Site: In front of my house/pond
Date:May 30,2008
Time: 6:53 am
Temp:39.4 degrees F
Weather: It was overcast and a lot of bad looking clouds(rain clouds)-but there was also a lot of blue sky - a slight breeze.
Soil: It was almost dry but the rain today made the soil very damp again today
Hypothesis:Ducks came back but when water was shallow again(need shallow water)
Today the grass was wet because I think it rained a little last night. One of the things I noticed was that the grass in the water was really tall but the water was also really low. I also noticed that the ducks came back but the water is really shallow. But the ducks never came to the pond when the water was high and almost above the grass. Maybe the ducks can't survive when the water is high. Ducks eat grasses at the bottom of the pond and some bugs at the bottom also. But when the water is high they can't reach the grasses and insects. The ducks need water as a survival need to float and eat the grasses but the water can't be too high or else they have to move. The soil is really wet and the grass is really green and is getting really tall also. I'm okay with the rain but I don't want the soil to wash out and get into the pond and make it even more shallow. But I also notice that the duck need the mud to relax and when the water was high there was no mud near the pond, and I did see duck tracks in the mud this morning. There were a few different species of birds this morning that I heard chirping and it made the pond a peaceful place tody. My pond is a thriving ecosystem and has a wonderful enviroment.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Observation 7
Site: In front of my house/pond
Date: May 28, 2008
Time: 7:02 pm
Temp:39.7 degrees F
Weather: It was a little chilly but there was no rain- it was a little overcast and there was sun -a little sprinkling of rain
Soil: The soil was still really wet and damp but not mud anymore. Deep down is still really damp also.
Hypothesis: Male left and female stayed? Did male go take care of ducklings?
When I came home and saw my pond, the most significant thing I saw was that the ducks were back after a long time not coming to the pond. But the male disappeared and the female stayed out in the water. Maybe the male went to take care of the ducklings while the female got to relax. But she was really hard to see because she was using one of her survival needs, which is the grass, and was camoflauging in it. Her camoflauge is also an anti-predator adaption which helps her stay out of danger from bigger birds. While I was watching her, she made some weird motions which I understood what she was doing. She was using one of the abiotic factors, the water, to maybe cool down or wet her feathers. What she would do was instead of just sticking her head under the water to get food, which she was doing also, she would quickly dive under and come back up. She did that four times in a row. Then she saw me and maybe thought of me as a predator or she was just fanning herself. But she basically "stood" on her tail feathers and flapped them rappidly. When that didn't work, she flew off. So maybe I was a predator to her. I didn't see any new organisms or populations today, but I did notice the water is much lowere than it was and the grass is now well above the water. It smelt a little bit of rain because it did sprinkle earlier and the soil is very rich because of the water and the grass is now thriving. I have also noticed the grass and flora communities are thriving around my pond. It was a very calm night and the running water almost put me to sleep as I was just lying in the grass today.
Date: May 28, 2008
Time: 7:02 pm
Temp:39.7 degrees F
Weather: It was a little chilly but there was no rain- it was a little overcast and there was sun -a little sprinkling of rain
Soil: The soil was still really wet and damp but not mud anymore. Deep down is still really damp also.
Hypothesis: Male left and female stayed? Did male go take care of ducklings?
