One of the most interesting encounters from my trip involved my night walk out in Anza-Borrego. We had been walking around for some while looking at plants and flipping rocks with UV lights to see what we could find. Out of nowhere, we started to hear multiple coyotes howling at once. It was a really haunting sound; if I were a rabbit I would be crying. I was very surprised to hear this since I had always assumed coyotes were solitary animals. With a little research I did learn that coyotes are both solitary and social. Apparently, about half of coyotes are solitary while the other half form bands. I imagine the habitat type and available food influences whether a coyote is solitary or not. I also learned that the howling heard was a call to initiate a hunt together. It was honestly a little otherworldly to hear an otherwise very silent and dark desert suddenly fill up with the howling of a band of coyotes, especially knowing what their little song was about.

I've always had my fair share of self-doubt. I've doubted my image, my personality, my likes and dislikes. Most unfortunately, I've tended to doubt my future path, wondering if I've made the correct school decisions or career decisions, wondering if I'm doing this 'life' thing right. I've always felt my doubt was proved right too, transferring schools and not being able to decide on a career.
Thankfully, with no access to anxiety-inducing internet and news, and plenty of alone time in nature in the desert, I was able to reflect on the time I had spent at UF in the botany and zoology programs. I realized with every class I take, every talk with my awesome advisor Norm, with every new fact I learn about the natural world, I feel connected to my future and my aspirations in life. Pushing myself outside my comfort zone by going on this trip, I felt at peace, feeling that I had made the correct decision to immerse myself in the mix of field work and academia. I know where I can go and what paths I might take with my life, and I am not afraid of the uncertainty because I do not doubt myself. With this new sense of direction, for the first time in a very long time, I feel hope.
I would like to thank Norm, Annika, and all my fellow classmates for this. Being surrounded by strong, driven people with infectious energy and intellect, I really felt at home. I could not have done it without you.

Much love,
Anna

On the UF Desert Biodiversity Field Trip, I found myself interested in photographing butterflies (and other flying insects) for the first time in my life. I felt a strange sense of joy following them through the thickets and waiting for the perfect moment for the butterfly to spread its wings, capturing the perfect identifiable shot. In retelling these stories to my partner, I was told I sounded like a cat, hunting its prey. I took pride in my skill, as all novices do when they have some beginner's luck.

Enter, my greatest humbling foe: The Sara Orangetip.

Along the Pictograph Trail of the Anza-Borrego desert, I spied his orange-tipped wings fluttering before me. I gave chase, straying from the path into the brush, readying my camera and hoping for him to land. I passed an already-perched swallowtail, but I decided to continue chasing the Orangetip, as I had already photographed a swallowtail earlier that day. And so I continued my tango with the Orangetip, weaving through chollas and creosotes, getting pricked a few times in the process. I even lost sight of him twice, crestfallen, only to spy him fluttering 30 feet away and chase with renewed vigor. Nearly half and hour was spent chasing this single Orangetip, who had yet to land on a branch once. Had I not been so irate, I might've been impressed by this little creatures' stamina. Nearly thirty minutes spent, before the Orangetip decided to fly up and over the mountain, disappearing from my view. My lesson had been learned: even the best hunters know, not every chase ends in success.

I initially expected the desert to be brown... and initially, I was right.

My flight into Las Vegas and the various drives to Death Valley and Cima Dome revealed various shades of grey, brown, and black as I watched dead and dying plants roll past my window, covering the equally bland rocks and soil. Even the town buildings seemed devoid of color, with once-fresh paint bleached by the sun into a dusty pale color. And yet, just as life seemed determined to persist, so did its colors.

On a minute scale, the desert is filled with color. Costa's hummingbirds are rife with iridescent purples and greens, while the Side-splotch lizards have their bright oranges and blues. I count myself lucky to have seen a blooming Strawberry Cactus, with reddish-pink petals surrounding bright yellow stigmas and stamens. All these colors, and yet all three individuals are smaller than my hand.

And with those three species alone, I saw the rainbow of color the desert has to offer.

Stars shining in the vast emptiness of the dark sky in Borrego Springs. A cool breeze blowing through the crisp night air . A perfect time for some reflection right?

The UF Immersion Program has been such a great opportunity to experience what it is like out in nature and to make new friends along the way. Being a senior, I knew that the Immersion program would be a perfect way to end off my undergraduate years with a bang. Honestly, I was scared about how the classes would be conducted, but so far, it has been a great combination of education and play. This Desert Biodiversity course allowed me to learn so many new things about the ecology of the desert from so many different biological backgrounds. I also experienced going up MOUNTAINS and SAND DUNES. Though those hikes were some of the most physically strenuous work I have ever done (I’m looking at you, Kelso Dunes), knowing that I was with such a supportive group of friends actually made me feel less exhausted. I was also able to see snow in the desert and get constellation lessons from Norm, Olesya, and Pedro. All these memorable experiences jam-packed into a two week excursion.

