Since 2011, Team Echinacea has been studying how the presence (or absence) of the specialist herbivore Aphis echinaceae has an impact on Echinacea fitness. This summer, Kennedy and I (Emma) have been tasked with running the project. Originally, 100 heads were included in the study. This summer, only 41 plants are still present, with 17 addition plants and 24 exclusion plants. At the beginning of the summer, Kennedy and I searched to see if we could find any aphids, regardless of whether the plants were a part of the addition or exclusion treatment. We found exactly none, the same as last year. After consulting with Stuart about the conundrum, we decided to introduce a new population of Aphid echinaeceae into ExPt1, where the project is located. Multiple times a week, Kennedy and I went into prairie remnants, carefully gathered the aphids, then brought them back and placed them onto the living addition plants. Below is a graph of the aphid population growth on these 17 plants, with the red line being the average.
Most of the plants have now received between 70 and 80 Aphid echinaeceae since the 20th of July, with most plants having at least a few living each time we visit the plant. On one plant we even found an ant! Overall, it will still take some work to establish a new population, but we seem to be off to a good start.
Transporting Aphid echinaeceae in petri dishesKennedy and Emma with their petri dishes and paint brushes
Over the course of this summer, the dust project has continued! Team Dust is now on its second year of studying the effects of dust deposition on Echinacea angustifolia’s seed set, through both an experimental study (to determine if dust deposition affects seed set) and an observational study (to determine the amount of dust traveling off of unpaved roads). Now that we are over half way done with the field season, below is a brief update of what has been done so far this summer, and what is still yet to come.
Experimental Study
This summer we have 64 Echinacea heads included in the experimental study, located at the prairie remnant Nice Island. Of these 64 heads, half of them were randomly selected to receive dust treatments while the other half receive no dust. Twice a week I venture out to these heads to give the “dusty” heads their dust while the others receive none. All of these heads are located at a site where little to no dust comes in naturally. Once these heads are ready to be harvested, they will be run under an x-ray to determine their seed set. Currently we have the x-rays from last year’s heads, but not all of them have been analyzed so there is no data to report as of now.
Observational Study
The observational part of this project is about to begin! This past week, Kennedy and I assembled the dust traps (pictured below) that we are going to use to measure dust levels at varying distances from unpaved roads. We then placed these traps at two different remnants (pictured below). Over the course of the next two weeks, these dust traps will be loaded in order to collect data. The second part of the observational study, new to Team Dust as of 2022, is collecting styles from flowering Echinacea heads alongside unpaved roads. Kennedy and I managed to collect some styles on Thursday, which went well! Currently these styles are sitting in the freezer, but they will soon be analyzed under a microscope to look for dust covering them.
Overall, lots has already been done this summer, but there is still plenty left to do!
Kennedy applying a dust treatmentA dusty head!Emma applying a dust treatmentSome dust trapsThe styles sitting in their vialsMore dust trapsDust traps along a dusty road
This morning, the crew headed out to do phenology as usual, and we found that we were able to finish phen in record time. Because much of the flowers in the remnant plots are finishing up the flowering portion of their lifecycle, we were left wondering: what could we do in the extra time before lunch?
The answer: bug hunt.
(Actually, we headed to do phen in experimental plots 7 & 9 while the rest of the crew headed to do total demo.)
During the bug hunt, instead of us finding the bug, the bug found us. The recent cicada hatch has turned the tables for us, with cicadas often deciding that we are the best tree sized object to land on in the fields. Today a cicada landed on me, so naturally, a photoshoot ensued.
He makes a great addition to the phen crew!
After the exciting insect of the morning, lunch brought an even better surprise: a Team Echinacea cake brought by Britney. The cake presented the crew with their second challenge of the day: Were the flowers also made of cake? (No, but don’t worry, it was Echinacea purpurea, not angustifolia.)
So pretty, and even tastier than it looks!
After lunch, we headed out to P2 to start our measuring journey. This meant we got to use the biggest measuring tape that G3 can fit. It also doubles as a very high fashion scarf (so camp!), demonstrated here by Daytona.
While measuring, we also discovered several gopher holes (discovered is synonymous with fell into, depending on who you are). These gopher holes had the capability of shrinking people, so we decided to shrink Joey.
To end our afternoon of measuring, we had another insect photoshoot. This time, a katydid came to visit!
