Here I am, wrapping up my first week of training as a CLM intern for the North Carolina Botanical Garden.  My college training and first botany jobs were all on the west coast, mainly in Washington state, so I’m so happy to have this opportunity to get to know more of the Southeastern flora.  My crew will be working primarily on the coastal plain of North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland, collecting seeds to be used for conservation projects as a part of the BLM Seeds of Success Program.

The boardwalk through the Coastal Plain Habitat Garden at NCBG

Although I have been living in the mountains near Asheville, North Carolina, for the past several months, this week brought me to Chapel Hill (and the Piedmont) for the first time, and I’ve been getting acquainted with the beautiful NC Botanical Garden and all the plants (and dedicated staff) showcased there.  I’ve been paying special attention to the Coastal Plain Habitat Garden, as it holds many species that I’ll likely become very familiar with over the next few months.  Luckily, my mentor Amanda is finishing up her master’s thesis on the coastal plain flora, so she will certainly be a great teacher and resource in that area.

This week was dedicated to Seeds of Success (SOS) training, and we got together with the other eastern crews working on the project, from New York and New England.  Together we’ve all been going over the SOS protocol and learning a bit of introductory plant I.D. and genetics to guide us in our work.  The past two days, we had the privilege to get out into the field and make our first two seed collections of Glyceria striata (fowl mannagrass) and Zephyranthes atamasca (Atamasco lily).  It was satisfying to actually get some seeds in our hands and going through the process has me looking forward to more field work.

seeds of Atamasco lily (Zephyranthes atamasca) being spread out to dry

It was a great experience to meet a group of like-minded interns right off the bat this week, and now I am anticipating getting to know my own NCBG crew a little better.  Of course, as a certifiable plant nerd, I am also pretty excited to learn about new species, visit some of the area herbaria, and start collecting seeds.  This is really a fantastic opportunity to do important and fulfilling work and I don’t plan to waste a minute of it.  Until next time, peace outside.

Emily Driskill

CLM Intern, North Carolina Botanical Garden