anjaw's Journal

Today I was able to find a lot more plants that I hadn't seen before. I found some Dudleya farinosa growing on the hillside, which was very exciting. The Pride of Madeira all grew significantly from my last visit. Many more of them were flowering. I am glad that I chose this area for my natural area botanical study as I was able to key out a lot of plants that I see almost everyday and still didn't know the names of.

I noticed a lot more irises have flowered. On this visit, I also wandered around on the paths meandering around the golf course. There, I was able to find some more species that I hadn't noticed before. The Quercus agrifolia leaves have started to darken. Dandelions are beginning to spread all over the hills.

More wildflowers are starting to flower now. I have also noticed that there is a mass of Sequoia sempervirens growing on the right-hand side of the path. There are also various Apiaceae flowers starting to bloom all over the hill, turning it yellow and white. There is one Quercus agrifolia that is just starting to send out light green leaves. There is a great deal of European beach grass that was spread here by people. This has taken over quite a bit of the dunes. The environment I chose is also heavily influenced by the neighboring golf course. Most likely pesticides that they spray can get to the plants.

I am going to be visiting the Bodega Harbor first beach area/golf course beach. The elevation range is roughly 0 to 50 feet above sea level. The area of land I will be observing is not that large. It is roughly a square mile. (though I might expand this if necessary) There are a few paths stretching down to and around the coast. Along the main path, runs a small creek, which provides an ideal location for ferns, willows, and various members of the Apiaceae family. Heading down the path, there is a great deal of coastal dune plants and grasses. If you head to the right, there are lots of wildflowers growing. Possibly, they get water-runoff from the golf course. Along the hills, there are many non-native grass species. I chose this area because it is a beach I visit a lot and I was curious to learn about some of the species growing there.