My individual project is working on collecting nectar from Echinacea angustifolia. I was tasked with figuring out what equipment is needed to collect nectar, what time of day is best to collect nectar, and what the procedure is to collect nectar. I have been working in P1 for this nectar collection data. Dr. Roy from St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota came to help me learn about nectar collection and where exactly to collect the nectar from on the plant head. Next summer, the team hopes to collect pollen and nectar to assess the quantity and quality of food resources pre and post-burn.
So far, I have learned how to extract the nectar and that around 2:30-3:00 PM has produced the most nectar. Cloudy days are NOT ideal for nectar collection. The one day I collected when it was cloudy I only got 1 mm of nectar the entire morning.
As of today, I have collected 142 mm of nectar. I used different microcaps with different inner and outer diameters, so the volume is not 142 (I need to do some more math to find the volume for each amount depending on their inner diameter, but at least you get an idea of the amount that has been collected).
Me with the sweet magnifying glasses.A visitor in P1The must have equipment. Lots of pollen and painted bracts. I painted the bracts when I would come back to sample the same head so I would know which ones had already been sampled. First day, learning how to get it organized for easier collection. A more organized nectar collection field box.A microcap inserted into an anther.
They let me write for two days! Strap in. Thursday morning we began with a short walk through P8 to collect flowering phenology data. We found a total of 8 plants (and a whole lot of brome). We then continued the morning by re-rechecking P7 and P9. Mia found the first plant of the day and decided on the exclamation we would all have to say upon finding a new plant, “Bababooey!” Nate provided good vibes at lunch with by lighting incense at the picnic table, and the crew got to work shortly after with work on independent projects. Some met with the wise, invaluable members of the team to finalize projects (thank you Jared and Alex!) while others spent time in the field.
Emma and a bag of dirt!Mia Sophia looking busy
Andes crew spent time after work to visit Kennedy at the Grant County Fair. We had quite the time, getting the chance to see all types of farm animals while enjoying some barbecue and strawberry malts provided by Grant County 4-H. We met with Kennedy’s goats and her cow, Ollie.
Little guyKennedy and Ollie
Friday morning feel of bittersweet alacrity flooded Team Echinacea. As we remain excited for fieldwork and the weekend, we also realized that it was our last day working with our favorite in-house Visor guru, Mia. As always, Friday morning consisted of Phenology. Ever quick and efficient during peak phen, everyone finished their sites in time for a lunch with special guests from the University of St. Katherine, Dr. Rahul Roy and Dr. Tami McDonald. Many members of the team participated in big-hat Friday, donning their oversized (or perfectly large) brims. As a gift to Mia, the team then measured P1, her favorite task (I don’t know why don’t ask me). Jared even put a toe in the plot to appease Mia! After work, the team enjoyed root-beer floats and Mia’s stories of her time, here, on the team. However, Geena and I had to change her tire so that’s all I have pictures of. Sorry! In all seriousness, Mia was and continues to be a valuable member of this team, and her brilliance will echo through the annals of team Echinacea history. She will be missed.
Sophia and her big hatJo and her big hatEmma and a jar of brome, as well as her big hat.Dr. Jared Beck, setting foot in P1.The team 🙂Geena’s car
Today, most of Team Echinacea spent their morning and afternoon in the experimental plots P1 and p8, measuring phenology. Alex and I also went and placed the yellow pan traps out for the day – this is now the second day that we’ve put the traps out, and we got a lot of flies again, but some pollinators as well. Phenology in the plots included a lot of echinacea, but also included a lot of other organisms, like the ants and their aphid farms we observed on the echinacea! The brome grass is getting pretty tall in P8, but this didn’t stop us from finding the echinacea plants hidden beneath.
Spurge hawkmoth caterpillar found in P1!Pan trap specimens!An ant carefully tending to her aphid farm on an echinacea leaf in p8More ant farms, but this time on a flowering head!
After work, the crew headed to the Elk Lake House, where Mia, Alex and Lindsey made some great curry for everyone to enjoy. We also played several rounds of the game Empire, where we had to remember nicknames we made up on the spot, and if we could figure out what people’s created nicknames were, we could expand our empire!
Last, but not least, the echinacea project team is pleased to announce we are collaborating with Captain Crunch to bring you a new spin on Captain Crunch: All Brome (Created by our very own Johanna)!
