Diario del proyecto Tribal Nations Botanical Research Collaborative

Check out the leaderboard statistics for September:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmMjR1m23C4&feature=youtu.be

Broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae) is a bright golden flower in the Aster family and
blooms May-October. It’s found on most western landscapes and is a hardy low-growing shrub
with resinous twigs. Bundles of the woody twigs have been used as brooms giving this common
plant its name.

The plant is strongly aromatic and includes some organic compounds that are poisonous to
grazing sheep and cattle. It has therefore been associated with landscapes that are overgrazed
since it’s the only thing left when these domestic ungulates have eaten everything else.
Interestingly, this is in contrast to wild ungulates such as mule deer, elk and pronghorns who
often eat this plant. Pronghorns are particularly partial to Broom snakeweed which can
comprise up to 30% of their diet! Broom snakeweed is also the host plant for native moth and
butterfly species.

This plant was most recently observed on iNaturalist just 9 days ago in the Apache-Sitgreaves
National Forest! It’s blooming right now, so get out there and record some observations!

If you would like a tutorial on how to use the iNaturalist application to observe plants, then this video is for you: https://youtu.be/QsG7aykplDQ

Apologies for the shaking camera and background noise (I had my kids with me when making the video)!

Have a fantastic day!
--Sara

The buffalo gourd (Cucurbita foetidissima) is in the cucumber family and related to cucumbers, squash, and pumpkins. This fall-ripening gourd has many common names including stinking gourd due to the foul odour produced by the crushed flowers. This odour along with many chemical compounds in the plant deter insects that would otherwise feast upon it. Spread across the western states, this gourd has a rich history of traditional, domestic, culinary, and medicinal uses. It can be recognized by the sprawling vine which grows in patches, fuzzy triangular leaves, yellow five pointed flowers in the summer, and green to yellow round gourds in the fall. There have been multiple iNaturalist observations of buffalo gourd in Coconino National Forest in the last month, so be on the lookout! Happy Gourd Season!

We had a great day of botanizing at Keyhole Sink with several project members from Hopi! We saw Rosa woodsii, Thalictrum fenderli, Artemisia caruthii, and Antennaria parvifolia among other plants!

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Take care & have fun iNaturalisting!!!