July 30: Transplanting Stephanomeria Occultata for Public Lands

U of U Greenhouse that is shared with Public Lands

July 30: Transplanting Native Plants for Public Lands 

Where Have I Been?

Well, apologizes for the late post, but—to keep it brief—I just found out that I'm moving in less than 30 days from a 1,100 sq ft, two bedroom apartment to a bedroom that's about 120 sq ft. Needless to say, on top of my internship starting, my last semester of college, and running my business, it has been a little rough  finding time to do much else. While volunteering has not been cut out of my priority list, posting about it has. 

What I Did:

Enough about me, let's discuss the project! I went to the U of U's greenhouse, as it's shared with Public Lands' SLC's Native Habitat Plantings team, and learned how to transplant plants into wetland boxes. I learned about how important it is to plant a plant around its collar (where root and stem meet) and to not have too much air pockets in the soil when planting (but also that it has to have enough air to grow). The man helping me was extremely kind, and I'm sad that I forgot his name. After a fantastic demonstration and a tour of the greenhouse, he set me loose to transplant! 

I wasn't the only volunteer, so it was lovely to meet, learn,  and chat with Christy while we worked (I think she's just me from the future). I helped transplant some Stephanomeria Occultata plants into two and a half wetland boxes (Christy did the other half). It was a fantastic opportunity and my first time doing anything like it! I will be returning. 


Why It Matters: 

According to Utah's Division of Wildlife Resources, Stephanomeria Occultata, also known as Hidden Wirelettuce, is a flowering plant that is in the same family as Sunflowers (Asteraceae). It is native to northern Utah. 

It is extremely important that native plants, like the Hidden Wirelettuce, can propagate in their native areas, as the local wildlife and pollinators rely on them. Sadly, this flower is on the endangered species list and has been for a while. 








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