rwilliams's Journal
One of my favorite hikes to do is behind the Clark Kerr campus, which offers one of the best views of both Oakland and San Francisco in Berkeley. Other benefits include a wide variety of flora and fauna to see on this hike, including an awesome Western Fence Lizard without a tail!
I really enjoy taking this hike on a daily basis for some good exercise and life reflection, and upon said reflection, have come to really enjoy this class and what it has offered! Thanks a ton!
Millipedes have an interesting evolutionary tale behind them as their ancestors, the Arthopleura, grew up to lengths as large as 8 feet long. This extreme size in comparison to today's Milipedes is caused by the increased levels of oxygen during the Upper Carboniferous period. As such, they are the largest known living invertebrates to exist in that time period. Millipedes of today are mostly detrivores that feed on decaying plant matter, although some can also be carnivorous. They can be equipped with forty legs or all the way up to a thousand. Interestingly enough, there are over 12,000 known species of Millipedes and another undocumented 80,000 that may exist in the world.
I focused on finding the many different leaf and fauna patterns that nature can produce. On the millipede we can see the distinctive red and black lines, the ivy with his large leaf and multicolored pattern, and the yellow trumpet flowers are alll examples of just how diverse nature can be. I find the difference in leaf formations, from being whorled to pinnate, to be one fo the most fascinating aspects of plant life.
The three observations attached to this journal show the differences between flowering and bare plants in the wild. On one hand we have an Oak (needs clear ID though) that has it's leaves yet the California Black Oak is bare. Also included in the bare category is the Cirsium Arvense, a common weed, which is usually found to have little white flowers.
After a nice bike ride to Lake Merritt last semester, I saw some awesome White Pelicans which are part of the bird taxon. Both the Bull Thistle, representing the plant taxon, and the Long Horned Beetle, representing the insect taxon, were both found on a hike during the UC Berkeley Foresty Camp of Summer 2012.
