I left my winter wonderland of a home in Minnesota for the desert Southwest in California about three months ago to begin my new Seeds of Success internship. What was to come was uncertain, and I knew I was in for an extreme learning experience in a brand new…everything. And I was right. Almost. My work prior to my CLM Internship was in the prairies and oak savannas of Minnesota. It was daunting to think of all the new plant species, and even new plant families, I would need to learn in the California Desert in order to appropriately monitor sites for seed collections. However, while working in the field, surrounded by an overwhelmingly new landscape, that I realized I knew more than I had thought about the desert plants. I actually recognized plants (!!!), even if just to the genus. Once you think about it, it only makes sense that there would be some parallels between prairie and desert plants. But it was such a great feeling to have familiarity in the unfamiliar. And now, after three months of desert adventures and daily pop quizes in desert botany (most of which I pass), I feel almost at home in this new landscape. Almost.