Monthly Archives: May 2016

Fleeting Blooms/Dirt Roads/Vastness

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Cholla in the Turtle Mountains

Cholla in the Turtle Mountains

Jessica and I have been spending all of our days out in the field– April is a big month for blooms in the Mojave. As sensitive plant monitoring interns, we are able to explore all corners of the field office, from populations right off Route 66 to populations far off routes of any kind. This is a big desert, and I’m consistently in awe of its vastness and diversity.
Beautiful plant with an unfortunate common name... "Bladderpod" (Peritoma arborea)

Beautiful plant with an unfortunate common name… “Bladderpod” (Peritoma arborea)

Botanists botanizing Penstemon in the Kingstons.

Botanists botanizing Penstemon in the Kingstons.

Most days, we get to the office just to grab keys, check directions, and head out. We find the right dirt road (usually easier said than done), get where we need to be, and walk the desert looking for rare plants. Temperatures are starting to crawl towards their summer peaks, and we usually eat lunch in the sliver of shade cast by the truck or the lacy shade of a big creosote. Simple pleasures.
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Our most recent finds have included more Senna covesii, a huge population of Psorothamnus fremontii var. attenuatus, and Eriastrum harwoodii. Last week, we were able to visit the Cadiz Dunes, which was my first ever dune experience. It made me feel SMALL.
Cadiz Dunes Wilderness

Cadiz Dunes Wilderness

 

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Psorothamnus fremontii var. attenuatus

Happy trails,

Kate Sinnott

Needles Field Office

Bureau of Land Management

the end of the blogs

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April 27, 2016

Hello to all my loyal readers!

I am writing my final CLM blogpost now with two weeks still to go in my internship here at the San Bernardino National Forest. The next two weeks will be very busy, so as I have a moment now I will finish up my blog, paperwork, etc.

Next week I will be in the Mountaintop greenhouse and heading down to Lytle Creek. One of the Restoration Program’s new hires starts on Monday and as she will be working in the greenhouse, I will be showing her around. On Wednesday we have a pesticide use training and on Thursday I will be in the greenhouse planting pollinator species and transplanting buckwheat with a volunteer and probably my sisters, who are coming to visit for a little while.

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Corethrogyne filaginifolia (common sandaster) coming up in the greenhouse. It was planted a week ago. So cute!

During my final week as a CLM intern here, I will be traveling to the Los Padres National Forest to work with them on setting up their greenhouse, which has been out of use for a few years. I will also get to help teach high schoolers how to plant milkweed. I am sure it will be interesting to experience work on another forest, and I hope I can be of use. They plan to plant the same species of milkweed we have in our greenhouse, Asclepias eriocarpa and Asclepias fasiculatum for monarch habitat enhancement.

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CLM Intern, Brandon, planting milkweed in our Mountaintop greenhouse last week.

I have really enjoyed my work here because I have learned a lot of new skills and the staff are great. I have gotten to do a variety of work and projects including restoration monitoring, HMP monitoring, field plantings, fence construction, managing the greenhouse, working with AmeriCorps crew and volunteers, and being able to attend the Colorado Plateau Native Plant Conference using the CLM alternative training funds. The staff have been so helpful, especially Mary (current Biotech and former CLM intern), and who are always looking out for another training or skill to teach me.

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Hannah attaching wire to a fence during a recent training.

I am ending my internship two weeks early from my original end date because during the third week of May I will start in a Forest Service Botany position. I am very excited to be staying on here for longer! I have loved the work so far here, and I am looking forward to spending more time examining plants in the field (I have a lot to learn) and surveying for rare species. This is such a cool area to explore! After moving around constantly for a year and a half, it will also be nice to stay in one place for longer than 5 months.

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An introduction to rare plant surveying this week: Oopuntia basilaris (intermediate characteristics). Thanks, Mary!

Thanks to everyone at the San Bernardino National Forest who has been involved in procuring funds, training me, and answering all my questions. Thanks also to Krissa, Rebecca, and everyone else at the Chicago Botanic Garden who makes these internships possible. I have had two great experiences with CLM and hopefully I am on my way now!

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Erigeron parishii (Parish’s fleabane): a California endemic. Many more interesting plants to come!

Cheers!
Marta
San Bernardino National Forest Restoration Program
Fawnskin, CA