Diario de erin

Irregular Flower: Calla Lily

Regular Flower: Yellow flower I found (ID please!)

Sunflower family: Bright Yellow Daisy-looking flowers I initially identified as Family Asteraceae

Gymnosperm: Small Pinecone I initially identified as Pinophyta

A terrestrial plant that is not a seed plant: Some type of fern I found

Pinnate Leaves: 5 leafed plant (ID please!)

Opposite Leaves: ID needed for this one as well but this long-leafed plant with paralleled, opposite leaves

Monocot: Sea Grass

Dicot: 5 petaled purple flower

Fabacae: orchid

My observing adventures since February 28 have mainly centered around the exciting Pillar Point Tide Pool field trip last Thursday. I was ridiculously excited to go on this trip, particularly because I haven't been on a field trip since I was 15 and because I've never really got to observe all the various types of life forms that make up tide pools! I've always been fascinated by the ocean and its wildlife so I was fortunate enough to have Professor Loarie and his fellow colleagues lead the way and show us students how awesome tide pools are. It was nice to have professionals/scientists/people who know what they're talking about point out to us things we would have otherwise overlooked. For example, I was able to see sea urchins, barnacles, iridescent algae, mussels, and so many different colored sea stars and sea anemones! Additionally, Professor Loarie was able to retrieve different types of crabs, sea urchins, and (I think it was) a lancelet. These things I would have never been able to see without some help! It was also really cool learning about sea lettuce, and I actually tasted it for the first time, too (haha).

As you can see, the field trip was quite the observation adventure! Although, I personally am not familiar enough with tide pool life forms to deduce that the following observations I made have some correlation with the changing of seasons... perhaps the change in weather/temperature affects the wildlife that I've observed? Since it is spring, and Northern California is starting to warm up (very slowly), there might be some connection between tide pool life and the shifting of seasons.

1. Here we see a local campus Fox Squirrel enjoying a delicious acorn on a sunny day.
2. In this observation, I saw a symbiotic relationship demonstrated between lichen and this old and dried out branch of a tree.
3. This observation shows an American Robin I saw near Evans Hall eating some kind of fruit or berries from a tall bush on campus.

1. This particular aloe is a flowering and succulent plant. Seeing as they are succulent plants, aloe species have these large, thick, sharp leaves which are able to contain and store water. This allows them to survive in arid environments and prevent desiccation. Additionally, this aloe has cylindrical, tubular flowers which are reddish-orange.
2. The California Poppy has petals that close at night or in the cold. But then open up again the next morning with sunshine. This particular characteristic indicates that the poppy is dependent upon sunlight and warm environmental conditions. Our official state flower also has the ability to self-feed indicative that it has adapted to a plethora of environments.
3. The French broom, Genista monspessulana, with slender green branches is considered to be an invasive species in California. It has evergreen leaves and yellow flowers which develop seeds inside of a pod. These seeds can disperse copious amounts that can be transported easily through wind, water, and animals. It is a medium-sized bushy plant that spreads out pretty vastly--possibly a contributing factor to its invasiveness and its ability to spread.
4. California Sagebrush thrive in dry communities. They branch out radially with hairy, lengthy leaves that are most likely designed for the plant to catch and retain water in such dry conditions. The tallness of the plant also aids in the water collection and retention as well.
5. This unknown plant (for now at least) has these tall, long, drawn-out stems and thin extended leaves. The stems probably help in the water collection of the plant as they are significantly taller than the leaves. The large and bushy leaves would definitely contribute to the water retention in an arid climate like the chaparral.

1. This Miners Lettuce flourishes with sunlight and moist conditions. I think the coolness of the Evergreen Forest in addition to some sunlight are the best conditions for this plant according to where I found it. I think the bowl-like center is ergonomically fit for capturing both water and sunlight.
2. Turkey tail can be found on dead hardwood logs and stumps. I happened to find this turkey trail on what seemed to be an old, rotting log--which are common forests. In fact, Turkey trail is one of the most common mushrooms in North American woods. This type of mushroom helps these dead hardwood logs to decompose thus explaining why they are located at the base of these stumps as a source of their nourishment.
3. Bracken ferns are adaptable plants that contain pretty large triangle-like stems that rise up. I think this plant's design is intended for the sole purpose of it surviving and thriving in very moist and damp communities to maintain its moisture and prevent it from drying out. Although bracken ferns contain these huge leaves, this particular one was located in a shaded area and was very short and close to the ground--possibly indicating that it is damper near the ground.
4. The Sword Fern needs consistent moisture, light sunlight, and cool weather to thrive. It consists of a tight clump which spreads from a round base and extended stems that contain equal-sized leaves (as opposed to its bracken fern counterpart). This dark-green plant was found in the wettest part of the moist evergreen forest that I explored suggesting that it most likely prefers wet and shaded areas. Their extended stems and leaf size are perfectly suited to collecting moisture from its environment.
5. Lichen are highly adaptable organisms that thrive in moist environments. They depend on wet environments for their nutrients in order for them to grow. The lichen I discovered on my hike were all found on tree and their bark, so it appears that they seem to share a symbiotic relationship with trees and their bark.

My observations have helped me locate various examples of five different taxa:

1. Plants: I discovered this interesting fern-looking plant on campus while I was walking to class last week. I am sure that this belongs to the plants taxa and is therefore a member of Kingdom Plantae. I am not entirely sure of the name of this plant, however.
2. Arachnids: I found this striped spider and although I am unsure of what type of spider it is, I am positive it is an exemplification of a species included in the arachnids taxa.
3. Birds: This sparrow is a part of the birds taxa. I am not entirely sure what type of sparrow it is, but it’s bright yellow beak and red breast caught my eye.
4. Mammals: Squirrels are members of the mammals taxa. This exemplification of a mammal specifically shows a local squirrel munching on its lunch.
5. Insects: This bee that I noticed near one of the libraries on campus is a species from the insect taxa.

I have contributed four photos to illustrate the various stages of flowering and leaf phenology.

For the plant with no flowers, I discovered a tree that lacks flowers and leaves. If you look very close at the picture, you can see budding ends of the tree, which are most likely going to flower later on. However, I do not know the name of this tree, therefore I labeled it “Kingdom Plantae.”

As for the plant with flowers, I found a plant with white flowers that stood out to me near Strawberry Creek. I also do not know the name of this plant, so I simply identified it under “Kingdom Plantae.”

For the plant with leaves, I found this bush, which was leafing out that reminded me of Christmas which I do not know the name of either—thus labeling it as “Kingdom Plantae.”

I located a plant that is dormant and without leaves on campus which was completely bare on campus, and unfortunately, I do not know the name of this tree either so I labeled it as “Kingdom Plantae.”

As you can see by the four examples I provided, I located many plants demonstrating the many stages of leafing and flowering phenology.