Hello fellow interns,

Amy here, speaking from Ashland, Oregon. This is my first time living outside of San Francisco. Things to get use to: Heat, small towns, and remarkable floral displays. I’ve never had the opportunity to botanize for HOURS straight. In the field I  sweat and key, sweat and key, and I’m loving it. I’ve already done my first collection of Plectritis congesta, a beautiful little flower with a round inflorescence of pink to dark pink flowers. Along a hot hillside its dried heads popped out like lollipops dotted with a few colored corollas. After spending thirty minutes trying to key out the little bugger we began our collections. It indeed turned out to be a glorious and ultimately satisfying day. The sun, though hot and beating, could not have taken away the feeling of accomplishment. I think Oregon has proven itself to me to be a place of glory.