Wyoming.  I have been applying for permanent archaeology jobs for 5 years and never getting callbacks.  Then all the sudden I had 3 interviews at once. However leaving a place you love for a job is tough, but a career has to start somewhere! This last month I have been doing tons of fieldwork in some of the more interesting and scenic parts of the field office. This field season I have surveyed hundreds of acres of BLM surface and found very few sites, however a lack of sites is important scientific information as well. It’s going to be tough to leave a  office I have been in for four years, but I am sure many cool new mountains and archaeological sites await.

Recently while talking to friends and family everyone asks me how my new life in the city is going. I’m a pretty honest person, so I tell them how it is – I adore my internship (Hiking around to scout and collect seeds all day? Best gig ever!) and my coworkers and I are all already really close friends… But for someone who just spent most of the last four years in the nature lover’s paradise that is Vermont, the city is just about the worst. It’s loud, there are always trash bags everywhere, trying to get anywhere is insane, stores try to charge you $6 for a box of cereal, and in general it is terribly inconvenient. Thankfully I took this position knowing that I’d be travelling outside the city a lot for work and this past month the MARSB team finally got to go on some scouting and collecting trips!

For our first trip we spent three days scouting state parks and learning our collection list species on Long Island. While the traffic was still awful and most places were either fancy residential areas or a giant tourist trap, I was surprised that the conserved land on this built up island still appeared to have healthy ecosystems. Many of the beaches were even gorgeous to boot! We focused primarily on dune and beach species there, most of which I was already familiar with from growing up on the coast. Our mentor Clara also taught us about how to tell when certain seeds are ripe. Below is her sharing some very unripe beach pea seeds (Lathyrus japonicus).

We also went back to some areas closer to the city on Long Island for two day trips at the end of the week. Probably the most exciting moment for me on the trip was getting to see one of these beauties (below). They’re called Grass Pink (Calogpogon tuberosus) and are an orchid which grows in bogs and other wet areas. A small colony of them were growing in a boggy swale between dunes with other (in my opinion) exciting species such as two sundews (Drosera spp.). We were intent on covering ground though, and I regret not being able to key them out, although they were probably the typical roundleaf sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) and threadleaf sundew (Drosera filiformis). I’m not sure where the guys on the team had run off to at the time, but my female coworkers, Clara, and myself had quite the laugh after what we thought was a frustrating mystery orchid we had found growing along a clearing edge. After many attempts to key the plant out Clara finally pulls it out of the back of her mind that the plant was actually a strange, showy-flowered plantain (Plantago patagonica) and we had managed to be looking at a specimen with poorly developed leaves the whole time!

Hello all!

This past month has been quite exciting and fun! What I love about this internship is that the types of work we do is always changing and we always see new places. My mentor here in Richfield estimated that we cover 8 million acres of land! It is so great that I am getting to see more of the state of Utah than I have seen in any other state I have lived! At the end of May/start of June, we began taking vouchers for our seed collections for Seeds of Success and then shortly after, we all had the workshop in Chicago. So far our crew has made about 25 collections, so currently we are really on a great pace!

Having fun during seed collection!

A lot of the collections we have made are of Needle and Thread (Hesperostipa comata), Indian Ricegrass (Achnatherum hymenoides), and Globemallow (Sphaeralcea parvifolia). But we have also made a few collections of Machaeranthera tanacetifolia, Astragalus lonchocarpus, and a few others. It is a great experience to look at all sorts of different habitats and try to find big enough stands of plants to get a sizable collection from.

Buckhorn Wash in eastern Utah

Seed collections for Astragalus lonchocarpus!

Searching western Utah for new possible seed collections

One of the other things that I have enjoyed so far is when I have the opportunity to go out into the field with other people from our office, or other nearby offices, and we look and discuss different treatments that have been done to various areas. It is really cool to see and hear about what the area looked like in the past, what it looks like now, if the treatment worked or did not work, what could have been done differently. And hearing everybody’s insight makes for a more complete answer to these different questions.

I imagine by the time of my next post our crew will have even more collections completed, and possibly more then our target of 40! Until next time!

Sam

Richfield, UT