Homework 8
Bay Area Plants
I opted for the first prompt, identifying some common Alameda County species.
This exercise was a fun opportunity to put the new skills I have been learning into practice. I honestly hadn't realized how much more in tune with plant identification I had been slowly becoming until I was asked to put it to use. I started this class with virtually no plant bio/botany experience whatsoever, so it felt like a bit of a struggle at first, but I have been gradually getting acclimated as we've moved along in the course. Today, as I ventured out in search of some observations, I found it unexpectedly easy to find five of the 30 species on the list.
The species I identified were:
- the common dandelion - a lifelong classic
- the California poppy - this is a plant I see ALL around, but had never considered until this class! It's fun to have some natural history to tie to the landscape I see daily.
- the Milk Thistle - a very interesting and intimidating spiky little plant
- Coyote brush - I remember seeing this way back in my childhood in Idaho and just learned its name today.
- Pacific poison oak - all I have to say about this one is 'ugh.'
Furthermore, I realized I had been seeing them around even before this, and also even in regions other than this! For example, I'm currently taking a field methods class in geography that has been requiring weekend field trips of us. Two weeks ago, I was in Morro Bay and saw a lot of milk thistle and took its photo because I thought it was interesting. Today I found it just blocks outside my door! Last weekend, I was near Walker Ridge and saw lots of coyote brush (I think it was even hanging around in some of our serpentine soil plots- very hardy) and much more poison oak than I am interested in ever seeing again.
Overall, this class has been a great way to get us more familiar with interacting with nature. I've been learning more than I realized!