When I came home and saw my pond, the most significant thing I saw was that the ducks were back after a long time not coming to the pond. But the male disappeared and the female stayed out in the water. Maybe the male went to take care of the ducklings while the female got to relax. But she was really hard to see because she was using one of her survival needs, which is the grass, and was camoflauging in it. Her camoflauge is also an anti-predator adaption which helps her stay out of danger from bigger birds. While I was watching her, she made some weird motions which I understood what she was doing. She was using one of the abiotic factors, the water, to maybe cool down or wet her feathers. What she would do was instead of just sticking her head under the water to get food, which she was doing also, she would quickly dive under and come back up. She did that four times in a row. Then she saw me and maybe thought of me as a predator or she was just fanning herself. But she basically "stood" on her tail feathers and flapped them rappidly. When that didn't work, she flew off. So maybe I was a predator to her. I didn't see any new organisms or populations today, but I did notice the water is much lowere than it was and the grass is now well above the water. It smelt a little bit of rain because it did sprinkle earlier and the soil is very rich because of the water and the grass is now thriving. I have also noticed the grass and flora communities are thriving around my pond. It was a very calm night and the running water almost put me to sleep as I was just lying in the grass today.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Works Cited
Wikipedia.com.2008.Wikimedia Foundation Inc. May 21, 2008.[http://en.wikipedia.org]
All About Birds. 2008. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. May 21, 2008[http://birds.cornell.edu/]
US Forest Service.2000. Idaho Panhandle National Forests. May 23, 2008[http://www.fs.fed.us/ipnf/]
United States Department of Agriculture. 2007.National Resource Conservation Service. May 23, 2008.[http://plants.usda.gov/]
Peters, Geoffrey."Wildflower: Balsamroot". Intangible Northwest.2002.May 23, 2008.(notice that no affiliation with a parent company, insitute or organization was given.)
Slichter, Paul. Balsamhoriza sagittata.May 23, 2008.http://ghs.gresham.k12.or.us/.../daisy/balsam/arrow.htm
Canada Geese.May 21,2008.http://www.livingworldimages.com/2005/11/animal-humo...(notice that there is no original author given because the site didn't give me it.)
All About Birds. 2008. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. May 21, 2008[http://birds.cornell.edu/]
US Forest Service.2000. Idaho Panhandle National Forests. May 23, 2008[http://www.fs.fed.us/ipnf/]
United States Department of Agriculture. 2007.National Resource Conservation Service. May 23, 2008.[http://plants.usda.gov/]
Peters, Geoffrey."Wildflower: Balsamroot". Intangible Northwest.2002.May 23, 2008.
Slichter, Paul. Balsamhoriza sagittata.May 23, 2008.http://ghs.gresham.k12.or.us/.../daisy/balsam/arrow.htm
Canada Geese.May 21,2008.http://www.livingworldimages.com/2005/11/animal-humo...(notice that there is no original author given because the site didn't give me it.)
Flora
Christian Doyle
Ms. Overly
Honors Science 9- Pd. 2
May 22, 2008
Arrowleaf Balsamroot
A wild flower called balsamroot covers the hill above my pond with bright yellow colors. Balsamroots are called Balsamorhiza sagittata in scientist talk, which is its genus and species, and cover wide ranges of area. The flowers are bright yellow, with a darker yellow center forming an arrowhead shape. The leaves that grow from the base of the plant are silver gray rather than a green. They are that color because they are covered with fine short hairs. Balsamroot can be 1 to 2 feet tall, with the flowers 4 to 5 inches long and the leaves are 12 inches long and 6 inches wide. Balsamroot bloom from late April to early July therefore they are perennials, which are flowers that come back every year. I have a large population of balsamroot that has located itself above the pond. They need a lot of sunlight especially after a week of rain, and without it, they lose one of their survival needs and die. Balsamroot couldn’t be able to live in forests because the trees reduce the amount of sunlight and they need a lot of it. These wild flowers, not weeds, live in sunny open hillsides, sagebrush, and other open areas. The younger plants tend to be a brighter in color on the flower, with even more silver on the leaves. The older flowers are a darker yellow and the leaves are a more greenish color. Balsamroot does not reproduce after their first year. Their seeds are in the center of the flower and that’s how they reproduce. But they can be carried to other places when animals eat them then leaving the area. Balsamroots are food for several organisms such as bighorn sheep, elk and deer. The Native Americans used several parts of the plant. For example the leaves were used as a treatment for burns, cuts, wounds and bruises. The leaves were also used for healing tea for tuberculosis, headaches and other sicknesses. The balsamroot is also edible to humans.
