{"id":1143,"date":"2014-05-09T16:44:18","date_gmt":"2014-05-09T20:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.nybg.org\/science-talk\/?p=1143"},"modified":"2014-05-09T16:44:32","modified_gmt":"2014-05-09T20:44:32","slug":"from-the-field-bill-buck-in-cape-horn-2014-part-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/science-talk\/2014\/05\/from-the-field-bill-buck-in-cape-horn-2014-part-12\/","title":{"rendered":"From the Field: Bill Buck in Cape Horn 2014, Part 12"},"content":{"rendered":"

William R. Buck, Ph.D.,<\/a> is the Mary Flagler Cary Curator of Botany at The New York Botanical Garden<\/a>. Every January for the last three years, Dr. Buck, a moss specialist, and a team of colleagues have journeyed to the Cape Horn region at the southern tip of South America to document the area\u2019s rich diversity of mosses and search for new species.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

January 25, 2014; in transit to Puerto Williams<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The expansive face of Isla Grevy’s “Low Peninsula”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two nights ago we pulled into Caleta Antuca (55\u00b042\u2019S, 67\u00b026\u2019W<\/a>), our final collecting site on Isla Wollaston<\/a>. We tied off on the rocks and stepped directly ashore. This was fortunate because the wind was blowing strongly and it would have been difficult to get the Zodiac off the deck. Nevertheless, it was a little scary stepping from the rolling\u00a0ship onto a small rock ledge. Both Barb Andreas and Barbara Murray chose to stay aboard because of this.<\/p>\n

The wind howled, but precipitation was minimal. I\u00a0found\u00a0mosses around the shore of a lake. From time to time, as I searched around the base of rock ledges, I’d take a brief hiatus from the wind but otherwise gloried in the weather.
\n
\nIn\u00a0the evening, we trickled back to the ship one by one. Matt von Konrat returned at 8 p.m., and only\u00a0John Brinda\u00a0remained in the field. By 8:30 the crew became concerned, and two of them\u00a0went\u00a0out to look for our errant collector. As time passed, the worry\u00a0grew.\u00a0At 9 p.m., the crew returned empty-handed, leading Juan Larra\u00edn and Ernesto Davis\u2014the sturdiest among us\u2014to join in the search.<\/p>\n

John finally came wandering back to the ship at 9:15. There was some consternation over his seeming lack of concern, but I retreated rather than saying something I would later regret. Once I had calmed down, I\u00a0thanked each of the four men who had gone out to\u00a0search for John.\u00a0We still had to move the ship to a more sheltered anchorage that night.<\/p>\n

We devoted the next day to Isla Grevy, the only large island in the Wollaston-Hermite<\/a> group that I hadn’t visited. From the moment I saw it,\u00a0it was clear this island was different. It was low, with no visible peaks or rock outcrops for as far as one could see.\u00a0Appropriately,\u00a0the spot where we planned to spend the morning\u00a0was named “Low Peninsula” (55\u00b035\u2019S, 67\u00b036.5\u2019W<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The wind kept up unabated, and the sea was rough despite clear skies. Whitecaps topped each swell. Veterans from previous years were familiar with this weather and warned newcomers to expect a wet trip ashore. Sure enough, waves and salt spray washed over the\u00a0small, sturdy Zodiac from the moment we set out. I’m sure I had a grin pasted on my face the entire time. But everyone enjoyed the trip as a novelty, especially those who had spent previous trips huddled on the floor of the Zodiac, trying to keep from being swept overboard.<\/p>\n

