The weather thus far in New England has been unseasonably mild as of late, with only one day below freezing through the end of Halloween.  The leaves on the oaks and aspens were turning beautiful shades of ochre and vermilion as October came to a close; most of these have since fallen.  With the weather on our side, the New England team has already exceeded our collection quota (239 of 200) for the season.  Consequently, not much is left for us to collect, save for certain late-season asters (e.g., Baccharis halimifolia) and species with persistent fruit (Ilex verticillata, for example).

Milkweed field and forest edge, Callahan State Park, MA

Sea myrtle (Baccharis halimifolia), Avalonia Land Conservancy, Stonington, CT

Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), Round Marsh, Jamestown, RI

It is hard to believe that this is my final month of the CLM internship; though the time flew by, I have learned an immense amount, not simply about plant identification and phenology but also the habits and function of these plants in their respective habitats.  It has given me an incredibly comprehensive understanding of the ecology of New England biomes, and I hope to apply this knowledge in future field internships, graduate school, and careers.