Site Location 

Site visit 

​The Prior lab (Kirsten, Rosebelle, and summer interns (research assistant: Andrew Desso; BUPNUR: Sabastian Senior) along with Dr. Christina Baer (FRI ecological genetics stream), and the New York State Park staff visited  Chenango Valley State Park to search for optimal planting sites.

Wild Ginger, a Native Groundcover

 

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Wild ginger (Asarum canadense) is a native groundcover with reddish-brown blooms tucked beneath the plant’s velvety heart-shaped leaves. Similar to bloodroot, it flowers early in the Spring. Wild ginger is important to Native American communities that use it for medicinal purposes. 

Planting Day 

To augment the existing wild ginger population at Chenango Valley, the Prior lab, Dr. Christina Baer, and New York State Park interns and staff  established 7 plots, each with 8 plants, for a total of 56 plants. Over time, we will monitor plants to measure plant fitness, including catastrophic herbivory and determine whether seed dispersal by ants facilitates plant population growth.