Barbara saw\u00a0no rocks upon which Andreaea<\/em>, the lantern mosses that are her specialty, could possibly grow, so she\u00a0chose to return to the ship as soon as we reached shore. She later said that, if nothing else, she enjoyed the invigorating Zodiac experience. Rimming the beach was a low heath of Gaultheria,<\/em> a genus that is a blueberry relative. The plants were\u00a0about two feet high and difficult to cross. But once we stopped and took a hard look, we found the ground beneath these prickly shrubs\u2014the leaves are sharp-tipped and prone to drawing blood\u2014was carpeted with mosses and, to a lesser extent,\u00a0liverworts. Finally, we were in a place where mosses predominated over hepatics.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The author hunts for bryophytes across challenging terrain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A large Brachythecium<\/em> species was in abundance, as were mats of Achrophyllum<\/em> and other species. Beyond the coastal heath, Magellanic tundra<\/a> dominated the landscape. Seldom have we seen such a flat area that was so extensive. Poking among the shrubs, I found several epiphytic<\/a> Ulota<\/em> species, readily collected despite the weaponized Gaultheria<\/em> leaves protecting them. I think we all returned to the ship satisfied.<\/p>\n

As we lunched, the ship moved on to the north coast of Isla Grevy. In a small cove directly south of Punta Dillon (55\u00b030\u2019S, 67\u00b039.5\u2019W<\/a>), we found a beach of pure mineral sand, little different from those of Florida. This underscored our opinion that Grevy\u00a0must have had different geological origins than the others in the Wollaston-Hermite group. Numerous fertile\u00a0Bryum<\/em> species grew right on the sandy shore, something unseen on the other islands.<\/p>\n

At this stop, however, the vegetation was almost impenetrable. Dense shrubs, most of them in the genus Chiliotrichum<\/em> (in the Asteraceae family), rose to waist height and proved difficult to pass. Behind them was a forest dominated by Maytenus<\/em>, a tree species usually encountered as scattered individuals. But\u00a0this\u00a0forest was\u00a0so dense that it was almost impossible to enter, and even when an entry point was found, the space proved dark and devoid of mosses and other bryophytes. While I don’t think we found anything jarringly different in our collections here, it was a different suite of species than any previously encountered. By day’s end, we all had far more wet collections than there was dryer space.<\/p>\n

This morning’s plan was to hit a quick collecting site on Isla Wollaston between 8 and 10 a.m., then head to Puerto Williams. At 7:15 a.m. I made an executive decision to eliminate this final stop and received no objections, since most of us had been up late the night before. After eating breakfast, I went\u00a0out on the deck in the falling rain to say goodbye before we got\u00a0underway.<\/p>\n

I love the rugged beauty of the landscape here. I find the architecture of the Nothofagus<\/em>\u2014the southern beeches\u2014to be one of the most beautiful of all trees. I hope to try\u00a0growing it from seed in New York. Unlike most, I love the weather here as well. It is unpredictable and often harsh, but these forces of nature are exhilarating. This area has also been good to me, providing a significant grant toward the end of my career.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A glacial view awaits the team as the expedition winds down<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It felt special to tie up at Isla Wollaston. I first visited this island in 2004, and I’ve had an affection for it ever since. So, with mixed feelings, I said my goodbyes. I knew we still had a few days before we reached Punta Arenas<\/a>, but Navarino<\/a>, where we will stop along the way, holds less appeal for me due to its development. As a treat, I have asked that we follow our stop at Puerto Williams with a trip along the northwest arm of the Beagle Channel<\/a>, swinging into each of the sounds that terminate in glaciers. It will be a nice finale to our work in the region, not as collectors but as tourists.<\/p>\n

Before our trip home, however, there is some celebrating to be done. Today is Matt’s 10th wedding anniversary. As a surprise, I have asked the chef to prepare a special dinner, and\u00a0Ernesto is phoning ahead to Puerto Williams to try to\u00a0order a cake.<\/p>\n

\n

Past Expedition Entries:<\/b><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Cape Horn 2014, Part 11<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Cape Horn 2014, Part 10<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Cape Horn 2014, Part<\/strong><\/em> 9<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Cape Horn 2014, Part 8<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Cape Horn 2014, Part 7<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Cape Horn 2014, Part 6<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Cape Horn 2014, Part 5<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Cape Horn 2014, Part 4<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Cape Horn 2014, Part 3<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Cape Horn 2014, Part 2<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Cape Horn 2014, Part 1<\/b><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Photos provided by Barbara Andreas<\/a> and Barbara Murray.
\n<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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