Coming back from the CLM Workshop in Chicago, it was as if I’d never left the office. Eugene    decided to welcome me back to the Pacific Northwest with a lovely rainstorm, and I jumped right into monitoring the Erigeron decumbens var. decumbens, also called the Willamette Daisy.

Of the three endangered plant species I’ve monitored so far this year, the Willamette Daisy is definitely my favorite. It tends to be a small plant, with thin, spindly leaves; the flower heads usually look like they’ve seen better days. And even though it can look a bit weathered, it just keeps surviving–it’s a scrappy plant! It’s got personality!

I also got the opportunity to see some of Eugene’s rare plant species, Cusick’s Checkermallow (Sidalcea cusickii) and Narrow-leaf Milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis). I think the Sidalcea may be another plant to add to my favorites list; I really love its vivid color.

Since everyone has been posting these awesome pictures of the landscape out in the wildnerness, I’d thought I’d post one of my own. This prairie is in Eugene city limits and is a habitat for two of our endangered plant species.