rtdecca's Journal

For this homework, I wanted to explore the biodiversity of an area that I pass through every day on my walk to and from campus, and then compare that to what the class from last year found. This area is the Eucalyptus grove, and while I know that the trees are planted, the grounds are unkempt, so I wanted to see what else I could find since I (and many others) pass through the area so often. I started by drawing a polygon and creating a place for the Eucalyptus grove on iNat, and was surprised to find few and unidentified ("Something") observations.

I started with the obvious -- the planted trees. I easily found the Blue Gum Eucalyptus and Coast Redwoods that have been there for decades. Besides those trees planted decades ago, UC Berkeley does not maintain or plant anything on the grounds, so it's interesting to see what grows there year after year. Also, this area is a haven for squirrels... I could've spent all my time recording observations of them, but decided to focus on the low-lying plant life.

There were some observations from last year that I was pretty sure about finding again -- dandelions, common ivy, and the california bay. Those observations I found pretty quickly in my search. But most of the ground in the area is covered by layers of fallen leaves from the trees and does have much sunlight.. so it took me a while to find areas with direct sun and uncovered soil -- and that is where I was able to find the cow parsnip, california poppy, and bermuda buttercup from last year's observations. I also found some orange bush monkey flower, yellow poppy-looking flowers, and a few other interesting flowering plants. The area with all of the flowering plants was, not surprisingly, away from the creek, the footpaths, and most of the trees and looked to me to be the most undisturbed area of the Eucalyptus Grove (with the most interesting findings too).

Extra Credit:
https://www.inaturalist.org/calendar/rtdecca/2014/4/26 https://www.inaturalist.org/calendar/rtdecca/2014/5/1

http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/574982

When I came across this Drew's Silky Lupine, I was particularly fascinated by how different it was than the plants surrounding it. I first assumed that it wasn't native to the area because of its silky, greyish-green thin leaves that contrasted the green, broad (sometimes spiked) leaves around it. However, after it was identified, I found that it is actually a California native plant that is common to both California and Oregon (Level 5 - Secure, so not endangered neither nationally nor globally). It is found in the Sierra Nevada, but also in coastal ranges in Northern California and mountainous forests of Southern Oregon -- so it is adapted to high elevation, dry climate, and mountainous habitat. Its leaves are silky during pubescence, and I'm assuming the plant that I found was very early in its growth because of its size and the fact that it showed no sign of flowering yet.

Surprisingly, Drew's Silky Lupine is part of the pea family, and grows pods of 2 to 4 centimeters containing 3 to 6 seeds.

I tried to find any information on EOL, Wikipedia, Google Books, and Google Scholar on why it was called Drew's Silky Lupine, but had no luck finding any history on the plant -- only matter-of-fact listings of its characteristics.

After searching JSTOR, though, I did find an article in a bulletin published in June 1889 by the Torrey Botanical Club called "The Botany of Humboldt County, California," by E.R. Drew. Under "New Species and Varieties," he lists "Lupinus Adsurgens" which is what we now call Drew's Silky Lupine, and also lists its characteristics. So, by finding this article, I realized that the plant was discovered on July 10th, 1888 in "ponds at Jarnigan's, on Mad River," in Humboldt County, CA by E.R. Drew, and this is why we have the name Drew's Silky Lupine.

For this homework, I decided to focus on the diversity in leaf and stem traits in native, vascular plants at the Anthony Chabot Regional Park in Alameda. The first plant I came across was a flowering plant with ivy-like leaves, while the second was a vascular plant with very thin, furry leaves and a bluish color -- an amazing tribute to the biodiversity here when two plants so different can grow feet apart. The other flowering plants I came across, by comparison, had similar traits to the first in that they were low-growing with wide leaves and small flowers (though there was a variance in amount of petals). Throughout the hike I came across many of the usual suspects for a chaparral biome. They were shrubs with spiky, wide leaves used for protection against herbivores, and I would often see birds using their insides for protection (although the birds were too quick to catch a shot of). Two of the standout vascular plants had thin, bright leaves that seemed to contrast the darker, wider, and possibly spiked leaves I saw in the chaparral biome of the Chabot Regional Park. I can only assume that these plants have other traits (such as one of them that had spiked stems) to protect their leaves from herbivores. One other plant I came across was actually dead but was a flowering plant with very thin leaves, a greater amount of flowers than any of the others in the area, and no spikes or any visible protection. I could only assume that this plant was either not in season, or not native/adapted to the area because its traits were so unlike the others -- but hopefully we will see if an when the plant is ID'ed. Overall, it was very interesting to see the common traits that the plants in the Chabot Regional Park's chaparral biome evolved in order to protect themselves and survive.

For this hike, I went to a unique spot in the Berkeley hills that included a north facing slope, a south facing slope, and an flat area at the top of the hill that acted as a type of crossover between Moist Evergreen and Chaparral. I started in the Moist Evergreen forest, where I first noticed that I no longer heard any birds. After giving up on finding a bird, I decided to look below logs and inside them, where I found an interesting little worm that seemed adapted to a log so moist that it could be broken apart with the touch of a finger (almost to the point of soil). I then found multiple plants with darker leaves that seemed to be adapted to the lack of sunlight and dampness of the forest, but couldn't think of much else in common with them due to disparities in leaf shape and size. Next, I moved to the Chaparral area where I began to hear the birds again. After looking in the trees and failing to find a photographable bird, I looked below and found a bird in the a low chaparral bush of some kind. The bird, of course, moved when I came near, but I realized it was using the plant for protection. I found a variety of lichen/fungi on tree trunks that looked remarkably dryer and reduced in color when compared to the moss and lichen I found in the Moist Evergreen forest. Moreover, the plants that I found in the Chaparral also seemed to have generally less saturated color than the Moist Evergreen ones. The big find of the hike, however, was a green slug with black spots -- definitely the largest slug I have seen to date and will be excited to see if it can be ID'd.

During lecture, I was fascinated by the effect of rain on the ecology of either side of a mountain, so I decided to go for a hike on the Northern side of the mountains in Tilden Regional Park. As I hiked about a mile on the North side of the mountain, I saw a plethora of leafed out plants. However, I had a lot of trouble finding any bare plants. I had an equal amount of trouble finding any flowering plants as well. Finally, when I thought the North side of the mountain did not support any flowering plants or they were out of season, I found a shrub with small white flowers growing out of brush.

For this assignment, I decided to go on a trip to Golden Gate Park. Knowing full well that there would be many many planted/non-indigenous species there, I made it my mission to find the indigenous ones. First, I kept coming across an interesting weed with blue flowers that I assumed was indigenous because of it's commonness across the park: part of the plants iconic taxa. Next, I was walking through the park and kept catching glimpses of a very quick bird, and when I finally caught a shot of one, I assumed it too must take kindly to the park because of the amount of them I saw: part of the bird iconic taxa. Lastly, I wanted to find an insect that I couldn't identify, so I lifted up a log. I found termites, and then I saw an interesting bug protecting a bunch of eggs. I could not see the full bug, nor would it move, but I made the assumption that it was part of the insect iconic taxa.