July in the Tongass flew by! We started the month of with another ferry ride to Prince of Whales Island to conduct more rare plant monitoring, looking for the elusive Round Leaf Orchid (Platanthera orbiculata).
The trip to Prince of Wales had a slightly sour ending because I left my phone on the hood of the truck as we left a trail head, not realizing until we stopped at our next site location 6 miles down the road. I searched for a few hours, not wanting to give up hope but realized I was grasping at straws looking through the knee-high grasses bordering the long winding road.
Less than a week went by, and I got a message from my mom, saying that someone in Thorne Bay, AK found my phone! He mailed it over to me and I got my phone back without a scratch. He found it on Sandy Beach Road, about 5 miles from the original trail head! He was able to hack my phone and get in contact with my mom since the password was 0000, which he told me to change. Feeling very appreciative for my new friend in Thorne Bay.
We have started our collections, which has been very exciting! The picture below is me pouring Oplopanax horridus (Devil’s Club) onto some newspaper to dry. The tough part about working in a rainforest is how wet everything is. It’s important that we clean our seeds, removing all the stems, bugs, and other materials from the seeds and get them spread out to dry before the moisture causes them to mold.
The salmon are starting their runs back up the creeks and streams they were born in 5 years ago. I went to this one creek on the southern end of Ketchikan almost every day last week and there is always an amazing display of wildlife. I was finally able to line up low tide with dusk and a family of hungry Black Bears (Ursus americanus).
Watching the triplet bear cups feast was amazing, but the highlight of this month was a visit from my parents and girlfriend! It was so much fun showing them where I’ve been living and working. I was so grateful to explore, hike, kayak, and boat with them. Feeling revitalized, ready to hit the field running, and collect some more seeds!