The collecting season is in full swing within the Shoshone Field Office as Patricia and I have already completed 8 collections! Among my favorites was Eriogonum sphaerocephalum due to the satisfying sensation of stripping those perfectly ripe heads off, sometimes multiple at a time. *ohh yeahh*

Although I have been very busy with work (lots of driving, sweating, checking seed quality, and more sweating), most of my photos were taken during my days off (holy cow, Idaho has been showing off: see below).

I’ve been improving in my ability to assess seed ripeness and quality but have not had much time to hunt for or key unknowns. I feel that SOS can only advance my botanical knowledge so far, so I hope to find time to learn more of the non-target flora throughout the rest of the summer. However, I’ve been fortunate to have several exciting opportunities including leading a nature walk for 4Hers, sampling for beetles in the roots of Eriogonum spp., rare plant monitoring (Downingia bacigalupii & Astragalus oniciformis), and touring the Lucky Peak Nursery.

Here are some of my favorite recent photos:

One of many Wyethia helianthoides found in a subalpine meadow while leading a nature walk for kids at a local 4H camp (North of Ketchum, ID)

Sunset over the Sawtooth Mountains from our epic July 4th weekend camping spot (Lower Stanley, ID)

Backpacking trip day 1: Goat Falls (a few hundred feet below Goat Lake, Sawtooth Mtns)

Day 2: Our snowy abode at Goat Lake to celebrate (fellow CBG intern/roommate/outdoor adventure queen) Savanna’s birthday, complete with a morning polar plunge — ouch

Day 3: Beautiful fields of lupines, Castilleja, Balsalmorhiza sagitatta, and Calochortus nuttallii on the decent towards Red Fish Lake (Stanley, ID)

SOS Partner and fellow lover of the outdoors, Patricia, in her native habitat (same meadow as above)

Calochortus nuttallii always brightens my day <3

The morning sun while collecting Purshia tridentata; not the worst place one could work

Savanna crushing the nation’s “steepest 5.10” with the Snake River in the background

Until next time, you can bet I’ll be harvesting seed, sweating profusely, and taking more panoramas that fail to capture Idaho’s true beauty.