Lara's Bootcamp/Wheaton Labs Experience/BRKish

If stick and pokes are still happening when the PTC happens, I'll definitely get one.

Thank you so much everyone for the replies about the picture format. I changed it in my phone settings, so now it takes images in JPG, but your feedback will be very helpful if I ever decide to switch back for the sake of quality.

@ Kyle -- awesome! Haha. Been great seeing you in Alan's class.

Today was a good day! I went for a hike with someone special and it is always fascinating hiking with him because he knows all the names for the plants and reasons for the phenomena. We sat in silence in the quiet forest and listened to the calls and peckings of different birds, while I read about listening in 3D. It was almost 70 degrees f today. What a joy to wear shorts and feel the sun on my face.

This week went by quickly, with lots of momentum, and preparation for our tour next weekend! This week will be busy as usual, and we are welcoming a new boot tomorrow, which always makes for a really fun time.

Please enjoy some pictures from this past week below. One of these days I'll find time to make another recap video, with lots of footage from the past few weeks!

Your hike sounds magical..

What kind of plant is that one that doesn't photosynthesize? I found one too and like how it looks like tiny pumpkins.

What's the one that smells like mint?

Columbine are gorgeous. I hope all your seeds sprout and bring you great joy! <3

Hi Lara. I know about those plants that don't do photosynthesis (often called 'parasites', because they make use of the work of other plants). There's one I know the name of in Dutch, growing here in the Netherlands, but rare. It is not same one you show. Maybe they are in the same plant family Orobanchaceae (you can search for that on internet).

The plants smelling like mint has to be of the mint family (Menthaceae), because only mints smell like mints The one you show looks like water-mint to me. But it could well be another species, one that grows in Northern America and not where I live.

Jen Tuuli wrote:Your hike sounds magical..

What kind of plant is that one that doesn't photosynthesize? I found one too and like how it looks like tiny pumpkins.

What's the one that smells like mint?

Columbine are gorgeous. I hope all your seeds sprout and bring you great joy! <3

It was magical!

It is Wild Bergamot! of the mint family. a square stem!

I also love columbine, and your seed blessing is gratefully received, thank you!! <3

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:Hi Lara. I know about those plants that don't do photosynthesis (often called 'parasites', because they make use of the work of other plants). There's one I know the name of in Dutch, growing here in the Netherlands, but rare. It is not same one you show. Maybe they are in the same plant family Orobanchaceae (you can search for that on internet).

The plants smelling like mint has to be of the mint family (Menthaceae), because only mints smell like mints The one you show looks like water-mint to me. But it could well be another species, one that grows in Northern America and not where I live.

Hi Inge! Yes, very interesting to learn about the non-photosynthesizing plants. But I heard they form a symbiotic relationship with the fungus, which in turn form relationships with the trees, and it's like a chain of nutrient sharing/trading. Mycoheterotrophy is the rabbit hole I just now fell down in my research.

The mint turned out to be wild bergamot, which is in the mint family! Does that grow where you live? I am planting bergamot on my hugel and hoping it takes well.

In my forest here in Maine we have Indian Pipe plants.  Seeing them in their stark whiteness has always made me wonder how many other non-spring ephemeral forest floor plants can photosynthesize but are not actually doing it (at least not after canopy leaf out) because of the deep shade.  One example are the hog peanuts that grow there.  I dug one up and noted that it had very healthy nitrogen fixing nodules in deep shade.  I'm just assuming that it must be trading things like nitrogen for sugars from the mycelial network....but not sure.  Anyone know?

Lara Bigotti wrote:

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:Hi Lara. I know about those plants that don't do photosynthesis (often called 'parasites', because they make use of the work of other plants). There's one I know the name of in Dutch, growing here in the Netherlands, but rare. It is not same one you show. Maybe they are in the same plant family Orobanchaceae (you can search for that on internet).

The plants smelling like mint has to be of the mint family (Menthaceae), because only mints smell like mints The one you show looks like water-mint to me. But it could well be another species, one that grows in Northern America and not where I live.

Hi Inge! Yes, very interesting to learn about the non-photosynthesizing plants. But I heard they form a symbiotic relationship with the fungus, which in turn form relationships with the trees, and it's like a chain of nutrient sharing/trading. Mycoheterotrophy is the rabbit hole I just now fell down in my research.

The mint turned out to be wild bergamot, which is in the mint family! Does that grow where you live? I am planting bergamot on my hugel and hoping it takes well.

Hi Lara. No, the wild bergamot is not a native plant here. It can be bought in a garden centre and planted in the garden though. So probably it's native in a climate somewhat like here.
About those non-photosynthesizing plants: probably the last few years many new discoveries are made on the symbiosis with fungi. I didn't learn that when I was young, but I find it very interesting!