This week I was able to share my work with my parents and my brother. My parents came out in the field on Thursday to learn about how we document phenology in the remnants. My mother expressed her surprise that the remnants are much smaller than she had expected. Stuart was in the field with us and gave my parents a detailed explanation of what we are doing this summer and answered all of my parents’ questions. Yesterday my brother drove up to visit me. I showed him Staffenson prairie reserve which has blooming blazing star, sunflowers, lead plant, Echinacea, wild onion, bergamot and more! It was fun to show my older brother around and finally get a chance to teach him a think or two.

Well Billy Joel, although your 1980’s classic hit is all too catchy, technically we did start this fire.

Over the past weekend, Team Echinacea decided to cap off a week of diligent work with a nice, relaxing potluck paired with an epic campfire. The food was delicious, but the company was even more enjoyable. Stuart and Gretel provided a delectable pesto, Jared and Claire (aka Clairred) prepared a tasty bean dip, and Maureen capped off the scrumptious meal with a cherry pie and a peach crumble that were to die for (not literally of course! That would be ridiculous). Following the feast, a fire was started to honor the great Echinacea Gods, which have blessed us with a prosperous flowering season and delightful weather. There was a little bit of difficultly starting the fire, but no problem is too large for a group of extremely bright scientists (at least that what we tell ourselves anyway). During the fire, Per, Hattie, Elizabeth, and I tested our luck at a friendly game of badminton. I paired up with Per while Elizabeth chose Hattie as her partner. What started as a friendly matchup, quickly turned into a competitive, all-out battle of the sexes! It wasn’t long before Hattie and Per were spiking shuttlecocks at each other while Elizabeth and I exchanged looks of distaste. Fortunately, the gruesome battle was cut short when Per spiked the birdie so hard that the rubber tip fully detached from the plastic base portion. I think it’s safe to say that this particular birdie won’t be flying again anytime soon. Although some harsh words were exchanged (all in good faith of course), at the end of the day, all conflict was left in the past as the team enjoyed roasted marshmallows over melty chocolate sandwiched between two yummy, graham crackers. And if you don’t enjoy S’mores, the only thing I have to say to you is “You’re killing me smalls!” (If you didn’t get that reference, then you need to go watch The Sandlot immediately. If you’ve never heard of The Sandlot, then I’m sorry but it’s too late to save you). All in all, it was a memorable weekend for the members of Team Echinacea.

In case you’re missing the exciting happenings at Staffanson Prairie Preserve, here’s the first issue of The Staffanson Almost Weekly. This periodical will keep you up to date on the new plant of the week, a plant that is nearing the end of it’s flowering period, and one that will most likely begin to bloom in the next week (all voted on by Claire and Jared). There are also some other exciting tidbits about current experiments and other interesting sightings.

-Claire

Today, Team Echinacea left the comfort of Kensington for a very exciting day at a Nature Conservancy Preserve near Fertile, Minnesota. We helped Gretel survey two plots of Western Prairie Fringed Orchid, a federally threatened species. Gretel is monitoring these plants to examine the effects of different land management practices. Here is a picture of the study species:

The team powered through both plots with plenty of time left over for a trip to LaLa’s for delicious homemade ice cream. Following ice cream, we spent some time at Agassiz Sand Hills to check out some unique prairie plants (as well as some very beautiful poison ivy). Here is a picture of the team post-completion of the second plot:

Thank you Gretel and The Nature Conservancy for dinner, ice cream, and an adventurous day!

After an exciting morning of flagging Echinacea plants in experimental plot one, we went to the Elk Lake beach to celebrate America’s 238th birthday! After having a delicious meal and reading the declaration of independence, eight of us set out on a canoe trip… the lake was windier than anticipated… two of us were lucky to return. We built an impressive fortress out of sand.

It was a great day, we worked hard in the morning and had a great celebration in the afternoon. There was great food, great conversation, and great people.