April 19th

April 19th, 2012
UBNA and CUH
Temperature - Overcast, mid 50s, no rain
Time: 1:30 - 2:45 pm

Today I visited the Union Bay Natural Area, as well as the Center for Urban Horticulture. I crossed the bridge to get to the parking lot before UBNA starts, and noticed some lily pads in the water. I continued on and observed Himalayan Blackberry, though significantly reduced since last year, enclosed by several wooden posts.

When I reached the wetland area, the first thing I noticed was a lot of cattails in the water, and red winged blackbirds perched on them. They were making loud shrieks at each other, and one chased the other around the nearby air for a few minutes before they both settled down and sat quietly. A great blue heron was stalking some fish in the small bay to my right, and I watched as it stood carefully waiting for several minutes.

I started walking towards the CUH, and noticed Great Horsetails were also nearby, as well as creeping buttercup, both growing in abundance alongside the path. Once I reached the farm space, I noticed a field of grass and vetch, which I could see was being used to make a compost heap for the crops to provide nutrients. Vetch is a type of legume, which create symbiotic relationships with bacteria, allowing them to fix nitrogen very well into the soil. This makes them very valuable for increasing fertility of farm soil.

Species List

1. Himalayan Blackberry - Rubus armeniacus
2. Cattails - Typha latifolia
3. Red Winged Blackbird -Agelaius phoeniceus
4. Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias
5. Great Horsetails - Equisetu fluviatile
6. Creeping Buttercup - Ranunculus repens
7. American Vetch - Vicia americana

Posted on May 1, 2012 08:15 PM by ashersh