The temperatures have cooled down a bit here in Southern Oregon. We’ve been enjoying weather in the low to mid 90s for much of the past couple of weeks which has been a much appreciated contrast to the 105 degree weather a month ago.
As far as plants go, the high elevation plants have been seeding for the past several weeks and will probably continue into the next several weeks. We have also been making the last collections of the season from the valley floors. These plants are often quite thorny or hairy which inevitably leads to a painful collection process. We have also been finding a lot of berries such as Oregon Grape, gooseberries and other currants, Bitter Cherry, and others. We have quickly learned that collecting berries can be quite a sticky affair.
I currently have approximately four more days of the internship left before I take off for seven weeks to teach 2nd – 8th graders in the field about ecology and the natural history of this region. My work for this internship has definitely beefed up my botanical knowledge, which will be helpful in identifying plants for kids.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about my time here at the BLM. I have discovered a lot of natural areas that I will be visiting for years to come. I am very happy to be able to recognize native plants in my region. I appreciate the knowledge that I will have walking away from this internship. As an avid gardening enthusiast and a hopeful garden educator, I hope that I will be able to use native plants more in my gardens and suggest various native plants and their uses to others.
On the other hand, by working for the agency and performing this work, I have realized that both working for the agency and doing this kind of work is not for me, although I have a lot of respect for those that love this work and this agency. Alas, by the end of this internship I feel like I’m in the same empty place, lacking direction, as I was before I started, and that feels disconcerting and very challenging. But I thank the CLM and Chicago Botanic Gardens for the chance to have this experience. It has been an interesting ride.
– Jason
