The BLM Bunkhouse in Central, AK

Fall has come to Alaska. While normally I delight in colored leaves, crisp air, and the return of sweaters and scarves with earthy hues, autumn here is more of a warning: snow is coming soon.

The reds of the shrubs accent the brown of the moose quite nicely, no?

Despite the transitory nature of anything but winter in Alaska, this brief season continues to astound. On a recent SOS collecting trip to Central, Alaska, we were privileged to stop at Denali National Park. As most of the park is above the tree line, the shrubs of the tundra had turned bright red and purple. Further north, in the hills surrounding Fairbanks, the aspen and birch turned a brilliant yellow. When looking up from a seed collection, I always noticed how the dark green of the spruce mingled with the changing colors.

No. I have no desire to climb that.

Our drive home gave us possibly the most astounding views in Alaska yet (and that’s sayin’ something!). Denali (aka Mt. McKinley) was out in full force, nary a cloud to be seen around it. This behemoth is rarely seen, even on days with nice weather, so we got quite lucky.

The changing season also has implications for our work with the BLM SOS program. Just as the trees are dropping leaves, so too have most of the forbs and grasses dropped their seeds. Aside from one last, quick collecting trip to Homer, we’re moving our work from the field into the office. A pile of data sheets (222 to be exact) and voucher specimens beg for our attention.

And while I am sad to be leaving the best part of our internship behind, there are benefits. As I sit here typing, the first flakes of “termination dust” are falling upon Anchorage.

Jordan attempts a herculean keying task in the UAF Herbarium