pdurr's Journal

For my habitat trips I visited a Mixed Evergreen Forest behind campus in Strawberry Creek, and a Coastal Dune/Coastal Shrub habitat at the Marin Headlands.

For the species I saw at the Marin Headlands, the adaptations to the environment seemed most clear. I saw a Cypress Tree, which has a low growth and wide top that I assume helps it adapt to coastal winds and fog. I also saw a pink flowering plant that grows low to the ground, perhaps also to protect it from the wind. I saw another plant like this with an orange flower, that is likely adapted to be strong against the wind as well. Next I saw what I believe was a heron. This species uses the mix of coastal and fresh water in the lagoon to find food specific to this type of ecosystem. Lastly, I saw a group of whitetail deer. I do not believe they are specifically adapted to coastal ecosystems, but seemed to thrive within the park.

On my trip to Strawberry Creek I saw less clear adaptations. I saw 2 different types of fungi/lichen, which I believe adapt to grow in this moist, low sun area. I also saw moss growing on a tree that also thrives in the most, low sun area in the forest. I found another plant that I was unable to identify, and thus am unsure how it fits specifically into its niche. Lastly, I also saw a fern, which seems to thrive in almost any environment.

For this assignment I went on a hike in Annadel State Park in Santa Rosa. I observed Poison Oak, which I noticed had no red coloring on it this early in the season. As the riddle warns, these leaves were growing in bunches of 3. I am lucky to have no reaction to the plant, so it wasn't a problem that it was all over the park. Next I noticed a light green lichen growing on a tree. I observed purple flowers that were growing in a very interesting way. Each plant was very thin with several flowers only at the top, black tips, and purple leaves. It appeared that the plant opened during flowering to reveal the black tip, and then the purple leaves pulled all the way back to the plant. Near the purple flowers, I noticed white flowers growing that each had four petals and were very small. I observed several manzanita trees, and photographed one that appeared to have particularly smooth looking branches and an almost purple color. Even more than the manzanita trees, the park was filled with large beautiful oak trees. The particular tree that I photographed appear to be hosting other species like lichen, moss, and mistle toe. Along the walk I saw several salamanders enjoying the bright sun that was out. The one that I was able to photograph had beautiful markings on its back, and almost appeared to have a blue coloring. After walking for awhile I came upon a pond that was full of tadpoles. Several tadpoles appeared to be dead, but several were swimming around. The tadpoles were small and black. Near the edge of the water I saw brown sacks that appeared to be egg sacks, possibly from the tadpoles? I was unsure but photographed them to find out! Lastly, I observed a big, beautiful patch of mushrooms growing that appeared so smooth and soft. I really wanted to touch them, but resisted the urge because some mushrooms can have poisonous spores.