Site: Behind my house in a wooded area
Date: 5-29-08
Time of day: 6:55 am
Temperature: 37 degrees
Weather Conditions: Sunny
Wind Conditions: Calm
Soil Conditions: moist
Notes: There is little physical change from yesterday in terms of weather and fauna. I looked into the reason why some of the trees seemed to have some kind of disease and found out that it was the fault of the Pine Beetles. The pine beetles dig little holes inside of the trees to build their homes. They lay there eggs in the bark so their young can be protected.This is called parasitism, where one organism benefits while the other organism is harmed. The beetles eventually end up killing the tree. When the pine beetles come, it is similar to an epidemic. This can kill off large numbers of trees in one area. Once a tree is infested, there is nothing anybody can do to save it. The young that come out of one hole can kill up to three trees the next year. Pine beetles can only be kept in check by having people quarantine the tree somewhere else. This is usually done by helicopter. Our land usually has three to four trees removed this way. I saw a coyote hunting for its prey a little distance off my land. Overall, I did not see that much during this observation.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Observation #7
Site: Behind my house in a wooded area
Date: 5-28-08
Time of day: 6:45 am
Temperature: 43 degrees
Weather Conditions: Sunny
Wind Conditions: Calm
Soil Conditions: moist
Notes: All of the grass and leaves have now completely bloomed. The recent rain has given a boost to all of the fauna in my area. I saw the first yellow jacket of the year as it was feeding on a flower. The niche of these yellow jackets is to help pollinate all of the flowers to aid in reproduction. The welfare of the population of flowers is very dependent on the availability of yellow jackets and bumble bees. I also spotted a group of songbirds trying to scare off a raven that probably had gotten too close to their nest. Even though the raven was stronger than the songbirds, they were determined and eventually succeeded with their constant effort to scare it away. There was a group of deer hanging around our yard again. The group had two females and two young calfs that I noticed. They seemed interested in the salt block that is outside our house, but I never saw them actually begin to eat it. The trees seemed to have some sickness that was causing them to have large, unhealthy looking black patches. I will look into this and put it in my next observation.
Date: 5-28-08
Time of day: 6:45 am
Temperature: 43 degrees
Weather Conditions: Sunny
Wind Conditions: Calm
Soil Conditions: moist
Notes: All of the grass and leaves have now completely bloomed. The recent rain has given a boost to all of the fauna in my area. I saw the first yellow jacket of the year as it was feeding on a flower. The niche of these yellow jackets is to help pollinate all of the flowers to aid in reproduction. The welfare of the population of flowers is very dependent on the availability of yellow jackets and bumble bees. I also spotted a group of songbirds trying to scare off a raven that probably had gotten too close to their nest. Even though the raven was stronger than the songbirds, they were determined and eventually succeeded with their constant effort to scare it away. There was a group of deer hanging around our yard again. The group had two females and two young calfs that I noticed. They seemed interested in the salt block that is outside our house, but I never saw them actually begin to eat it. The trees seemed to have some sickness that was causing them to have large, unhealthy looking black patches. I will look into this and put it in my next observation.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Citations
"aspen." Encyclopædia Britannica;2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online 28 May 2008 <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9009894>.
"Populus tremuloides." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 17 May 2008, 18:44 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 28 May 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Populus_tremuloides&oldid=213088619>.
Photos:
Moose-1. 5-28-08 http://homepage.univie.ac.at/horst.prillinger/blog/p3/moose-1.jpg
Aspen Tree. 5-28-08. http://www.carto.net/neumann/mountaineering/mono_lake_sierra_nevada_2003_10/075_aspen_tree.jpg
"Populus tremuloides." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 17 May 2008, 18:44 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 28 May 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Populus_tremuloides&oldid=213088619>.
