Moist Evergreen Forest

I went on a hike at China Beach in Marin, part of which passed through Moist Evergreen Forest.

1. I observed a number of large evergreen Ferns. These ferns had many large, long leaves, which allow the plant to absorb high amounts of sunlight for photosynthesis in an environment which is fairly dark.
2. Lichen was growing on many of the trees and fallen logs. Lichens do not require soil to grow, allowing them to thrive in places in which many plants would not be able to survive. They also are small and don't have roots, so can grow in places higher plants can't because they don't need to leach nutrients and water out of the soil.
3. There were fungi everywhere! It was growing on trees, under fallen logs, out of the ground. Fungi are extremely efficient at absorbing nutrients and do not require sunlight, allowing them to grow very well and extremely fast in dark moist environments.
4. I found a number of redwood trees on my hike. One adaptation of redwoods is that the leaves at the bottom are much larger than those in the upper canopy, allowing the lower levels to absorb more sunlight and the upper levels to conserve more water.
5. I saw some beautiful forget-me-nots. They are very small, delicate flowers with bright bluish-purple petals which stand out from the dark brown and green plants of Moist Evergreen Forests. This coloring may help attract pollinating insects/animals.

Posted on February 18, 2013 01:18 AM by maiawachtel