So, I would like to take a moment to say thank you to everyone in the class for making it an awesome one. Thank you to the instructors for making the class educational and fun. Thank you to the people who planned the groceries and for being so accommodating to different dietary restrictions. Thank you to the chefs, dishwashers, and cleaners. Thank you everyone for all the good times. All of y’alls laughter, support, and joy made the trip very special and one that I will treasure. :]

On the Hellhole Canyon hike in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, I was walking by myself when I heard a “VWOOM! VWOOM!” sound going around me. Once it perched on a plant, I saw that it was a cute hummingbird. It then would fly around to different plants in what I assumed it would be looking for flowers to get nectar from. Then, I saw it go to rest in a nest located on a bush’s branch. I was full of excitement. I thought, “Oh my goodness, she has a nest!” Then the hummingbird left her nest and I wondered, “Well, if there is a nest, then there’s likely eggs in there.” So I crept up to the nest, and when I looked inside, my jaw dropped. In the nest were the hummingbird’s eggs HATCHING! I almost could not believe my eyes. I hastily took my phone out to take photos and videos of it; hopefully the mother hummingbird didn't mind too much. This will be something I will never forget!

If there was one thing that I saw plenty during the trip, it would be galls. They were of various shapes and sizes, ranging from round and fuzzy (like the Saltbush wooly stem gall) to conelike and spiky (like the Creosote cone gall). I didn’t know much about galls other than the fact that some species of wasps were able to create them (with the help of a host plant). But after doing more research on them, I am confident to say that they are really weird. It is amazing how galls can take so many different forms, even on the same plant. Another crazy thing I learned was that midges can make galls too (poor creosote). My favorite gall would have to be one formed by the California gall wasp. It had such a nice orange coloration to it and it actually looked like a piece of fruit growing on the plant. I am really happy to be doing my project on galls now. (Sorry, not sorry scales!)

The Pictograph trail in Anza-Borrego was a really special trail that put the natural desert environment into a new context for me: a home for the native people. As we walked along this trail, the area felt more lived in than other trails we had been on. I noticed a ton of agave growing on both sides of the trail; the plant seemed to fill the entire area. This was no coincidence; these agaves were likely descendants of cultivated agaves used by the Natives. Agave was an important food source to Natives as well as a provider of strong fibers for textiles and crafts. I also just loved the beauty of the plant and the way its huge flower stalk erupts from the plant base towards the end of its life in an amazing reproductive effort. We passed by the red pictographs off of the main trail and I couldn't believe how the drawings were still so clear hundreds of years later. Their meaning was unknown but Pedro had his own interpretations! Towards the end of the trail, there were multiple large, flat rocks that contained smoothed out areas that the Natives likely used to grind seeds and grains. By the time we started headed back, I appreciated the trail for what it really was: a look into the past.

As we first entered the Palm Canyon trail, my eyes were fixated on the hills that were on either side of us, hoping to catch a glimpse of Bighorn Sheep. Quickly, however, it became clear that this trail was very different compared to our past trails. Right away, we were greeted with a diversity of wildflowers on both sides, with more bees and other pollinators than I had seen all trip flitting about from one flower to another. As we continued along, we realized how abundant the lizard and bird populations were as well. While most of them were species that we had already seen, it was strange to see how many there were in this one area. I kept wondering why I was seeing so much more flora and fauna than normal until the trail lead me straight into a full-fledged stream! It reminded me how much of a difference water makes to any dry environment. In the stream I could see tadpoles swimming around, diving beetles, and a variety of insects skimming the surface. Further along the trail was a stunning waterfall, an oasis surrounded by tall fan palms, and golden hills illuminated by the setting sun. The group and I noticed a strange bird call: a loud whistling sound whose tone would descend in a very interesting way. Looking around at the sky, I was able to make out a hummingbird diving straight downwards at an incredibly fast speed, with the whistle noise erupting from it. Norm then informed us that it was a mating ritual and that the noise was actually coming from the bird's vibrating feathers rather than its mouth! We walked the trail back in a beautiful pink and purple twilight. It was a wonderful hike!

Once our vans pulled up to the Granite Mountains research station, I remember stepping out and taking in the awesome view of the mountains closest to us. The rocky mountains looked like they had been formed by a bunch of boulders falling from the sky, piling onto one another. In the crevasses between the boulders, tenacious shrubs were nestled in, waiting for the next rain to trickle into the cracks. Dark green juniper trees ornamented the mountainside, clustering by a nearby spring like a mini forest. The other side of the research station was flatland, covered in a variety of Opuntias, barrel cacti, and chollas as well as rodent dens and Phainopeplas.
The views couldn't beat the people though. We were filled with a child-like glee when we rushed into the research station to claim our beds and those summer camp vibes never went away. Our family meals at the big table were delicious (shoutout to the master chefs and the grocery queen). Some of my favorite memories are all of us huddling together by the oven, playing games and telling stories, laughing together in a cloud of flurries (in the DESERT), making a snowman and having an impromptu snowball fight (in the DESERT), and watching Alba rig up a mouse trap in 30 seconds. Honorable mention was me finally getting my toilet paper to catch on the NINTH match.