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Chocolate Milk Sunday

Like Wes said yesterday, it’s pretty clear the crew living at the Andes ski condo enjoys quiet and relaxing mornings. After I made myself waffles and enjoyed a tall cup of hazelnut coffee, Lea and I ventured out to Alexandria to run errands. We stopped by the trusty laundromat to wash our clothes, some of which had wild parsnip oil on it. While our clothes were in the wash, we went grocery shopping for the week. I’m making pasta salad on Wednesday, and I had fun searching the store for all the ingredients I needed. When we checked-out of the store, we returned to our trusty laundromat and switched our clothes to the dryer. To utilize our time, we stepped next door to the coffee shop. There, Lea thought through some of her research questions, and I worked on my experimental design for my summer REU project.

Lea working in the coffee shop

When we collected our laundry, we came back to Andes, and we all enjoyed the braut dinner Wes made. After dinner, we all drank tall glasses of chocolate milk. Yum. 🙂

Rainy Friday and Phenology

The Andes crew made it to the Hjelm house by 8:30 this morning, and we were all dressed in our warmest field work clothes. We sat down at the picknic table and planned out our day, which (at the time) included measuring in p8, collecting phenology data at Staffanson and some other remnants, and discussing summer research projects. We decided to start our morning, we would break up into groups and while one group visited Staffanson and started marking the belt transect, the others would begin GPS-ing and identifying Echinacea in other remnants. That was our plan. As soon as we gathered our flags, pouches, visors, and GPS units, we felt some light sprinkling. We all looked at each other. Surely the light rain would stop soon. Ten minutes later, we were inside working on our individual research projects as we waited out the storm that proved to last longer than we expected.

Lea, Anna, Tracie, and Alex spent the rainy morning working on their individual research projects.

Within an hour, the bout of rain had passed, so we once again gathered our flags and other materials. Alex, Will, and Anna went off to Steven’s Approach and Town Hall to find flowering Echinacea and collect GPS points. Between the time they left and the time my team was out the door, it began to rain again, so we stayed inside and continued to work on my project. Thirty minutes later, Anna, Will, and Alex returned soaked from the rain. Like the troopers they are, they stuck out the rain out as long as possible before it became unreasonable for them and the equipment.

Over lunch, we talked about how cold we were, and as soon as we finished eating, we went inside and made hot tea. Then, Lea, Alex, and Will gave presentations about their summer research objectives. Lea wants to use a drone to assess floral resources, and Alex wants to replicate the yellow pan trap experiment of 2004 to find out whether there has been a change in pollinator diversity in the area. As a group, we discussed the possibility of them working together to collect data.

Finally, after lunch and our long discussions about summer research, we were able to collect data! I went with Alex, Anna, and Will to Steven’s Approach and Town Hall, but not long after we made it to the site, rain began to fall again.

Alex, Anna, and Will are sad after the rain starts again.

Nevertheless, after the rain ended, we were able to collect all the data we needed for the day. I even found an 8-headed Echinacea! Woohoo!

One of the many-headed Echinacea I found today. What a beauty!

We didn’t quite get to measuring in p8 today, nor did we get to Staffanson, but we will have time next week to complete our tasks.

That’s all for today,

Ashley

Sunday: Runestone Days Buffet and Parade

Team Echinacea spent our Sunday morning relaxing around Andes Tower Hills. Over breakfast and coffee, we decided on a time to leave for the Runestone Days lunch buffet and parade. A bit later, I walked around the Andes property to investigate the nearby lake and enjoy the late morning’s cool breeze. Even though I’ve been in Minnesota for nearly a week, I am still refreshed by the temperate climate and the vast stretches of prairie-covered hills in this area.

By the time I walked back to our cabin, the rest of the team was ready to head over to Kensington to feast at the Father’s Day buffet. Wes gathered his tuba, we all gathered our appetite, and soon enough, we were enjoying delicious fish, carrots, potatoes, and pudding. Yum! Around 1:00, Wes headed out to meet up with the Morris County Band, so they could rehearse before floating in the parade. The other four of us enjoyed the beautiful weather as we watched. We collected candy and ice cream treats distributed by parade participants, and we cheered for the Morris County Band when their float passed. What a fun afternoon!

Now, Leah is setting up her drone, others are relaxing, and I have plans to continue research on my REU project. I’ve enjoyed my relaxing weekend, but I’m ready to continue work in the prairies tomorrow!

Ashley

Leah watching the Runestone Days parade.

Ashley Barto

Echinacea Project 2017

Greetings! I am an environmental science major with a biology emphasis and an honors interdisciplinary studies minor at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Arkansas. I will graduate in 2019.

Research Interests

My love for plants stemmed from working in my family’s gardens as a kid. In high school, I had a great botany teacher, and ever since, I’ve been interested in plant science. Specifically, unusual plant reproduction, plant carbon sequestration potential, and weird flower morphology fascinates me. Recently, I have become interested in plant-pollinator ecology and biogeography, and I hope to study the efficiency of pollinators in fragmented habitats this summer.

Statement

I grew up 20 miles south of Fort Smith, Arkansas, and I enjoy living in the Natural State. In my free time, I like writing, baking, working in my small garden, painting, playing Scrabble, and hiking. I also enjoy spending time with my dog, family, and friends. I’m excited to spend my summer in Minnesota and be a part of Team Echinacea!

Me in the Jewel Moore Nature Reserve prairie on the UCA campus.