Featuring the brome we see so much of in the plots
This last Saturday, Alex, Mia, and the Andes Crew packed up for a mini camping trip at Big Stone Lake, a state park right next to the South Dakotan border.
The CampersThe campsite: part 1The campsite: pt 2The campsite: tents come with complimentary capes!The campsite: Hammocking!The campsite: Alternative hammocking
When exploring the park, we found lots of critters, including the resident skink of the fallen tree at our campsite.
Teeny tiny monarchA bee? No – a robber fly wearing a disguise!Resident skinkCottonwood hugs
Later, we played Catan – and Joey and Alex won, but Mia and Geena are determined to win in a rematch.
For some reason, bricks were always a scarce resource (but the cookies were not)
Lastly, before heading back, we were determined to find a South Dakota sign, just to prove we went there (Jo walked there but didn’t find a sign, so we needed some evidence).
TGIF! You all know what Friday means: Phenology! The team headed out this morning to check the progress of our flowering remnant plants. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in East Landfill seeing all the funky diseased heads, although it does make counting rows of anthers and styles difficult when they are all scrambled. After mutant heads, my second favorite thing about Landfill is the robber flies, although I’ve been warned many times not to anger them.
Squiggly-anthered head with no rays.*Robs you*Bee pollinating my clicky phenology pen.
In the second half of the day, most of the team headed to our experimental plot 8 to find and measure plants. This plot is just down the road from our headquarters at Hjelm house. The plants in this plot are starting from seed instead of seedlings, so it was a different process to find them. We had to search in the duff for nails each meter, then measure to find different-colored toothpicks or cocktail swords.
Sophia searching for plants.Aphid farm on a common milkweed.I love you big milkweed
We finished the day with watermelon. What a good end to the week! All of us at Team Echinacea hope you have a better weekend than this horse fly being eaten by a crab spider does:
Today, Team Echinacea became Team Platanthera. Heading 2 hours north to Fertile, MN, the team visited Pembina Trail Scientific and Natural Area (we made sure to stop for donuts). This area is part of a bigger project called the Glacial Ridge Project, a prairie and wetland restoration project run by the Nature Conservancy.
Once the team arrived, rather than the dry tallgrass prairies we’ve become accustomed to, we were met with plants that thrived in the standing 6in of water that covered much of the prairie. Tromping through the water, we also soon met our plant of the day: Platanthera praeclara, the Prairie Fringed Orchid. With their famous fringe and long corollas to match the long proboscis of their Sphingid pollinators, these flowers stand out in the prairie – and we got to spend our day searching and surveying them!
Gretel describing the orchid to us Re: extended corolla for specialized pollinationthe famous fringe!The team for the day!
Finding just over 80 orchids, the team had a ton of fun in the field, and it wasn’t just orchids that caught our attention. We also found a vole (see slideshow), plenty of frogs, some other great plants (including lots of Asclepias incarnata), and overall had a great time!
More fun pictures from the day! Featuring Nate, Sophia, Joey, and Mia!Nate catching the voleJohanna posing Johanna eating (but not actually)The Vole Diaries
Before heading to get tacos for dinner, the team also got the chance to explore Agassiz Dunes Scientific and Natural Area, where we saw even more cool plants, my favorite being Delphinium. Overall, the team had a great time learning about even more prairie plants and restoration projects, and exploring more of the ecosystems of MN!
DelphiniumThe preserve!Testing out the parking poles
After all this, and after a great team dinner, I don’t think anyone on Team Echinacea (Team Platanthera?) will have trouble sleeping tonight.
Geena, Mia and I visited the Alexandria farmers market this Saturday. They operate 3 days a week, Saturday & Tuesdays morning, and Thursday evening. There were many produce stands and some arts and crafts stands as well. I walked past a pottery booth and was drawn to this little trinket (photo 1). I have been searching for some minnesotan merch since I’ve arrived, now I found the perfect memento. We got yummy donuts at the farmers market and devoured half a dozen instantly. Our last stop was the food truck with strawberries. Mia bought 3 whole quarts of strawberries! I wonder what she will be making with them 😋
After the farmers market we stopped by goodwill and got some unexpected finds. Here is a pic of our thrift haul, Mia found the one true pair of overalls, Geena found a pair of perfect fitting cameo pants (unfortunately not pictured) and I found a set of old lady formal wear.
