The Silent Hitchhiker

Last August my husband and I participated in the 2012 BioBlitz at Rocky Mountain National Park. So what is a Bioblitz? A BioBlitz is a 24-hour event in which teams of volunteer scientists, families, students, teachers, and other community members work together to find and identify as many species of plants, animals, microbes, fungi, and other organisms as possible. It is an annual event, hosted by National Geographic and the National Park Service, and held in a different National Park each year. When I found out that the BioBlitz was going to take place at Rocky Mountain National Park the science nerd in me cheered! I was so happy to volunteer!

Tundra, forests, meadows, streams and lakes were all to be explored and their creatures documented. We signed up to help inventory the invasive plants in the Ponderosa forest on the East side of the park. Each discovery site had a scientific leader to help guide the volunteers as to what to look for and how to properly count. Our scientific leader was a botanist working at Colorado State University studying invasive plants.

Ponderosa Pine Forest

We found 4 different species of invasive plants at our discovery site: Mullein, Musk Thistle, Canadian Thistle, and Cheatgrass. Most of the invasive plants were concentrated near the road and the parking lot-not a big surprise. Roads are a major route of spread for invasive species into wild areas.
   
A total of 489 species were found in Rocky Mountain National Park during the BioBlitz. I was so happy to participate in the biological inventory and excited about the experience that I decided to participate in yet another way....a poetic inventory. Colorado's own Wolverine Farm Publishing decided to publish The Poetic Inventory of Rocky Mountain National Park, an anthology of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry to showcase the beauty of the park. Each writer contributing was to write a piece that took as its title a species living in the park. I decided to write a poem about the invasive species we found the most of at our discovery site- the Wooly Mullein (Verbascum Thapsus). It is a simple poem, but I have always been a fan of simple prose.

Wooly Mullein (Verbascum Thapsus- the invasive species we found the most of at our discovery site and the subject of my poem to be published in the Poetic Inventory of Rocky Mountain National Park.

Last week Wolverine Farm Publishing had the first reading/fundraiser for the project at Odell Brewing in Ft. Collins. Beer and poetry...sign me up! It was a great event- I got to meet lots of witty and interesting poets and writers, including the editor of the project who I had been corresponding with ever since the BioBlitz via e-mail, as well as pre-order my copy of the anthology. All the proceeds from the night went toward the project. I loved that right as you entered the brewery there was a table set up for you purchase beer "tickets"- which were just torn off pieces of notebook paper. The honor system actually worked here and I LOVED that!

Charlie Malone, the editor of the Poetic Inventory of Rocky Mountain National Park reading his poem at the first fundraising event for the project at Odell Brewing in Ft. Collins.

 I was told there would be more fundraising events for the anthology in the future. I plan on attending as many as I can and maybe next time I will actually have the guts to get up and read my poem! The collection should be available this summer. I can't wait to get my copy and to read all of the work inspired by one of my favorite places to hike in the world- Rocky Mountain National Park.


If anyone wants to help support this project or is a fan of writings inspired by nature you can pre-order your copy of the The Poetic Inventory of Rocky Mountain National Park by clicking on this link:
http://www.wolverinefarm.org/publishing/a-poetic-inventory-of-rocky-mountain-national-park/

Wooly Mullein (Verbascum Thapsus)

“The Silent Hitchhiker” by Erika Kleronomos

Unbeknownst to you

My seeds are riding on your shoe

I travel with you quietly

To a new open space where I can grow free

I will plant myself along the roadside

And allow my thick, wooly leaves to spread out wide

My stem will grow tall and proud

Little yellow flowers screaming loud

I am new and here to stay

I do not plan to go away

Accept me for what I am my friend

A silent hitchhiker until the end