aseruthmitchell's Journal

5 common Alameda county species I found on 4/16:

1)French Broom
2)Toyon
3)Coast Redwood
4)Greater Periwinkle
5)Nasturtium

Regular flowers - Solanum Umbelliferum
Irregular flowers - Padre's Shootingstar
Pea family - Lupins
Gymnosperm - California Incense Cedar
Sunflower - California Goldfields
Pinnate leave - Maidenhair Fern
Opposite leaves -Mountain Misery
Terrestrial (non-seed) - Lace Fern
Monocot - Pine
Dicot - Ceanothus Cuneatus

Last weekend I was in Davis visiting some friends and we all decided to go for a hike in Berryessa near Putah Creek on saturday (3/9). It was a really awesome hike because usually I am only in this area around the summer time, and I am used to seeing everything out here very dry and brown. However, on Saturday everything was really green - even the cow pastures! At the start of the hike, the trail began in the shadow of the ridge, so there were a lot of mushrooms and ferns thriving in this kind of moist environment. But as we walked our way around the ridge to where the sunlight could reach the ground, I found an abundance of plant life and wildflowers growing -- like the Indian Warrior and Pacific Hound's Tongue I observed, which were both in full bloom! There were also a lot of butterflies, and several frogs croaking in the distance, but they were all to fast (or very well hidden) to take a picture of.

1) Lichen & Coast Live Oak: Here I saw a species of lichen interacting with the niche space of a Coast Live Oak's as it uses the bark of the Oak to support its home

2) Bumble Bee & Flowering Shrub: In this photo I captured a bumble bee interacting with the niche space of a shrub that I found on campus as it pollinates its flowers. The bee helps the plant reproduce, and the plant returns the favor with its pollen!

3) Termite & Coast Live Oak root: Here in this photo I witnessed a termite sharing the niche space of an old decaying oak tree root. The termite is helping to decompose the tree root, but also gets to enjoy the benefits of having a home to live in within the root itself.

French Broom - This plant is very woody at the base, indicating its hardiness towards lack of water. Mediterranean climates are classified by their wet winters and dry summers and that is why chaparral do so well living here in Berkeley. This plant is short and shrubby which could also be another adaption the plant made to conserve energy.

Milk Thistle - I think the Thistle adapted to this area by forming very spiky leaves to conserve its water in these chaparral regions, but also to protect itself from deer and other grazing animals.

Toyon - This plant also is very shrubby and has a woody base which i think helps the plant adapt well to theses dry areas.

Western Poison Oak - Just starting to enter its red phase, poison oak is very shrubby and woody making it another drought adapted plant! It does really well living here along the West Coast where it gets seasonal periods of water and sun to survive. Perhaps its adaption to survive was producing toxins that deter humans away from it, although deer seem to love it.

Bermuda Buttercup - After the rains, these plants pop up all over Berkeley and on the hillsides. I'm assuming there life span is not very long when there isn't any water, but it probably reproduces seeds fast enough to drop them in the ground before the original plant dies.

California Slender Salamander - This salamander was spotted under piles of decaying leaf litter under a fallen log, which was providing a dark, damp/moist environment for the salamander to thrive in to protect it from the dry & sunny days.

Miners Lettuce - I found these plants growing in between a break in the trees where just enough sun could reach them, but not too much to the point that the ground beneath was going to dry out. This species prefers cool, damp conditions, which I think is why it does so well living here with all the bay area fog that creeps along the ridges of Strawberry Canyon. The best stands are found in partial-shaded areas, and that is where I spotted them growing most abundantly.

Thimbleberry - Thimbleberry is found in forest under-stories near trails and road cuts, which is where I found this one growing. I think they are adaptive to this environment because they survive by retaining the water that comes in from occasional periods of damp weather, but the plant still remains hardy enough to tolerate the occasional drought.

California Blackberry - Another hardy plant species that I found which can tolerate the occasional drought. It prefers moist areas, but it adapts to the climate when it comes time to bear fruits; so when water is very abundant its fruits will be larger than when water is less abundant.

Turkey Tail - A fungus that survives/grows off the decaying oak trees in this evergreen forest. When periods of moist weather pass through the area, the fungus will appear on the decaying tree bark, and the fungus will begin its natural decomposition process.

This environment is located near the western edge of the Sierras, & it ranges in elevation from about 1200 - 9000 feet.

Mariposa Manzanita - Although this picture is from Fish Camp, I still saw an abundance of this same plant down in Yosemite valley. It was growing beside oak trees and sandwiched in between boulders. I think it does well with the climate in the region because it is a plant that likes dry summers and wet winters. It is pretty well adapted to possible droughts and/or fire, which can often be a threat to all life living in the Sierras.

Canyon Live Oak - Unlike the black oak, this oak is shorter and appears to be more shrub-like. I think this was probably an adaption the oak made in order to survive/compete in the valley, because there are so many other competitively tall trees in the area.

California Incense Cedar - The Cedar adapts well to the tree heights of other tree species, making it suitable to live cooperatively with all the other fauna in Yosemite valley. The branches on this tree are clothed with flat, dark green needles that can extend to the ground and remain on the tree unless shaded-out by other trees.

Brown-Eyed Wolf Lichen - The existence of lichen itself is already a master of adaption since its survival depends on the symbiotic union of fungus and alga together. One provides the food, the other provides the shelter. Lichens live endlessly and in extreme temperatures, as long as it occasionally has moisture. Due to the recent snow melt in Yosemite valley, I found this lichen popping up everywhere all over branches and rocks.

Sierran Tree-frog - Apparently these frogs have the ability to change colors from brown to green depending on the seasons/environment. As the melting of snow in the valley slowly unveiled a floor of dead brown leaves everywhere, it makes sense that I spotted this frog sporting its brown coat so that it could blend in with its surrounding environment.

5 Taxa's spotted this week:

1) Fungi - Hygrocybe Flavescens: found near a creek on Strawberry Canyon trail.

2) Other/Animalia - Millipede: found under a log on Strawberry Canyon trail.

3) Animalia - California Slender Salamander: found under a log on Strawberry Canyon trail.

4) Plant - Miners Lettuce: found at the end of our hike on Strawberry Canyon trail. Tres tres delicious!

5) Bird - American Robin: perched itself on a tree located right outside of McCone hall.

-The Pacific Plum I found on this weekend's hike is currently flowering, however there are no leaves growing from the plant at this time.

-The Red-flowering Currant is in full-bloom, and also has leaves growing from it too!

-The Himalayan Blackberry I found has no flowers at this time, but it is leafed out (and its thorns look extremely sharp)!!