Tree of Life Exercise

This was a rather difficult exercise. Even on a long hike, it was challenging to find five iconic taxa and get close enough to take a decent picture.
1) The California Poppy is a great example of a plant, the California State flower no less.
2) The Turkey Vulture is an example of a bird. They are quite prevalent around the Bay Area and I saw many on the hike.
3) The Painted Lady butterfly is a great example of an insect. It looks like a monarch but has distinct white spots on the tip of the wing and lacks "blackish margins."
4) The yellow mushroom is a fungus of course. It was almost a neon yellow, and I am still trying to ID it accurately.
5) The grainy picture of the Mule Deer is an example of a mammal. It was captured at dusk, with two other deer hiding behind the bushes.

Posted on February 13, 2013 04:23 AM by caj392