Before starting my internship, I had a grand idea in my head. I pictured myself hiking through a lush forest, finding colorful flowers everywhere I looked, and being swept away by the forest’s beauty. Then my mom looked up my ranger station on Google Earth. The images showed the station in the middle of chaparral, with no trees in sight, let alone a whole forest. Although my day dreams of frolicking through the forest seemed to be crushed, I kept my spirits high, knowing I would have an amazing experience no matter where I was working.
As I drove to the station on my first day, my dreams were restored. I know you are not supposed to trust everything you see on the internet, and this was a perfect example of why. As I drove through the twists and turns of the mountain roads, I was in awe at the forest surrounding me. The massive Jeffery Pines and abundant wildlife blew me away, however this was not the most shocking element of the forest. When I opened my door, I was overwhelmed by the sweet butterscotch smell of the pines. I had been taught that if you approached a Jeffery Pine and stuck your nose in-between the bark scales, you could smell butterscotch. No matter how many times I tried this in the past, I could not smell anything. However, in this new land of adventure, the smell was everywhere, I felt like I was in a candy store who had just taken a huge lick of a Butterscotch Dum-Dum.
The next three weeks were filled with very similar experiences. Time after time I believed I knew what would be around the next turn on the dirt mountain road, however, after coming around the bend, the unexpected would be staring back at me. We have found springs in the middle of dry patches, meadows in the middle of heavy forest, and massive pines that stick out amongst the rest.
My partner and I have been tasked with collecting native seeds for a pollinator garden, however we have decided to expand the project, and also create a collection of different pollinators from the area. Although collecting seeds can be tedious, trying to catch a Carpenter Bee can be nerve-wracking. None of the hikes we have been on have caused my heart to race like it does when I am sticking my hand into a net with a plastic bag to capture the bee inside.
So far our seed collection is comprised mainly of Cobwebby Thistle, Cirsium occidentale, which has been painful to collect and clean. We are hoping that as the summer progresses, other species will soon go into seed and be ready for us to collect. For now we are taking what we can get, and running around chasing bees and butterflies with nets like fools. I can not wait to see what other candy I can find in the candy shop that is the Los Padres National Forest.
Sincerely,
Sophia
Los Padres National Forest, U.S. Forest Service
Los Padres National Forest, Frazier Park