kat14's Journal

I took a walk on a trail behind Clark Kerr campus in the Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve. I found a single patch of California Poppies growing right off of the trail, representing the plants taxa. After awhile of searching for insects, I finally encountered a single bee buzzing around a juniper bush on Clark Kerr campus, representing the insects taxa. A few days prior, I took a walk around Lake Merritt in Oakland. I saw dozens of Rock Doves perched on top of the lamp posts, representing the birds taxa.

I am still working with the naturalist community to fully ID the plants I observed. On my walk I discovered four different plants exemplifying flower and plant phenology. First I found a plant with purple flowers growing out of ivy, which represents Flowering Phenology. Second I found a plant with no flowers, except for little buds that have not yet opened on the tips of the branches. This represents bare Flowering Phenology. Third I encountered a plant that is dormant, representing bare Plant Phenology. Fourth I discovered a plant with jagged leaves, which represents leafed out Plant Phenology. Phenology interests me as to why certain types of plants bloom/leaf out in the winter versus the spring. Seasonal and interannual variations in climate must also attribute to irregular timing of plant phenology that we are experiencing during this dry winter.