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Diari de Camp Flipbook PDF
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Ikje Valley recognition
Botanics
Dra. Tempason
Our arrival to the base camp has seen barely any hiccups. We found the place as we were promised, with all the resources we requested for our individual research. The surveyor team has started unfolding their operation of recognition. The rest of the teams have been told to limit our operation to the area that has been already mapped out. This limitation was no issue for today, since I was occupied planting the sample species I have brought with me. [F001] They all bear their fruit at a fairly quick pace, this way I'll be able to observe how the atmospheric qualities and climate affect the process of harvesting already well-documented specimens. I'll be replanting some of the specimens in soil we've brought ourselves and some gathered from location.
Not much can be reported about the flora of the surroundings of the base camp. The elevated rocky area it's positioned in doesn't appear to have the proper conditions for plant or fungi growth, the dry weather being most likely to blame.
F001
A stark decrease in temperature has taken place overnight. A very thick fog has also been reported to have passed through the camp during the night. Not having quite passed yet, we woke up to a very limited range of view. This didn’t stop us from noticing another considerable change, the entirety of the ground we stood on was now covered in a range of bryophytes, mostly moss of yellow and reddish tones. They are scarce but some wild flowers have also grown overnight. [F002] With the eventual clearing of the fog the extent of the sudden growth was revealed to take up an approximate 90% of the ground we had decided to call base camp. I rushed to evaluate the nature of the moss and its spores, but I found no indication of it being able to affect the crew in any way. Concern was also raised about the safety of the equipment, since such rapid growth could lead to serious damage to the resources we had for the mission. As far as i know the type of rock we stand on is fairly prone to absorbing moisture, whilst the mostly plastic and metal surfaces our equipment has would make it much harder for the moss to spread through it. I tried to reassure them, although it's hard to say if I convinced them.
F002
In the middle of the day I was told that I was allowed to cover more ground and start investigating further down the valley we were set beside. We have been informed about the change of atmospheric pressure, and how it makes the valley be hit with extremely strong winds. The weight system I am harnessed to is not something I am all that keen on. As much as it has stopped me from being lifted up from the ground a couple of times, the amount of local plants it has trampled makes me question its design. As for my findings, most of the plants I have found in the ground I have covered were variants of tall weeds. This comes as no surprise, since the wind would easily lift from the ground any plant that doesn't have a considerably thin surface to hit. [F003]
A specimen jumped out to me as something that didn’t look all that familiar. A tall plant like the ones surrounding it that would grow a particularly big leaf on its top, though it would do so rolled up. [F004] Once it fully grows and develops it unfolds, revealing a flower inside. The dimensions of the leaf would make it so it would be ripped out and thrown into a new place to germinate. [F005] The abundance of this plant makes it so seeing these leaves flying by is fairly commonplace.
I have been ordered by the captain to join a surveyor team tomorrow in their exploration. I have been given no further details, so my equipment to document my findings might be limited.
F003
F004
F005
We left the camp at dawn and went down the valley. The winds were tamer than yesterday’s, so we were able to move at a faster pace. Since I was part of a bigger mission I couldn’t afford to stop and inspect the specimens we came across as much as I would have liked. I will be following this path another day to further document the flora. As an overall observation, the specimens I encountered yesterday spread down the valley all the way to its bottom. I could also spot a type of shrub growing by rocks on the terrain, which they use to take refuge from the wind. From it it grows a nut with a somewhat flat volume, most likely to be able to also take flight and try to germinate in new spots. [F006]
We continued on our journey with somewhat of a rush, since they wanted to reach the cave opening that I was told was the target of the mission. As we started to approach it the winds grew stronger. A vine specimen spread through the floor and held tight to it. It had no leaves, only flowers, which would grow roots along their center to keep a grip on the ground. [F007]
F006
F007
The opening was home for a monumental vine species. Initially it just looked like a common vine that had found safety in a covered and humid environment and grown significantly. [F008] The surveyors, tough, seemed intimidated by it. They asked me to watch closely as they rolled an apple its way. The plant shifted, extended itself to wrap a stem around it and crush it. The surveyors believed they had found a type of carnivorous plant. It didn’t take much to realize that that wasn’t the case, a plant consuming an apple wouldn’t make it a carnivore, but the vine hadn’t even consumed the apple. I had smashed it and spread close to itself, which leads me to believe it looks for ways to enrich the soil it stands on. Given that the plant is locked inside the cave by the weather conditions, it would make sense that It would have adapted to take advantage of any source of nutrients that would find their way close to it. What startled me the most was its way of moving. It appeared to not have a motor system, instead it was able to rapidly grow on command to interact with its surroundings. I explained this to the surveyors, which didn’t make them any less unnerved. The leader of the mission ordered us to retire to camp to report on our findings.
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