nataliemarisa's Journal

I observed these three species on February 4th at the UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens. The frog is a member of the amphibian taxon. The myriapod is a member of the phylum arthropoda and represents the animal taxon. I am unsure of the identification of the brown bumps on the fallen leaf - however, my best guess is that they are galls, in which case they would represent a parasite from either the insect or fungi taxa. If they are a natural part of the plant, they represent the plant taxa. All three of these species were "intruders" to the gardens - they are not captive species or intentionally part of the collection. Each was observed indoors, in a greenhouse used for plant starts.

Attached to this journal are photos of three plants: one that is leafed out, one that is still dormant (bare), and one that is with no flowers (bare). The leafed-out tree seems to be well into its efforts towards leaf production - its leaves were strong, nearly all fully green, and well-developed. Its leaves are growing upward in clusters from the main branch pictured. The plant that is still dormant (bare) has no leaves, flowers, or other visibly green material - it has not yet put energy into growing these parts this year. The plant that is with no flowers (bare) is a blackberry bush that has fully developed leaves but no flowers or berries. It is likely waiting for a shift in climactic conditions before it begins to produce fruit.