We took off for Banff with no problems, but by the time we reached the halfway point in Chicago, Jake had completely succumbed to a severe stomach flu and exited the plane just before it took off to Banff. For once the airline was very helpful and arranged for a new ticket to fly out the next morning and a hotel room. I got to Banff and figured out how to make a phone call on a pay phone (how long has it been since I used one of those?! They take credit cards now though) so I could make sure I hadn’t abandoned Jake to some horrible fate in Chicago. The Airporter van ride to Banff is kind of hazy since it was getting close to midnight east coast time. I do remember waking up to be suddenly surrounded by snow-capped mountains highlighted by the setting sun though!
Things looked brighter this morning with the sun shining again, Jake at the airport on his way here and the start of the Weeds Across Borders conference. The talks at the conference were eclectic ranging from the effectiveness of sheep grazing on invasive plants to using genetic computer simulations to predict species invasion patterns. There was also a very educational and humorous one hour talk on using the web for plant id. Rather than having to go through a dichotomous key, you are able to use a web program to enter whatever relevant information you have – flower color, leaf shape, habitat, to narrow down the possible species. You don’t even have to know any botanical terms since there are pictures illustrating possible choices. If you’re not sure whether a leaf is lobed or toothed you can also choose both. Wouldn’t it be great to have a web key to plants of the Delmarva coastal plain?!
My presentation on Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants went well I think, or at least Jake and a few other people said so. The paper is finished too, so most of the work is done now! Tomorrow is a field trip to - a gravel pit!
Things looked brighter this morning with the sun shining again, Jake at the airport on his way here and the start of the Weeds Across Borders conference. The talks at the conference were eclectic ranging from the effectiveness of sheep grazing on invasive plants to using genetic computer simulations to predict species invasion patterns. There was also a very educational and humorous one hour talk on using the web for plant id. Rather than having to go through a dichotomous key, you are able to use a web program to enter whatever relevant information you have – flower color, leaf shape, habitat, to narrow down the possible species. You don’t even have to know any botanical terms since there are pictures illustrating possible choices. If you’re not sure whether a leaf is lobed or toothed you can also choose both. Wouldn’t it be great to have a web key to plants of the Delmarva coastal plain?!
My presentation on Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants went well I think, or at least Jake and a few other people said so. The paper is finished too, so most of the work is done now! Tomorrow is a field trip to - a gravel pit!
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