We have moved on from revisiting rare plant sites to check on rare plant populations to revisiting rare plant sites to collect data on woody tree and shrub cover! This is part of the project that will help me earn my M.S. from the internship-based Master’s program at Northwestern University and the Chicago Botanic Garden. My project is looking at the tree and shrub cover at Fritillaria gentneri (FRGE) sites and what plant associations make for the best FRGE habitats. It will also compare data collected in the field for tree and shrub cover to cover data collected using remote sensing.
This project also means that we are going back to many FRGE sites that we had previously visited during the internship. This seems like a silly concept at first, but it is definitely necessary. While we no longer can see the beautiful Gentner’s lillies, the trees and shrubs are still around to collect data on.
While working on this project, Lillie and I have enjoyed getting the chance to work a lot more with ArcGIS for gathering and analyzing data. We have also had to search through large cabinets filled with files for rare plant site forms with some of the necessary cover data, which we have enjoyed slightly less. The cover data is starting to come together from several sources, and it is exciting to see the progress that we have made.
In the field, the changes from the beginning of my internship to now are very noticeable. The air is hot and dry. Many plants have passed and the environment in many places appears a dead shade of brown. But there is still much beauty to be found.
The rare Calochortus greenei in a sea of Medusahead grass
Cirsium occidentale
Chocolate tube slime mold! Stemonitis sp.
Monardella villosa var. villosa (Coyote mint)
Lillie and I have gone on more adventures on our time off, and most recently we hiked up to and camped at the Devil’s Punchbowl in Northern California. The hike was very challenging with our heavy packs, but the views at the Punchbowl and along the way made it more than worth it! Definitely one of the most beautiful places I’ve been able to swim at. And of course we played many games of Scrabble.
The Devil’s Punchbowl
Lillie powering up the slope by the Punchbowl’s little brother
It’s a sad inevitability that this internship is coming to an end much sooner than I’d like it to. I’m happy that I still have a few more weeks to enjoy living in Oregon.
Kiki, Grants Pass Interagency Office