Hi everyone,

We Richfield interns are exactly halfway through our CLM internship, I feel like I’ve learned so much. For the past couple months we have been focused on cacti, but the past couple of weeks have transitioned into SOS collections. We’ve learned to collect vouchers, fill out the data sheets, and have made 6 collections of globemallows, Hesperostipa comata, Chaenactis steviodes, and Machaeranthera tanacetifolia. While I’ve liked the cactus work, I’m enjoying the new tasks and seeing new parts of Utah. Most of our collections are coming from western Utah (since there is a focus on Great Basin plants this year). There are some very remote parts out there, such as Ibapah, which is only accessible by dirt roads (90+ miles of dirt roads).

We’ve seen lots of wildlife, such as badgers, gray fox kits, a hoary marmot, and rattlesnakes. We’ve also seen beautiful birds such as a Scott’s oriole, mountain bluebirds, western bluebirds, northern harriers, long-billed curlews, and Say’s phoebes.

My brother visited me and we went down to The Buckskin to hike the Buckskin Gorge. We also went up to Boulder Mountain and canoed on one of its many lakes.

More coming soon (since it’s the end of July and I never submitted my June post…).

Ellie

Buckskin Gulch Slot Canyon

Great Basin gopher snake