#if theyre still there and there are enough of them ill take a new herbarium collection but if theres only a few im not gonna risk it

[botanyshitposts]

im taking today and friday off work and i was originally just going to vibe but then i started thinking about the native isoetes melanopoda population here again..... last spotted at a river mouth emptying into the mississippi in 1981 (from the only herbarium collection i know of, only species i know of here, and only population i know of in iowa)..... the herbarium tag was made before GPS was a thing so there's only geographic survey estimates to go off of for location (like a few square miles + a road and habitat description). the lads might still be there, especially because isoetes has been known to be overlooked by biological surveys in the past by virtue of 1. people just not knowing what they are and 2. assuming they're a grass species without taking a closer look, but at the same time they might NOT be there anymore, in which case i honestly would need to look in the herbarium again to see if there are any other iowa populations because that might just mean its extinct here now, in which case.... i guess i would contact the DNR because it's on the state list of 'endangered, threatened, or special concern plants'?

i checked some GIS images and superficially it LOOKS like that whole area hasn't been super developed in the past 40 years, but i can't tell the extent of farm fields around it very clearly. i did this once before for one afternoon but going over the map again i think i was in the completely wrong area. so anyway long story short i think i am going to go drive a few hours and camp there and spend a day looking and experience either loving adoration or soul crushing grief ✌️as you do

#i will update here. i want to see the lads #if theyre still there and there are enough of them ill take a new herbarium collection but if theres only a few im not gonna risk it #isoetes