So this time, I have an excuse for not posting for a while. I was on vacation for the past five days or so and didn't check email or update my blog during that time because I was giving myself a break from the computer.
Last week, the refuge was buzzing with activity as I helped with data collection in a study to see the effects of deer browse (eating) on plant populations. Basically, I spent two days bushwhacking through dense woods and observing whether or not deer ate seedlings that had been planted in December. Also, we measured canopy density (using a densiometer) and shrub coverage (using a big grid that was placed 10 meters away).
Today marked the first day of the last half of my summer here. I'm getting ready to pick up the pace on a project of my own. I've become very interested in how management techniques affect plant diversity on the refuge. Specifically, some brushlands are cut by a giant machine called a Hydro-Ax (think a lawn mower for trees). I will be comparing the plant diversity in different age classes of fields to get a good idea of what species are coming to which fields.
That's all for now. Here's a picture of Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis).
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