Don't play with it

Now we shall go back to this station's original programming...........

I deliberated on my post too long. I forgot most of what I wanted to write and I misplaced my scribbled notes on the topic... I guess when I find it I could just do an edit.

Anyway, the following photos are from our field trip last Friday. We went with a botanist, Dr. Linda Lyon, from Montana to visit various habitats and look for different plants. Sure, we've been to the locations several times but it was different this time seeing it through the eyes of a botanist. She took us through the habitats and explained various interesting facts about the plants, why they're where they are, where they're native to, and how to identify them. I don't remember everything I learned over the past couple days... but I do find myself recognizing different plants now. Dr. Lyon kept saying that after a while, recognizing them kind of gives you a sense of placement as to where you are and what to expect habitat-wise. Now when I see certain trees, I think "Oh, well that makes sense." Furthermore, it's not just trees in a blur anymore, I know some of their names or at least I have an idea of what family they might fall under.

Dry forest...

Acacia in the dry scrub habitat. (worry not..  the habitat is only that green because of all the rain.) You can tell because of the type of (pinnate/bi-pinnate) leaves and thorns along the stem/branch. The thorns serve as protection for the tree, and the flowers. It's part of the fabaceae family.

This, is a single flower of the leucaena, it's part of the  fabaceae family as well.

But this is how it looks on the tree. So the whole fluffy puff is really a bunch of flowers, not just one.