Phragmites in the Fall
Winter has come to Piermont Marsh and the Phragmites australis have senesced. They have drawn their resources down into their dense network of rhizomes below the surface of the marsh where they will await the passing of the cold winter months. The stems will not emerge again until the spring for the summer growing season. What is left aboveground is a phalanx of feather topped lifeless stems ready to take on snow, ice, wind, and water. I too have drawn my resources into the warm interior of the library and my apartment. I have taken all my final samples, collected all of the science infrastructure and detritus I created over the summer, and hauled it all back to Lamont. I have also completed processing all of my plant samples. This entailed washing all of the mud from the roots and stems, measuring the length of the stems, tagging the plants and drying them in a drying oven, and recording their dry weight. The next step is data analysis and testing the soil samples for Gallic Acid. See you in the spring Phragmites.
My plot with pots removed
Bringing back all the equipment from the field
Bye bye oxbow island!
Drying oven and scale where plant stems and roots were processed
Processed dried plants
All my processed samples
A Graduate Student in the Marsh 