Skip to main content

Naturalist Perspectives Assignment 6


SITE ALPHA TO SITE ALPHA:

Location:Site Alpha
Date: 4/21/17
Time: 1:52 pm
Weather Conditions: Raining and gross. Cloudy and gray. 45℉.
Things perked up a little. Was less brown, and more light green. There was no snow and a greater variety of plant growth. There were fewer leaves. I suspect this was because they disintegrated and not due to human intervention. There were a couple very small pieces of trash in the corner (plastic bottle caps), which leads me to believe that the area is only moderately maintained.





SITE ALPHA TO SITE BETA
Location: Site Beta
Date: 4/21/17
Time: 12:40 AM
Weather Conditions: Raining and gross. Night time. Cloudy (no visible moon). 45℉.

In theory, I probably could create a chart that identifies the number of species of vegetation at each site. I could also include a column to indicate any additional living organisms, although to be honest I did not actually see any animals, including bugs. This is likely due to my poor eyesight and the fact that I did not know what exactly what I was looking for. I doubt there are actually no bugs at all. If there were, that would be concerning. I say I could do this in theory because in reality, I do not know how to create a chart or table on this blog.

The key difference is the diversity of plant species at each location and perhaps the frequency of human intervention in the process of plant growth. Site Alpha has at least 20 of different plants and shrubs growing right next to each other.  I can't be 100% certain about the number, since I am not especially good at identifying plant species and may have lumped some things together that should be considered different species. Site Beta had only one type of flower, two different trees, and some of those narrow weed looking things, which I think might actually just be part of the flower.  There were also some larger bunches of flat leaves and that one short green plant in the center bottom of the picture below, which has big, upturned leaves that grow out of a stem. Unlike the plant in the bottom left corner, the leaves on the centered plant have raggedy looking edges.
Both sites are definitely intentional, though the degree to which they are intentionally maintained seems to be different. Most of the large plants and flowers at Site Alpha seemed like they were probably intentionally placed, but others did not. I am making this assumption based on the spacing of the plants, since people don't usually plant things right on top of each other. At Site Beta, everything was spaced out. There was also a nearly perfect circle at the foot of each of the two trees within which nothing was growing. Even when a tree blocks the plants beneath it from getting light, the absence of growth is usually more asymetrical, so this suggests a high level of human intervention and maintenance.




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Naturalist Perspectives Assignment 8

Location: Site Alpha Date: 5/2/2017 Time: 2:00 PM Weather: Sunny and windy. 57℉. The plants at Site Alpha are growing more. Lots of little shoots of things are popping up. Some of the flowers are beginning to wilt. Location: Site Beta Date: 5/2/2017 Time: 6:00 PM Weather: Sun getting low, 54℉ I don't have a picture of this one because my phone died. There are now some tulips there, though and the trees are covered in flowers. There is a strong floral scent in the air, but I am not sure that it is coming from the flowers in this particular flower bed. 1. Evolution - The flowers here have been artificially selected. This has been done mostly based on aesthetic, smell, and ability to withstand the weather conditions of Cambridge. 2. Cell Biology - The cell structures in different parts of the plants correspond to the role they play in the overall life of the plant. Because they are plant cells, they contain chloroplasts, which enable the plant to photosynthesize- get...

Naturalist Perspectives: Invasive Species

Location: 29 Harrison St, Newton, MA Date: 4/23/2017 Time: 2:00 PM Weather: Sunny with some cloud cover. 54℉. If you look in the background of this  picture, you will see a large yellow mass covered in flowers. This plant is called the forsythia tree and it is an invasive species that can be found here and in my hometown of Armonk, N.Y.. It can be recognized by its lack of leaves, rounded overall shape, and vibrant yellow flower. Forsythia are described as colonizing plants. They are native to Asia but will grow in almost any sunny location. It does not support insects or birds native to the Northeastern US in any way. Its roots have colonizing suckers that can push out other species of plant nearby and change the topography of a landscape. For this reason, they are often planted on hills (as pictured above). Over time, they can help level out the area. Many landscapers recommend replacing forsythia with spicebush, which can better support the other forms of life.

Naturalist Perspectives Assignment 3

Location: Photo taken from between the only two good hammock trees in John F. Kennedy Park, Cambridge, MA Date: 4/8/2017 Time: 12:45pm Weather: Overcast but not raining. 48°F The bank of the river where I conducted my transect was mostly just grass and mud. Judging by the groomed appearance of the nearby park, and the plant growth visible along the bank near less populated areas, I suspect that this lack of ecological diversity has a lot to do with intentional maintenance on the part of the city. If left alone for a few years, I imagine there would be a substantial increase in plant life in that area. Then again, it is right by a road, so the area is subject to both foot and vehicular traffic. I imagine that also plays a role in the presence of plant life. I decided that it was better to not bring my phone down by the water's edge. There is nearby traffic, an incline, and not only am I not the most coordinated, I also startle fairly easily. That said, I think the lack of subst...