My friend and I, a couple of post-undergrad ecologists, are heading out this summer on the Great American Roadtrip. We've gotten some great suggestions of campsites, hikes, etc - but have realized something important is missing: neat plants. We're both fascinated by interesting/endangered ecosystems, plant/animal mutualisms, and just plain strange plant species; I'm also interested in broadly "useful" plants (wild species used as food/medicine, feral crop species, etc).
So, we thought we'd send an inquiry out to ecolog, and would be incredibly grateful if any of ecologists/botanists along our route might be willing to share your favorite places/species! Especially looking for: remnant grasslands/prairies/pre-agricultural pockets, endangered ecosystems, unusual agricultural areas, unusual/rare plant species. Examples are the Lost 40 pines in Chippewa Nat'l Forest (MN), and the "pocket deserts" of the Okanogan Valley (WA/BC). Our route: I-90/94 from Boston to Seattle, through MA, NY, northern Great Lakes region, North Dakota, Montana/Idaho/WA. We're also doing the requisite travel blog, and I do some freelance science writing, so we're also interested in places that don't get as much protection/conservation-focused attention as they might deserve (or that, contrarily, shouldn't be visited in order to protect them). Thanks so much! -Cory Teshera-Sterne -- Cory Teshera-Sterne Programmer, Web Developer, Natural Sciences Research Assistant www.linkedin.com/in/corytesherasterne
