Diario de cellardoor

Leafed vs. Bare:
Bare: I found a deciduous quercus species, (I think it is a vally oak, but it could be a blue oak). It still has not leafed out, however you can see the parasitic mistletoe growing in the canopy.
Leafed: I found a manzanita. This is an evergreen shrub, so it nis not the best example because it always has leaves. I was going to take a picture of buckeye which had just begun to bud, but I will do that next time).

Flowering vs. Bare
Flowering: I found aCalifornia Bay laurel, which was flowering these tiny little yellow flowers.
Bare: Along the San Francisco coast I saw this lupine bush, I know they have really pretty flowers late in the spring, but it is not flowering yet. I am not sure of the species.

I have photographed an insect, a plant, a fungus, a mammal, and a bird.
Iconic Taxa:
Moth- This demonstrates my lack of entomology skills, I know its a moth, but I have no idea what kind.

Plant- I think this is a bracken fern, but it could be a wood fern, I am not sure.

Fungus- I saw this mushroom under a dead log up in the east bay hills. I know its a basidiomycota because those are he only fungi that have "true mushrooms"

Mammal- I saw this fox squirrel in a tree- I wanted to see a California ground squirrel, but these introduced species are just so much more common.

Bird- I saw this towhee in a tree also.

I had limited time for hiking, but I hope to go out and get a lot more taxa this weekend. I will be going to Mt. Diablo, so hopefully I will have better luck there.

Chaparral Species observed:

Indian paintbrushes- I saw these growing along the trail, their pale leaves may help them deflect intense sun rays.

Anna's Hummingbird- I saw them feeding among the manzanitas, they are able to take advantage of this winter nectar source in the chaparral.

Western Fence Lizard- as ectotherms, these lizards are able to maintain temperatures through behavioral thermoregulation, basking when cold, and staying in the shade during the hottest part of the day.

Honey bee- I saw these also foraging among the manzanitas, like the hummingbirds, they are able to take advantage of this winter nectar source.

Turkey Vulture- I saw these flying all around Mt. Diablo, they are probably able to visualize carcasses well in the low vegetation cover of the chaparral.

Moist evergreen observations

Fungi - These (saprophytic?) fungi are do well in the moist shaded habitats of evergreen forests.

Witches hair Lichen- This fungi also needs moist conditions to avoid desiccation. I observed them growing on the live oaks on the northern slopes of the park.

California Kingsnake - I saw this snake along the trail, they probably do well in moist habitats, taking advantage of abandoned burrows of rodents etc.

California Maidenhair Fern - Ferns needs moist conditions to avoid dessiccation, so the understory of evergreen trees provides suitable habitat.

Polypodium - Like the maidenhair fern, I observed this fern growing in shade of the trees. I am not sure of the species though.

I also saw a pacific tree frog, but her was alongside a pond, so I wasn't sure if I should include him in the moist evergreen forest post. Better in the riparian forest, right?

The interactions I observed were all on oaks, consisting of (I think) all commensal or parasitic interactions with mistletoe, galls, and lichen.

I also included my observations of the ground squirrels and the turkey vultures, because when I approached the ground squirrel they all ran into their burrows, but one would pop its head out and then vocalize to the rest. The vultures were all perching together in a pine tree.
I wasn't sure if we were supposed to include intraspecific interactions.