Second Round Finished!

This week I was able to plow through the second round of point counts in just five days. The weather cooperated for me, even though a few days were supposed to be too windy to do the counts. I did work on Saturday to get them done, but I'm very glad to have the second round finished. Three left!

On Tuesday night, Marissa got here with Lexi, her baby, and on Wednesday afternoon Brittany and Alli got here. Brittany and Alli are two TNC interns doing vegetation surveys at a bunch of different spots across North Dakota and South Dakota this summer. It's really good to have them around! We were trained how to do the surveys on Thursday and Friday (because I am doing the veg surveys, too!), but we're all feeling a little concerned about actually doing the surveys correctly. We have to know a list of about 50 plant species, which isn't hard (although, we haven't seen most of them yet so can't readily ID them in the field). Beyond that, we have to know which species are native and which are not native, so we really need to know ALL the species, even though Marissa insists that we don't. I'm sure we'll get the hang of it, and I hope Brittany and Alli get the hang of it quickly, since whatever they don't finish I will have to do!

Although I am still partial to mixed-grass prairies, I have seen some pretty cool things so far here in the tallgrass. Because there is more precipitation here, there are different plants and birds to see, but there are no mule deer or pronghorn antelope, and no bison. There probably were in the past, but now that farming and ranching have taken over those large species have been pushed out.

Even though I don't like that native species are getting pushed out, I know that farming and ranching are important both for our economy and for feeding ourselves. Without farming, there would be no food after all (or, we'd all have to grow our own food). I also really like the culture that tends to surround these farming and ranching communities. The three of us went out to the McLeod bar last night. I had a delicious steak and a couple beers, and there was a live band playing as well. Locals were just sitting around, talking, and enjoying the music. One couple even got up a two-stepped for a song! People like learning about where "foreigners" come from and why we're here. Although many locals probably don't much like TNC, they're still friendly to us. I also think part of the reason is that we're female and maybe more approachable. Men doing field work out here probably have a totally different experience than women.

I've been taking my Dad's waterproof camera with me when I do my point counts in the mornings, which is really handy to have in the field. I have also gone for a couple walks with my DSLR. So, enjoy some photos of plants and animals in tallgrass prairies!

Wilson's snipe nest. I almost ran it over with my ATV.

Baby robin that I shooed off the road.

Hognosed snake that lives under our porch.

Yellow-headed blackbird with dragonfly. Too bad they
eat the insects that eat the mosquitoes!

Prairie rose, one of many natives.

A butterfly, not sure which kind, but it was pretty!

Bracted spiderwort, another beautiful native flower.

One of a few nice sunrises I've seen. I see the
sunrise but am in bed before sunset.

I think this is a northern leopard frog.

Black tern, not a bird I'd expect to find in the prairies, but
they feed in the open wetlands where there are small fish.

A nice dragonfly.

Allison looking at grasses we have to learn.

Blue-eyed grass, not actually a grass.

Tree swallow at her nest.

I've been dog-sitting for a few days now, this is Molly!
Don't tell Cora!