2015 US-Russia Expedition to Colorado: Mexican Cut Preserve

Today we returned to the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory to meet the Science Director, Jennifer Reithel. Jenny escorted us to Mexican Cut Preserve, which is not open to the public. The Nature Conservancy owns this 960-acre preserve, but the land is managed by RMBL. We hiked up to the cirque, a flat area created by glacial erosion, which contains 20-30 ponds at around 11,000 ft. The ponds have never contained any fish, but do have populations of eastern tiger salamanders. It's very unusual for salamanders to be found at high elevations. Also unusual is that some of the salamanders remain in a larval form, but are still able to reproduce. We passed through a moist meadow and woodland before reaching the pools, so were able to see a diversity of plants. We also learned from Jenny that Erythronium grandiflorum seed pods are edible! They have a slightly sweet taste. Hopefully we don't run out of snacks or our collected pods might be next!

In the afternoon, we left Crested Butte to travel southwest to Montrose. We detoured along Jack's Cabin Cutoff and stopped in sagebrush steppe where Calochortus gunnisonii was dotting the landscape with its delicate white flowers. We also discovered mountain ball cactus, Pediocactus simpsonii and yellow owl's-clover, Orthocarpus luteus, which is a hemiparasitic plant.

A chilly stream crossing at the beginning of our hike. This clearing was the former site of a mining town.

Mimulus guttatus, seep monkeyflower, grew by the edge of the stream.

This Helianthus species has extrafloral nectaries which attract ants. The ants provide some protection to the plant by keeping seed predators off the flower.