By Christie Jones, September 21, 2008
Carl using the pole saw to collect DNA samples.
Today was our first day in Pohnpei. We jumped in the SUV this morning with intentions of driving the island to get a feel for the lay of the land. Our expectations were pretty low. It is Sunday and everyone on the island rests today, including the field guides.
We have all settled into our roles on this expedition. Steve is the driver and has a general idea of where we are going since he has been here before. He has 30 plus years of experience in the field and is prepared for anything. Carl, in addition to his expert palm identification skills, is our fearless collector. He plunges happily into the swamps in search of fallen seed. We stand by the roadside and cheer him on (and think to ourselves “glad it’s him and not me.”) My job is to “keep it together.” I keep notes in the field book, plot GPS points, produce collecting equipment as needed and, most importantly, am the keeper of the money and the receipts. Faith is our ever vigilant spotter. She can see a palm tree from a mile away – literally. The beauty of Ponapea is that its inflorescences are bright white and almost glow against the deep green forest backdrop.
It was Faith, in fact, who spotted Ponapea hosinoi late this afternoon. This was the species we were afraid would be too hard to find (Ponapea ledermanniana is the other species found in Pohnpei). It was previously known to grow only in remote high areas. Today we found it on the side of an inland road at a low altitude. Though there were no ripe fruit, we were able to collect enough material to send herbarium specimens to all our partners.
Thanks for all the informative, entertaining, and illustrative notes of the trip. It’s quite pleasing and even more amazing to read your illustrated blog -amazing, isn’t it, that you all are half a planet away, sending back observations literal and figurative, all on the same day, in the same time frame, if not time zone!
Some information for all of you ‘on expedition’: not only did the Hurricanes win big -luckily playing in a part of Texas not directly affected by storms (tho’ UM’s lodgings were shifted because they were part of relief efforts) by thrashing Texas A&M 41-23, but the Dolphins traveled north to Foxboro to meet the Patriots, and thoroughly whipped their HEAVILY favored AFC east rivals in every phase of the game, passing & running away with a stunning and absolutely unexpected 38-13 mauling.
SOrry, Christie, but not unexpectedly at all, the Gators chomped the Vols before a packed, orange house in Knoxville.
But you still have a manner of revenge, I suppose -the islanders apparently (and altogether mysteriously) join you in a slightly unfathomable appreciation of good ole country music.
In other news, Victor & I have as yet not loped off too much of either the palmetum, the butterfly garden, nor the lowlands…
…yet.
Ed joins us this coming Thursday, so we’ll see if we can make up some lost ground.
Continued success to the exploration team, and may you all have a great and fruitful trip.
-Frank B, Palmetum Poleaxer Par Excellence