Observation #8

Site name/ location: Behind me house/ pond
Date: May 29, 2008
Time 0f day: 7:00 pm
Temp:34 degrees F
Wind conditions: Windy
Weather conditions: Cloudy
Soil conditions: lots of moisture
Hypothesis: I predict that the increase of frogs comes from the increase of moisture.
From the time that I last went to my location to now not a lot has changed. The rain has calmed down and not it is more clod and windy. Only since there was so much moisture it is no really affecting anything I can see. There is how ever more vegitation which progesses each time I come and the bird activity is very low. There is not a lot of competion and every things seems to just to be at ease in the pond.

Work Cited

"Moose." Natureworks. 2008. New Hampshire Public Television. 29 May 2008 http://www.nhptv.org/ natureworks/moose.htm.

Wikipedia. "Dandelion." Wikipedia. 29 May 2008. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. 27 May 2008 .

Moose Picture http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/IMAGES/Alaska/MOOSE.jpg

Dandelion Picture
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Dandelion_sun.jpg/466px-Dandelion_sun.jpg

Observation #7

Site name/location: behind my house/ pond
Time of day: 7:28 pm
Date: May 27, 2008
Temp: 53 degrees F
Wind conditions: slightly breezy
Soil conditions: lush and muddy
HIypothesis: I predict that the increase of rain has flooded the pond, make the soil muddy and made organism take shelter.
For the last couple of days it has been raining almost nonstop. The pond last time was just filled up from when is was getting lower but now the pond is flooded. The water covers the some of the stems of the cattails. There has mot been very much growth of vegitation on the ground and I think that is due to, to much water. How ever there has been more growth in the trees. Thers is still buds but now small leafs are beginning to bloom. More weeds are also popping up that I can not identfiy. There has been less of the bird flying around but I think the new supply of moisture has brought out the frogs. I have not seen and frogs but I can here them. I also noticed that the frog sounds respond to one another which makes me wonder if is mating season for them as well.

Flora

Dandelion

The dandelion is very common in Jackson although it is originally from Europe and Asia. To many it looks like a flower but really it is weed. Its scientific name is Taraxcum which makes its seeds not produced with pollination. The dandelions have five to twenty- five cm long leaves. As the leaves grow outward they begin to push down the vegetation next to them. By the dandelion pushing down the vegetation it cuts off the sunlight that is required for survival. This is why people want to get dandelions out of the lawn and garden. The dandelions open to bright yellow sun. When the moon is glowing and the sun goes behind the mountains it closes up for the night. The stem of the dandelion is hollow and if you ever break it in half, white substance leaks out that is actually milky sap. As time passes the dandelion matures and loses its bright yellow color. It now becomes single-seeded fruits, this is also known as achenes. Achenes are attached to fine hairs. There fine hairs are white and if you have ever seen one it is in a sphere shape. The hairs are winded-aided. Instead of the seeds falling to the ground they are spreading as the wind can carry them. This makes the plant populate more areas, and every time you blow the seed to make a wish you are spreading the weeds even more. The organisms that feed on the dandelion are bees and larva of bugs such as butterflies and moths.

Observation #6

Site/location: Behind my house
Date: May 21, 2008
Time of day: 6:05 pm
Temp: 39 degrees F
Weather conditions: Rainy and cloudy
Wind conditions: Slight breeze and sometimes a little heavier
Soil condition: Muddy and wet because it had just rained.
With the change of weather came more changes in the ecosystem. For the past couple of days it has been kind of in a constant raining period. The pond that was last week drying up in filled again and the irrigation ditch that connects to it is flooded. The birds for shelter are lower in the cattails when usually when it is sunny that sit on top. I have also noticed many uses the birds use the cattails for. The use there for shelter, nest shelter and possible food. All the organism that live in my area a well adapted for the many unpredictable weather patterns. There is little interspecfic competion which make this place have a nice balence.

Fauna

Fauna Report

Moose usually live in forest, near streams, lakes, swamps, in willows, or in the mountains. When the temperatures drop and snow covers their food source, they travel down to where there is plenty food sources and protection. When they come, down their main refuge is in a place with lots of willows and some sort of water. They mainly feed on is willows, dried grass, white fir, buds, and dead twigs. At about this time their offspring is almost full grown, the supply of food is perfect for a growing teen.
The average height of a grown moose is six to seven feet tall. Males usually weigh between 850 to 1180 pounds and females weigh between 600 to 800 pounds. They are the biggest member of the deer family. The moose have long brown fur; the fur is hollow to keep them warm. Their front legs are longer then the back legs, this allows them to jump higher. The moose usually peaceful but when they feel threatened they become very aggressive. They have very bad eye sight but excellent smell. This makes up for their other flaws.
For the males they will grow antlers but then shed them off after mating season so they will conserve more energy in the winter. If the male is an immature bull it will not shed in the winter but in the coming spring. When they shed rodents and small animals began to gnaw at the antlers to gain calcium. They also will charge people or even cars during mating season just like a female will charge when she has a calf.
As for the females they have the calves. The calf will stay with the mother for one year after its birth or until another calf is born. This forms a strong bond between the two. What also makes the bond so strong is usually the liter consists of one calf. The female’s attention is directed to that calf and makes her aggressive when she feels threatened. The mother that is fully grown has few predators but the calf has many such as wolves and bears. That is why the mothers stay with them until they are able to protect themselves from the predators.

