Langloesia setosissima (Lilac sunbonnets)

We spent our last week in the field collecting data for the juvenile desert tortoise forage characterization project. So sad to leave the desert for a bit but also a bit thankful as it is now getting into the 100’s! Even the Eriogonum inflatum, which has been going strong all season even in the burned site (maybe better to say especially in the burned site!), is starting to fade. Not everything though, Mammillaria tetrancistra is still blooming! Named after its spines, the Fish Hook Cactus always makes me smile when I pass by!

Beautiful blooming Mammilaria tetrancistra  – Fish Hook Cactus

We have spent this week weighing biomass, entering data, and cleaning and organizing our field gear and vehicle so it is ready for our next project. We finished weighing our last biomass sample a couple days ago, which now allows us to enter the species frequency, phenology, and other field data. It is amazing to see all our hard work of the past few months coming together!

I am excited to begin the data analysis to see at each site how the climate may be influencing the species composition and phenology, to answer questions about the species richness, and in the end of course how the biomass and plant species might be influencing juvenile tortoise mortality. Luckily, since USGS released the juveniles last fall, there have only been a few mortalities. I have used R in the past, but one can always use more practice with R!  I cannot wait for those awesome R graphs.

Another addition to the scat project – we’re going to try and grow out the seeds that may be stored in the scat samples we collected! That way we will begin to understand which plants are dispersed by tortoises! Do tortoises modify the plant community surrounding their burrows or in their territories via dispersal???

And time for this month’s Mojave Mystery: What type of grasshopper mates in Scutellaria mexicana (Mexican Bladdersage)?? This shrub was hopping with them! Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Can you spot them?

Mojave Mysteries to be explored and answered next time,

Amanda Cooke

USGS Henderson, NV