It’s hard to believe that this year’s field season for this project is now over.  The last three weeks have been filled with trips to our White Mountain, Quaking Aspen, and Sierra Madre sites.  While I love working in the field and am sad to see the field season end, I’m also happy to be able to relax after long days of fieldwork and process insects in the lab.

Sarah DePaolo and I hard at work recording vegetation data

We had some great temporary research assistants for these trips!  Kaelyn Helson, a BLM volunteer who is starting a fisheries and wildlife program at CSU this fall, was kind enough to help out for a couple days and UWyo student Candis Duke went on several trips with us.  Thank you, ladies, for your much appreciated assistance!!

Kaelyn Helson and I on a hazy day

Candis, research dog Rookie, Sarah, and I

We were fortunate enough to see some amazing wildlife in these last weeks!  We saw a wounded kestrel near one of our campsites, which was sad but beautiful.

Kestrel

We also saw two golden eagle kills — a jackrabbit and a young fox.

Golden eagle with its kill

The victim

We also saw a number of wild horses and many pronghorn.

Bombus on Machaeranthera canescens

Insect collections are slowing down, but we have been getting some interesting insects still – notably robber flies (Asilidae), bee flies (Bombyliidae), and Bombus workers.  We also have still been seeing horned toads, including some very small babies and different color morphs.

Candis holds a horned toad

I will miss our beautiful field sites!!  Good luck to everyone still in the field!

Quaking Aspen

Sadie Luna Todd
CLM intern, UWyo WYNDD/BLM
Laramie, WY