Ms. Overly
Honors Science 9- Pd. 2
May 22, 2008
Arrowleaf Balsamroot
A wild flower called balsamroot covers the hill above my pond with bright yellow colors. Balsamroots are called Balsamorhiza sagittata in scientist talk, which is its genus and species, and cover wide ranges of area. The flowers are bright yellow, with a darker yellow center forming an arrowhead shape. The leaves that grow from the base of the plant are silver gray rather than a green. They are that color because they are covered with fine short hairs. Balsamroot can be 1 to 2 feet tall, with the flowers 4 to 5 inches long and the leaves are 12 inches long and 6 inches wide. Balsamroot bloom from late April to early July therefore they are perennials, which are flowers that come back every year. I have a large population of balsamroot that has located itself above the pond. They need a lot of sunlight especially after a week of rain, and without it, they lose one of their survival needs and die. Balsamroot couldn’t be able to live in forests because the trees reduce the amount of sunlight and they need a lot of it. These wild flowers, not weeds, live in sunny open hillsides, sagebrush, and other open areas. The younger plants tend to be a brighter in color on the flower, with even more silver on the leaves. The older flowers are a darker yellow and the leaves are a more greenish color. Balsamroot does not reproduce after their first year. Their seeds are in the center of the flower and that’s how they reproduce. But they can be carried to other places when animals eat them then leaving the area. Balsamroots are food for several organisms such as bighorn sheep, elk and deer. The Native Americans used several parts of the plant. For example the leaves were used as a treatment for burns, cuts, wounds and bruises. The leaves were also used for healing tea for tuberculosis, headaches and other sicknesses. The balsamroot is also edible to humans.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Observation 6
Site: In front of my house/pond
Date: May 25, 2008
Time: 7:02 pm
Temp: 42.3 degrees F
Weather: Raining all day- cloudy and no sun
Soil: the soil is mud, so that must mean even deep down the soil is soaked- the rain all week long has turned all the dirt into mud
Hypothesis: It is good that we have had so much rain but will the rain drown the grass(maybe it will)
When I looked at my area when I went through the door, one of the most significant things I saw was that the water was so high that the grass that is in the water is covered. This almost lessens the high biodiversity this pond has because if the grass is flooded, then some organisms and populations can't live here. But the grass above the pond is getting really tall and is about up to the bottoms of my knees. Surprisingly more species and populations keep on coming to this big community and environment. One more bird species has come around the pond, that is the hummingbird. Although they are small, they increase the biodiversity of the area and eat some types of bugs around the area. Around my area, it has been raining so much that I almost can't here the creek running because it doesn't have anything to run over, it just flows. But it has also caused the trees to bud but no blooming yet and everything to become the greenest I have ever seen it. But the only thing I am worried about is the water flooding some of the area killing some important biotic factors that are very important to this environment. Such as some baby willows being covered in water and little pine trees that are being overwhelmed. I can't wait for all the willows and aspens to bloom, it is going to be an amazing area to see as soon as everything has bloomed. Hopefully we start getting some sun because organisms that need the sun for one of their survival needs need it soon. We have had rain all week and no sun. I don't want my area to become a dead wasteland.
