Diario de tabithahewitt9

I went back to the Chaparral/mixed forest behind the stadium and on the other side of the hill from Strawberry Canyon. Not only did I find plenty of common plants I found lots of other interesting things.

1. The five most common plants I found were: the common Dandelion, a Greater Periwinkle, lots of Wild Oats, quite a few Western Sword Ferns, and giant French Brooms.

2. There were lots of other common plants out with the warm weather. The Coyote Brush was super happy. There were still some vetches but they were looking a bit dry. The California Blackberries and the French Broom had spread quite a bit since the earlier spring, course the recent rain helped with that.
   All of the plants above seemed to like areas that were more disturbed and so did a few of these woody shrub plants with sort of waxy leaves. I'm not sure what they are but they were growing along the pathways.

The grasses were 'going to town'! The whole chaparral area was covered in grasses like the Wild Oat, various Bromes & Hordeum. There were also a bunch of thistle (Carduus) in this area.

Mixed in with all the grasses were still some wildflowers hanging on. There were definitely less than earlier. But there sure are some pretty ones. Like Forget-me-nots, Wild Radishes, Blue DIcks, and some pretty little yellow flowers that Might be Suncups. The herb Arroyo Lupine still had some pretty blooms going as well as the Oesteospermun.

It was later in the day and warmer that when I went before so I got to see quite a few critters running about. I didn't get a picture of most of them but I did manage to catch a couple. Ladybugs seemed to be doing well, there were five or six I spotted in a pretty small area. The Western Fence Lizards were happy with the warm day but not as much with all the people hiking about.

1. A plant with regular flowers- A lovely Silver Wattle.
2. A plant with irregular flowers- Wow. This Dragon Arum is neat!
3. A monocot- Not sure what this plant is but, it is very leafy with parallel veins.
4. A dicot- A plant with net-like leaves in the mustard family.
5. A plant in the pea family (Fabaceae)- A vetch pea.
6. A Gymnosperm- A nice conifer in the Pinaceae family.
7. A terrestrial plant that is not a seed plant- A pretty fern.
8. A plant with pinnate leaves- Sweet fennel.
9. A plant with opposite leaves-Not sure what plant this is but its leaves are opposite.
10. A plant in the sunflower family (Asteraceae)- Some pretty daisies.

*Most of these are from the Albany Bulb. I think most of them are naturalized but some have definitely been cultivated.

I observed many species interactions, however, there are three that I actually managed to get photos of.

First, I spent quite a while stalking bees in a large patch of Buttercup flowers. There were quite a few Honey Bees out pollinating. There were also quite a few wasps also in the patch which I found interesting. I had not realized they also did some pollinating.

Next, I was walking through a small Eucalyptus grove and noticed a bunch of Chestnut-backed Chickadees bouncing up and down the tall tree trunks looking for grubs of some sort. Apparently, more than half their diet comes from insects. I could not get quite close enough to them to see what they were eating but they were definitely searching for something in the wood.

My third observation is also my most interesting. I managed to capture a shot of two Water Sliders mating. At least, I'm pretty sure that's what is happening. I looked up the habits of Water Sliders and they are also sometimes cannibalistic.

1. California Blackberry Rubus ursinus- These vines like moist shady climates best. They thrive in disturbed areas and are able to adapt easily to various climates.
2. Kingdom Fungi- Not sure what kind of mushrooms these are. However, it was interesting that they were growing along the exposed roots of a redwood. The general area was more sunny however these mushrooms were thriving tucked into a shadier side of the tree.
3. Trametes versicolor- "Turkey Tail" was another mushroom I saw living directly on a dead tree branch. They are adapted to moist evergreen forests by their growth from dead hardwood.
4. Lichen- Lichen loves moist and shady areas. Much like the mushrooms lichen tends to live on the shadier side of trees and rocks.
5. Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)- They grow very large which allows them to compete more effectively for sunlight in the forest. The many branches allow for water caching to occur. They are resistant to fire and send out new shoots very quickly after one occurs.
6. Wood Fern- While there are some ferns that can survive drier sunnier locations, most prefer wet and shaded areas. Their extended leaves would be ideal for catching the largest amount of moisture from the overgrowth.

1. Genus Raphanus- I had no idea that this was a wild radish when I took the picture. It was quite pretty. The radish is in the Brassicaceae family and is considered a weed in most places. It's ability to change life cycle is extremely advantageous for an environment with varied rainfall. They also easily adapt to many environments.
2. ripgut brome (Bromus diandrus)- "Great Brome" is apparently not native to California and is invasive. It has spikes that help the seeds stick firmly in the ground which would be beneficial in the chaparral in the event of a fire. It prefers disturbed sites and can grow across multiple moisture levels.
3. Muhlenbergia rigens or Nassella- I definitely think this is a bunch grass. Bunch grasses would do well in this environment because they are perennial. They adapt well in almost any environment.
4. California Poppy- Poppies are adapted to many environments and they have some specific adaptations to fire and they like the chaparrals propensity for it. Its ability to self-seed and tolerance to drought would also be useful.
5. Genista monspessulana- "French Broom" is considered an invasive species in California. It produces a large amount of seeds per season and can live for many years. It is drought tolerant and can sprout after a fire, cutting, and even freezing temperatures.

~It seems that many of the organisms in a chaparral ecosystem are highly adaptable to varied environments. They have an ability to resist drought and survive. They also like disturbed areas with makes them easily suited to California's landscape.

I went to Joaquin Miller Park and found most of the trees already leafing out. I did find a picture of one tree that was leafing out at the top but was still bare at the bottom. Not quite sure what it is, maybe a toyon.

I found a better selection of bare and flowering plants. I have attached two of my favorite examples. The green wattle tree was gorgeous! One picture is it blooming yellow flowers at the tip and the other is a younger one not flowering.

I also saw some French Broom that were in multiple stages between bare and flowering.

1. Mollusk- I found a garden slug (Deroceras reticulatum) under a tarp.
2. Fungi- I found a few nice fungi examples at Joaquin Miller Park. My favorites are the Chicken of the Woods and the Lichen.
3. Amphibian- I found this California Slender Salamander at Joaquin Miller also.
4. Bird- On U.C. Berkeley Campus I got a nice shot of a American Robin.
5. Arachnid- I have a bunch of small spiders in my back yard. I caught one and managed to get a slightly fuzzy picture (They're fast!). I thought they were Grass spiders but there has been a couple comments that say it is a Wolf Spider. I did not realize they hung out in such large groups.