Amateur naturalist with a focus on local botany and mycology of the Southern Rocky Mountains (particularly the Wet Mountain Range) and adjacent shortgrass prairie.

Horticulturist for the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District. As caretaker to district's water-wise demonstration garden I promote the use of ecological gardening practices by using native plants grown from locally collected seed, creating habitat for local and migratory wildlife and reducing the need for supplemental watering.

Observing and identifying organisms became an interest to me through foraging. By learning fungal associations, taking note of how soil types and topography affect growing conditions I was better able to read the landscape and find what I was searching for. It also caused me to slow down and recognize the beauty of plants that I didn't previously notice and how different insects interacted with them. I began collecting seeds to grow in my garden to recreate this dynamic relationship and this eventually led to my current career in horticulture.

Favorite Taxa

View All