Schmitz Park, part two

I went to Schmitz Park for my final, and in my physical journal I have detailed a more general naturalist account on the park itself. I observed many species on the ground floor of the park, as this park does have an under-story and ground-covers of mostly native and restored species. I was surprised to find lichen in the park, but I was able to find at least three different species in the park, most of which were low on the trees and very sparse. The presence of fungi along with the presence of lichen are good indicators of a healthy forest, as well as the presence of nurse trees and new growing species that are starting to grow berries and flowers. It is important in a forest surrounded by city pollution that there are indicators of health and growth within the species.
A lot of species were in abundance, including skunk cabbage, ferns, mosses and tall buttercups. A lot of the plants were beginning to grow berries and spread seeds, as exampled by the common dandelions in the area, which had shed their flowers in favor of spreading seeds, as well as flowers blooming to begin pollination. I saw a few bees and flies, but as the weather was so cold today it was a rare occurrence. It was 52 degrees, with a wind chill, light rain and and complete cloud cover.

Posted on June 4, 2012 10:04 PM by meganwaskom