Learn more about the U.S. Marine Corps Learn more about recovery efforts of other partners. Learn more about the Endangered Species program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.		We're Saving A Few Good Species A larger image is available by clicking on the poster. Small Whorled - Big Mission View in Adobe PDF format. The small whorled pogonia is not easily detected, a precise and delicately skillful plant that self- pollinates once a year, forming thousands of minute seeds, where the flowers last only a few days. The Marines train to share these subtle characteristics, to infiltrate an environment, skillfully undetected, complete the mission, and then disappear. In partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Marines work to protect ecosystems while sustaining military preparedness. The result at Marine Corps Base Quantico is the largest number of small whorled pogonia colonies in Virginia. That's what happens when your best friends are Marines.