Cabin fever & Natural History Blog (Blurb) #2

I think I have a limit as to how long I can spend indoors. I don't know if I could ever have a job, that didn't involve being outside for part of the year. After a long field season, it's nice to get inside and not have to sit out in the blazing sun all day but after awhile it gets old. I think that's what I am suffering through right now. I can't seem to focus this week. My days are unproductive and I am literally just itching to be outside. We have had beautiful weather here as of recently (~18 degrees out during the day) and I want to be out there and enjoying it. I guess one could say I am suffering from a little bit of cabin fever.

This week I have been interviewing for the field assistant position in our lab, I have fully cleaned my office/desk space up and really done a good job cleaning my apartment.

First time I could see my desk in 8 months

That being said, I can't just sit here and read papers for one second longer. It is painful to even get through one and I am at the point where I can't even remember what I read 30 seconds ago. So what that boils down to is: Natural History Blog #2, which will feature one of my favourite wild plants, Fragaria Virginiana or the wild strawberry. I'd probably call this a blurb, because to be honest, I don't have THAT much to say about them, and I also don't have any pictures of my own, but no doubt I soon will!

When I first started field work, way back in summer of 2009, I remember sitting in the field mid-May to early June picking at the tiny strawberry plants that crept along the ground under the tall-growing grasses. Nothing beats a wild strawberry. Wild strawberries are not anything like the strawberries you see in the grocery store. They rarely will be any bigger than a blueberry in size and are so sweet to taste. The plants spread freely by runners so many plants are often attached by the mostly above ground runners. They have trifoliate leaves and tiny, white flowers which are one of the first to flower in the old-fields.

A goal of mine would be to collect enough wild strawberries to make jam with. Last year, my Dad and I went strawberry picking at Fruiton Berry Farm. It was awesome! But just due to the size of wild berries, I'd have to collect at least ten times the amount to get even a decent amount of jam! Oh well, here's to hoping!

Photo from markgelbart.wordpress.com