I can understand wanting to collect plants and get them home, but you may be bypasing state laws which have been put in place for good reason: to prevent the spread of noxious pests and pathogens. You may, probably are, very careful to clean your collected material, but that may not be enough. Years ago, when I lived in Southern California, and had a wonderful cactus collection, I went on a collecting junket to Arizona. I sneaked some thoroughly cleaned plants back home. But, when I inspected them later, I found an insect, still alive, burrowed deep inside one of them. It's worth letting the government agents do ther job -- they have all the proper equipment. And surprisingly, they really are on your side. David Ehrlich .