Seed collections have really picked up on Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. It’s been fulfilling to watch our collections grow, especially for the species where we can only pick a couple seeds at a time. The table we organize our seeds on is starting to get full, and we still have more to go! Each month seems to pass by faster, and it’s hard to believe that three months have gone by since I moved here to Montana. It’s been quiet in the office since the two other interns on our crew left for school, but we got to send them off with a celebratory dinner before they left. I’m feeling grateful to be working with such a great team.

My favorite field day from this month was when we learned about lichen biomonitoring. I absolutely love anything related to fungi, so it was great to be able to ask about the obligate partnerships that lichen use to survive. Once we were done with the biomonitoring, we were able to hike to the top of Goat Flat and do some bee surveys. It was such a beautiful hike, even though our bee survey got interrupted by a hailstorm. I had never actually been outside for one of those. They hurt a little, I found out. But it was an experience I will never forget! We have such a great crew who all worked together to get us down the mountain safely, and we even managed to preserve our notes and finish our survey after.

August was also a great month for exploring outside of work. My parents were able to fly out and visit me, and we decided to spend a day at Yellowstone. My favorite sites were definitely the Grand Canyon (not that Grand Canyon, the other one), and the prismatic pools. These are places I likely never would’ve seen if I didn’t move here. It’s my goal to visit at least two more national parks in September, since they will (hopefully) be less crowded. As the months go by, I’m really trying to be present and enjoy the rest of my time here. It’s hard to believe that in about two months, I’ll be able to see my dogs back home (don’t tell the cat).

Speaking of the cat, an update. Skateboard has been finding new ways to entertain herself since I’ve been a little busy recently. Her favorite thing has been sitting on anything I pay attention to. Perhaps she hopes that’ll get her attention by proxy. I promise, I pet her literally all the time.