Tree of Life
Today after class, I went off in search of five new taxa to identify. (I realized that the ones I had been planning to identify before probably weren't naturalized, but it was relatively simple finding five more!)
The first "iconic taxa" I came across was a little whitish bug that came crawling out when we overturned a log. We identified this as land-dwelling crustacean, or more specifically, an isopod. (I'm not sure if he counts towards this exercise since we found him in class, but I thought he was really neat so I wanted to include him in my observations.)
The next thing I found was some sort of mold growing on the underside of a log. It was whitish in color. I actually found it under several logs before eventually deciding it was worthy of an observation. I placed it on the tree in the kingdom Fungi, but I hope someone more knowledgeable will be able to ID it more precisely.
Another "iconic taxa" I came across was the class Insecta. I found a tiny little bug in the leaves which I believe was a cricket, and I later found some water striders gliding along the surface of strawberry creek.
I also found a couple of different types of flowers, in the phylum Magnopliophyta, or flowering plants. One of these was on campus along the creek, and another I had seen a few days previously near Tilden park. Both were beautiful and currently flowering!
Another "iconic taxa" I found hiding under a log was a member of the phylum Mollusca. Under one overturned log relatively close to the creek, there was a little greyish slug clinging to the bottom. He wasn't moving whatsoever and didn't seem to appreciate having his house turned upside down so I quickly replaced him.
The last group I will reference is the most obvious, the animals. Within Kingdom Animalia & Phylum Chordata, I very easily found a Fox Squirrel - a mammal of the order Rodenta - as many people in class have been doing. They are extremely prevalent on campus and not shy! Similarly, I found several American Crows, which were so numerous and boisterous they were basically begging to be included in my observations. They are also found in Kingdom Animalia and Phylum Chordata, but are members of the class Aves.
Observations
Photos / Sounds
What
Common Shiny Woodlouse (Oniscus asellus)Observer
maeganblansettDescription
Little anthropod (?) also hiding under a log outside McCone hall, found with the class.
Photos / Sounds
What
Camel Crickets, Cave Crickets, and Cave Wēta (Family Rhaphidophoridae)Observer
maeganblansettDescription
Hiding in the leaves and bark under a log
Photos / Sounds
What
Taildropper Slugs (Genus Prophysaon)Observer
maeganblansettDescription
Slimy little critter hiding under a log near strawberry creek (north fork)
Photos / Sounds
What
Cestrums (Genus Cestrum)Observer
maeganblansettDescription
Growing broadly along the north fork of strawberry creek, found in several places. Does not appear to be maintained as a part of the landscaping
Photos / Sounds
What
Mushrooms, Bracket Fungi, Puffballs, and Allies (Class Agaricomycetes)Observer
maeganblansettDescription
Some sort of moldy growth attached to the underside of several logs I turned over. Please ID! I have no idea what it is.
Photos / Sounds
What
Red-flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum)Observer
maeganblansettDescription
Beautifully pink flowers mid-bloom, found growing in a bush along one of the roads on the way to Tilden park
Photos / Sounds
What
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)Observer
maeganblansettDescription
These birds outside of Hilgard hall seem to have adapted well to their campus lifestyle
Photos / Sounds
What
Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger)Observer
maeganblansettDescription
Several squirrels came up to my group while we were working on a field project near strawberry creek. They were NOT shy about getting as close as they wanted! Although they were originally natural, it seems like they've become very domesticated with so many students around.
Photos / Sounds
What
Tribe GerriniObserver
maeganblansettDescription
Lots of water bugs skipping across strawberry creek. They were hard to get a good picture because they're so tiny, but they were making beautiful ripples.
Comments
Very nice post Meagan - and great you found 6 groups! Just remember that Mammalia (mammals) is also a class so birds (class Aves) aren't mammals. But both are in the Phylum Chordata (Vertebrates) as you mention.
Oops, I know they're in a different class - I didn't mean to make it sounds like I thought they were mammals. I think I meant to say they're also animals. Sorry!
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