The past 6 months of this internship have been a wild, wonderful roller coaster. I couldn’t have asked for a better job right out of college!

A quick 5 things that this job has taught me:

1. Marshes are unpredictable; tread lightly or you may get a boot full of sulfur water.
2. Seed collecting during a hurricane can be difficult. And wet. (Shout out to Hurricane Joaquin.)
3. Permethrin. Permethrin. Permethrin.
4. Mosquito face nets are also a good investment (especially for Chincoteague Island).
5. Hotel continental breakfasts are life savers. Especially when they have chocolate milk.

It has been an amazing experience to see the landscapes change so drastically from blooming, lush meadows to crunchy, withered fields.

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, MD. September // November.

And a few fun pictures from our trips. The color scheme of November is brown // grey.

Collecting Spartina patens is an arduous task. Sometimes you just have to lay down in the marsh.

Carefully treading through the marshes at Blackwater NWR, MD.

Grey skies at Pettigrew State Park, NC

Blackwater NWR, MD

Clear skies at Robinson Neck Preserve, MD

Farewell, friends.