Things have a way of moving pretty quickly once field season hits, as I’m sure every intern knows. Most have been camping, hiking, botanizing, and admiring views for a few months now; but for me this was week one. Of course, this means that I hit the ground running and spent most of this week between required paperwork and diving into field protocols.

We are exceptionally lucky over in E Idaho to be nestled within the foothills of the Tetons, and have the luxury of having field plots – and working day in and day out – in such a beautiful area. One of our goals for this week was to find populations of a number of focus species, including our primary target Erigeron speciosus. Ultimately, this meant scoping out likely areas and then hiking in to check it out. This week, as we hiked along a trail near the pass, we were struck with the sheer beauty of the sight of a meadow overloaded with blooming wildflowers. Enter Julie Andrews in Sound of Music.

As we reveled in the landscape, we quickly realized that not only was ERSP abundant within the meadow, but so were three other species on our list of desired species. No better reason to linger and enjoy nature’s beauty! We spent the next few hours making collections for the variety of different projects we have our hands in. Before saying goodbye, we marked the location for a return trip in a couple of weeks when ERSP has gone to seed.

B. Brown

– Forest Service (Idaho Falls, ID)