Obsration #5

Site name/ location: Behind my house/ pond


Date: May 19, 2008


Time of day: 6:4pm


Temp: 62 degrees F


Weather conditions: Partly cloudy


Wind conditions: A very light breeze


Soil conditions: less dry, lots of grass


Hypothesis:I predict that more organism activity will occur during this time.


The once peaceful birds are now becoming more aggressive. I witnessed a bird come and knock another bird right off it perch. I saw this happen more then once which made wonder if they were competing over something. This makes me think that it is near mating season and the males are in competion for the females. Each time I come there is more and more biodiersity. There is ants, water bugs, and many varities o birds. There biotic factors such as rocks, mud, and dead twigs that help the enviroment. The ants and mice are living in the dirt and soil. Other bugs live under the rock and as it gets hotter soon frog will live there as well. The dead twigs are being used for nest which the birds are beginning to build. Very much is the same since my last visit but I predict much will be changing in my next time.

Observation #4

Site name/location:Behind my house/pond
Date: May 14, 2008
Time of day: 6:46 pm
Temp: 53 degrees F
Weather conditions: Cloudy
Wind conditions: Mild breeze
Soil conditions: More vegatation
Hypothesis: I predict that with increase of tempature there will be more forms of life.
Now vegatation is coming more and more each time. I noticed there are plants in the water and algie. There is weeds and now there are little buds on the trees. The cattails are also begining to grow As for the organisms there was a few new species to the area. There was small hoove marks in the mud which tells me something bigger was there. There was also more ducks, geese at the near by pond and a bird that I can not identfiy but it was black with orange at the top of it wings. As I studied the pond I made some new wierd discoveries. First the water has been getting more and more shallow. Most of the pond is mud rather then water. Then in the places with water there is many plants and bugs. As for the ground it is mainly poulated by birds. Soon I think that more then just birds will dominate the area.

Observation #3

Site name/location: Behind my house/pond
Date: May 12, 2008
Time of day: 4:13 pm
Temp: 59 degrees F
Weather conditions:Mostly sunny and there are few clouds in the sky
Wind conditions: Very windy
Soil conditions: Less flooded, kind of dry, more vegatation
Hypothesis: I predict that twigs and dead grass will be used for the bird's nest
It is early in the observation but I have noticed more and more each time. The same yellow-headed black birds, black birds, ducks, crows, frogs, and robins still populate the area but I found new species. The first is a magpie which is very common but this was the first time it showed up in my area. Then as I was looking in the soil I noticed small holes. The burrows belong to small rodents such as moles and mice. They have benn hidden because the snow has cover most of the ground. I did not see but I could tell that geese had been there because the was goose poop everywhere.Now that the tempatures have increased I noticed that in the water there are little water bugs. They had not been there the two times before so I could tell that the water tempature was higher as well. Now that the soil is less dry more weeds have popped up. There are no flowers or anthing like that but I predict they will come soon. There is still more dead grass then alive which tells me the climate is still not good for the plants to survive.When the grass is more green then yellow and the trees grow buds there will be even more new organisms coming to share in the many resources.

Observation #2

Site name/location: My backyard/pond

Date: May 11, 2008 

Time of day: 6:48 pm

Temp: 53 degrees F

Weather conditions: Cloudy 

Wind conditions: Very windy

Soil conditions: More vegetation, less flooded near the water 

Hypothesis: I predict that more animals will come with the more vegetation.

This only being my second observation I noticed more differences in my location. They animal life is now black birds, robins, ducks, and yellow head black bird. There were no frog out this time. There was more different types of animals only less of them. Last observation the water was high and some what flooded. This time it was very shallow and even island of the pond floor was showing. The places that were very dry now have more grass and less dirt. There is no more snow so now the plants are growing more rapidly. Soon I think the wheat grass and cattails will start growing as well.

Observation #1

Site name/location: behind my house/pond
Date: may 7, 2008
Time: 6:48 pm
Temp: 57 degrees F
Weather conditions: partly cloudy (very windy)
Soil conditions: muddy near the water/on higher grounds more dry and less green
Hypothesis: As the four weeks go by I predict that the dry spots with become more green and the muddy areas will have absorbed more water.
As I was observing outside I noticed that the main population of species were yellow-headed black birds. These birds had nest built in the cattails. The nests were made of the dead grass, twigs, cattails, and moose hair. Another population was frogs. Although I could not see them I could tell they lived very near and in the pond water. I could tell what previous organisms were there because there was goose poo and moose scat. I predict that the moose had come for the willows and the goose were there for the body of water. The pond was somewhat flooded because of the melted snow. This makes the ground muddy and has a bad smell to it. I also noticed that the cattails were flatten down I think this is from the wieght of the snow and animals.