Date: May 25, 2008
Time: 7:02 pm
Temp: 42.3 degrees F
Weather: Raining all day- cloudy and no sun
Soil: the soil is mud, so that must mean even deep down the soil is soaked- the rain all week long has turned all the dirt into mud
Hypothesis: It is good that we have had so much rain but will the rain drown the grass(maybe it will)
When I looked at my area when I went through the door, one of the most significant things I saw was that the water was so high that the grass that is in the water is covered. This almost lessens the high biodiversity this pond has because if the grass is flooded, then some organisms and populations can't live here. But the grass above the pond is getting really tall and is about up to the bottoms of my knees. Surprisingly more species and populations keep on coming to this big community and environment. One more bird species has come around the pond, that is the hummingbird. Although they are small, they increase the biodiversity of the area and eat some types of bugs around the area. Around my area, it has been raining so much that I almost can't here the creek running because it doesn't have anything to run over, it just flows. But it has also caused the trees to bud but no blooming yet and everything to become the greenest I have ever seen it. But the only thing I am worried about is the water flooding some of the area killing some important biotic factors that are very important to this environment. Such as some baby willows being covered in water and little pine trees that are being overwhelmed. I can't wait for all the willows and aspens to bloom, it is going to be an amazing area to see as soon as everything has bloomed. Hopefully we start getting some sun because organisms that need the sun for one of their survival needs need it soon. We have had rain all week and no sun. I don't want my area to become a dead wasteland.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Observation 5
Site: In front of my house/pond
Date: May 22, 2008
Time: 6:47 am
Temp: 46.7 degrees F
Weather: Cloudy, I don't see the sun, raining and sprinkling
Soil: Very wet/damp, after a whole day and night of rain, even deep down is wet/damp
Hypothesis: There is a bigger tree across pond- I thought it was a willow but I don't know(I think it is a willow)
When I went to my site this morning, the first thing I noticed was that the pond water was really high and was covering most of the grass that lives in the water. The muddy areas were gone and I think there was a fish in there today. Due to the non-stop rain that we have had for two days, everything is green and there is nothing else dead in or around my pond. Along with everything being green, the grass has also grown a couple of inches and its becoming a greater ecosystem. The grass is thriving off the contant flow of water that keeps dirty water out of the pond. Different popultations are coming in such as a snake that was in the grass. The snake, I noticed, used a anti-predator adaption by blending in with the grass but also benefits from the tall grass so raptors from the air don't see them. Since a snake has come into this enviroment, there is another predator vs. prey game going on. Although I haven't seen any, there must be some species of mice living around the area. One other thing I noticed is that all of the willows have budded but not bloomed. Even the aspens have buds on them and willows I think will start popping because of this constant rain. But we also need some sunlight for willows to bloom for it is one of their survival needs. The changes that I saw today were that the pond was higher, the grass is much greener and taller, the willows are budding, there is a snake at my pond now and the ducks weren't there today. Today I could here the rain falling on the pond water and I could smell the aroma of the rain also. I am pretty sure the the bigger a tree across the pond is a willow and I also think the snake is a garder snake.
Date: May 22, 2008
Time: 6:47 am
Temp: 46.7 degrees F
Weather: Cloudy, I don't see the sun, raining and sprinkling
Soil: Very wet/damp, after a whole day and night of rain, even deep down is wet/damp
Hypothesis: There is a bigger tree across pond- I thought it was a willow but I don't know(I think it is a willow)
When I went to my site this morning, the first thing I noticed was that the pond water was really high and was covering most of the grass that lives in the water. The muddy areas were gone and I think there was a fish in there today. Due to the non-stop rain that we have had for two days, everything is green and there is nothing else dead in or around my pond. Along with everything being green, the grass has also grown a couple of inches and its becoming a greater ecosystem. The grass is thriving off the contant flow of water that keeps dirty water out of the pond. Different popultations are coming in such as a snake that was in the grass. The snake, I noticed, used a anti-predator adaption by blending in with the grass but also benefits from the tall grass so raptors from the air don't see them. Since a snake has come into this enviroment, there is another predator vs. prey game going on. Although I haven't seen any, there must be some species of mice living around the area. One other thing I noticed is that all of the willows have budded but not bloomed. Even the aspens have buds on them and willows I think will start popping because of this constant rain. But we also need some sunlight for willows to bloom for it is one of their survival needs. The changes that I saw today were that the pond was higher, the grass is much greener and taller, the willows are budding, there is a snake at my pond now and the ducks weren't there today. Today I could here the rain falling on the pond water and I could smell the aroma of the rain also. I am pretty sure the the bigger a tree across the pond is a willow and I also think the snake is a garder snake.
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