kendallwilliams's Journal

Over break I went on a South West excursion through the desert of California, Nevada, and Arizona, with stops in Death Valley and the Grand Canyon. I was able to observe quite a few different plants, mammals, and amphibians along the way.

Hike around Lake Temescal in Oakland, CA

I am not quite sure how to tell by myself if the flowers I are in fact a part of the Pea Plant or Sunflower family just based off of what the internet tells me, but I hope that they qualify as valid observations!

At the Piller Point Tide Pools, I was able to observe so much life and species interactions that I didn't even know was there. I was able to get pictures of some pretty sea stars, sea urchins, sea anemones, crabs, banana slugs, and mussels. Though there is nothing I know about any of these observations that would limit the places they were/ways they acted to the Spring time, I wonder what the seasonal factors are, besides anything that the Moon creates, that affect the tide pools.

The California Slender Salamander was posted by ericandersen on February 25th

I saw a bee pollinating a flower, fungi growing on a tree, and six deer eating plants and grass

Butterflies might like to live in chapparal because there are a lot of shrubs, flowers, and bushes for them to land directly on top of (as opposed to a tall tree).

Gophers might live in chapparal because the land is much more dry than in a forest, which would probably help keep their tunnels more sturdy and less fragile.

Poison oak can be found in more than one niche, but it is in chapparal because an animal or person can easily walk through it without realizing what it is.

Lizards live in chapparal because the sun hits it more often than it would in a covered forest, giving them time to sun bathe.

I'm not sure about the different types of fungi and what type of niche they like to live in, but the one I observed was on a fallen tree, which I assume happens just as much in chapparal as it does in other niches.

Banana Slugs do well in moist and covered niches because the sun will not dry them up when they move, they are better hidden from aerial predators and they can blend in with the fallen leaves of similar color.

Fungi also does well in moist niches because it needs the water in order to grow.

Rabbits probably live in forests because they need brush and cover in order to hide from predators, and there is likely more food available for them to eat in the forest.

Beetles can be found in many places that include small dark places such as in tree bark, which is why a forest niche is suitable for them.

Redwood trees are what make up much of the Moist Evergreen Forest, and they probably like it because there is a lot of water available.

Over the last couple of weeks these are the different taxa I have seen: an amphibian (frog tadpole), a mammal (fox squirrel), a bird (crow), a plant (aloe ferox), and an arachnid.

These four plants I observed are in different phenologies and at different stages in their lives. The first one which I observed on a hike in the Berkeley hills is a leafed plant with no flowers, it is bare. The second one is a plant that has leafed out and is no longer bare. The third is a plant with yellow blooming flowers. And the fourth is a bare flower plant that has not bloomed yet.