This summer the Rothfels lab joined forces with the Kuo Fern Lab from National Tsing Hua University to go collecting in Taiwan! The trip was a success, collecting hundreds of herbarium specimens with over 1,100 iNaturalist observations documenting 417 species and counting! The team primarily focused on collecting and documenting the flora in the higher mountain areas of the island. Included in their travels was a five day backpacking trip where they traversed over 40 kilometers and climbed from 1800 meters to 3600 meters in elevation. The Rothfels lab stops at nothing to ensure ferns are documented. Apart from the botany, they also enjoyed exploring Taiwan in all of its beauty and culture. They saw beautiful mountain vistas, marvelled at public transportation, and enjoyed delicious food. The Rothfels Lab would all like to extend a special thanks to the Kuo Fern Lab, particularly to En Liu, You-Wun Hwang, and Li Chieh Wang who accompanied us and made this all possible. Without them we probably wouldn’t have made it out of the airport.
