Hello all! After completing SOS training here at the North Carolina Botanical Gardens, I was thrilled to learn that our first seed collecting trip was going to be throughout the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We planned to stop at 10 sites, which seemed very daunting, but I was eager to to see the seed scouting and collecting process at work.
On Monday we set out to our first sites, Pettigrew State Park and Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. These sites consisted of a lot of scouting out populations of target species. I realized how important it is going to be to know the plant species on the list inside and out and really be able to spot the various species in order to make scouting trip more efficient and effective. Also, remembering the habitats and associated species of target plants will make overlooking certain plants less likely. By the end of the first day, I knew I had my work cut out for me in terms of becoming even more familiar with the list of target species.
Tuesday was a whirlwind of activity as we visited 4 separate sites and reviewed many species on our list as we saw them along trails and roadsides. Alligator National Wildlife Refuge was beautiful and we could see evidence of the wildfire that raged through most of it earlier this year. This wildlife refuge was overwhelmingly large and I recognized how important it is to be familiar with the various sites before traveling there so time can be used most efficiently. My favorite place we visited on Tuesday was Jockey’s Ridge State Park, which has the tallest active sand dune on the East Coast. I can say from experience that Jockey’s Ridge is quite tall and quite the leg workout getting to the top.
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge
Jockey’s Ridge State Park. This picture does not do the giant sand dune justice!
On Wednesday we traveled to Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and made a collection of Gaillardia pulchella. This species was so beautiful and it was freckling the landscape with bright orange and yellow blooms along the sandy roadsides. The seed heads were not so beautiful as they were extremely prickly, but worth it to collect this roadside native.
Gaillardia pulchella at Pea Island
Overall, this first trip was filled with a lot of site visits and familiarizing ourselves with plant species and the seed collecting process. At first the thought of traveling to 10 sites was overwhelming, but I now know it is very reasonable. However, time efficiency is everything. I still have to work on taking better notes and continuing to familiarize myself with the plant list, but overall discovering all of these different parks and refuges throughout the Outer Banks was an awesome way to spend the week!
Live Oak forest at Currituck National Wildlife Refuge