apk's Journal

These observations were made on a short hike I went on in the fire trails, while walking around campus, and in my front yard. I was particularly impressed by the variety of plants I was able to find walking from 1 class to another, and just around my house. The first part of this assignment also made me really aware of how often some of these plants can be seen.

Common Vetch

Greater Periwinkle

Red Flowering Currant

California Bay

Nasturium

1. I spotted many different types of wild flowers on a short hike in the Claremont Canyon. The amount of flowers that were in bloom were clear signs of the seasons changing into Spring.
2. Squirrel- I actually chased this squirrel out of my house after I found it eating scraps of food on the floor in my dining room. I was able to catch a picture of it eating what it found before it ran away.
3. I spotted these Azalea's in bloom when walking through campus. When I was growing up we had a lot of azalea's in my yard, so they have always been a sign of Spring for me.
4. Red-flowering Currant: A few weeks ago I would spot a couple red-flowering currants in bloom, but as we have gotten closer to spring I have noticed these plants in full bloom all over the place.
5. I spotted this pocket gopher popping in and out of its whole when walking home one evening.

1. A plant with regular flowers: Genus prunus
2. A plant with irregular flowers: Western Redbud
3. A monocot: Yellow flower that I believe to be a lily. It as 6 petals, a multiple of 3 which is a characteristic of a monocot.
4. A dicot: reticulte vein patterns in the leaf
5. A plant in the pea family (Fabaceae): Vetch
6. A Gymnosperm: Monterrey pine
7. A terrestrial plant that is not a seed plant: bushy lichen
8. A plant with pinnate leaves: Fern
9. A plant with opposite leaves: I am unsure what the plant is, but the leaves both emerge from the same node on the stem.
10. A plant in the sunflower family (Asteraceae): Genus Euryops

I saw some sea lions while hiking in Marin. There were a group of sea lions on a different rock, but the picture I have used here is of a sea lion that I saw swim over to a different rock. There was a seagull sitting on this rock and we were joking about if the sea lion would try to eat it.

1. I spotted a crow on campus that was searching for food in the grass. It lifted its head up and had a worm in its mouth.
2. A honey bee was pollinating ice plant flowers at the Marin Headlands.
3. 2 Canadian geese were searching for food in the grass.
4. A human appears to be fighting with a falcon.

1. Sugar Maple is a very shade tolerant tree, allowing it to grow under the canopy of other trees in the deciduous forest during the spring and summer months when the trees in the area are in bloom.
2. American Elm can withstand low temperatures and can continue to through colder months until frost hits. This allows it to thrive in the mountains of Massachusetts.
3. Birch has thin bark but it is resistant to decay which allows it to survive in this climate
4. Black Knot infests trees that are found in this region.
5. Fungi (unknown type) this type of fungi appears to be able to withstand freezing temperatures, and enjoy a cold moist climate which this deciduous forest provides, especially during this time of year.

1.Flowering plant (bush type plant with yellow flowers) I am unsure of the exact species of this plant, but it has small leaves which allow for better water retention in a dry climate like the chaparral.

1. Common Pill-bug is brownish grey in color which allows it to blend it with the dry surroundings of the chaparral.
2. Flowering plant (small white flowers) this plant had small leaves and a woody stem. The small leaves would help for water retention in a dry climate like the chaparral.
3. Coast Live Oak has leaves that are adapted for absorbing sunlight, a dry and open climate like a chaparral gives it plenty of opportunities to do so. The tree also thrives on coastal fog, which allows it to survive in drier climates. Chaparral near the coast, which is what I observed, makes for a great climate for coast live oak.
4. California Poppy is a drought tolerant flowering plant. Because it does not need a lot of water to grow, it is often found in the dry chaparral.

1. Western Swordfern likes cool, moist, shaded climates located at low altitudes. They are commonly found on the understory of forests. The moist evergreen forest I explored meets all of these conditions.
2. French broom is highly invasive and can be found in many climates, but it does particularly well it wet Mediterranean climates at low altitudes making the moist evergreen forest of the Berkeley Fire trails a good place for it to grow.
3. Poison Hemlock is an invasive species in California so it widely found. It prefers damp soil and climates which a moist evergreen forest provides.
4. Western Swordfern grows best in moist, shaded areas and thus is often found growing in forests.
5. Miner's Lettuce thrives in moist evergreen forests because it prefers damp, shady and cool conditions, all of which are characteristics of this habitat.

I spotted a plum tree (Genus Prunus) on the hike through Strawberry Canyon this past weekend that was flowering but was not leafed out.

Later on in the hike I saw a Stinging Nettle plant that was leafed out but not flowering at this time.