Photos:
Moose-1. 5-28-08 http://homepage.univie.ac.at/horst.prillinger/blog/p3/moose-1.jpg
Aspen Tree. 5-28-08. http://www.carto.net/neumann/mountaineering/mono_lake_sierra_nevada_2003_10/075_aspen_tree.jpg
Friday, May 23, 2008
Observation #6
Site: Behind my house in a wooded area
Date: 5-23-08
Time of day: 5:00 pm
Temperature: 55 degrees
Weather Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Wind Conditions: Calm
Soil Conditions: Dryer
Notes: The area is now drying out from the two days of rain that it had experienced before. Most of the birds stayed under cover during the rain and snow and now they are coming out looking for food. The earth worms have come out and for some unknown reason like to lay on the road. The herd of deer are back again feeding on the fresh grass. The biodiversity of the area is increasing every day as the animals come out of hibernation. An eagle flew over our house with a fish in its talons. This is a good example of the food chain. A bug gets eaten by the fish, then the fish gets eaten by the eagle. The eagle is near the top of the food chain so it has few predators besides humans.
Date: 5-23-08
Time of day: 5:00 pm
Temperature: 55 degrees
Weather Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Wind Conditions: Calm
Soil Conditions: Dryer
Notes: The area is now drying out from the two days of rain that it had experienced before. Most of the birds stayed under cover during the rain and snow and now they are coming out looking for food. The earth worms have come out and for some unknown reason like to lay on the road. The herd of deer are back again feeding on the fresh grass. The biodiversity of the area is increasing every day as the animals come out of hibernation. An eagle flew over our house with a fish in its talons. This is a good example of the food chain. A bug gets eaten by the fish, then the fish gets eaten by the eagle. The eagle is near the top of the food chain so it has few predators besides humans.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Observation #5
Site: Behind my house in a wooded area
Date: 5-22-08
Time of day: 6:50 am
Temperature: 36 degrees
Weather Conditions: overcast with light rain
Wind Conditions: Calm
Soil Conditions: Very wet
Notes: This is my first observation that I have done in the morning. Grass has sprouted up even farther than before. There was a very wet snow on the ground from last night. There was a small group of deer that looked disapionted that is was so cold because just two days ago it was 80 degrees out. They were feeding on grass that was abundant every where. There is little competition between the deer for food unlike in the winter time. The hummingbirds are now out because their survival needs are being met now that the sugar water is in the bird feeder. The larger hummingbirds sit on the feeder and keep all of the other hummingbirds from eating. The leaves are now almost completely out of there buds and have their full green color. My mom also found some morel mushrooms. These mushrooms only grow in an area where succesion has occured, and that is why they they are so rare and valuble.
Date: 5-22-08
Time of day: 6:50 am
Temperature: 36 degrees
Weather Conditions: overcast with light rain
Wind Conditions: Calm
Soil Conditions: Very wet
Notes: This is my first observation that I have done in the morning. Grass has sprouted up even farther than before. There was a very wet snow on the ground from last night. There was a small group of deer that looked disapionted that is was so cold because just two days ago it was 80 degrees out. They were feeding on grass that was abundant every where. There is little competition between the deer for food unlike in the winter time. The hummingbirds are now out because their survival needs are being met now that the sugar water is in the bird feeder. The larger hummingbirds sit on the feeder and keep all of the other hummingbirds from eating. The leaves are now almost completely out of there buds and have their full green color. My mom also found some morel mushrooms. These mushrooms only grow in an area where succesion has occured, and that is why they they are so rare and valuble.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
The Moose
One of the most common and well known animals in the Jackson area is the moose. Moose do not live in herds, I have never seen more than four moose in one area. This year a moose and her calf spent a lot of time in and around my backyard. They look very friendly, however moose are one of the most dangerous animals in my back yard. They will not bother you if you do not bother them. Moose are very strong, fast, and protective of their calves. They will charge you if they feel the slightest bit of threat from you. They love to eat willow trees and bushes and graze on the tall grasses in our back yard. The moose population has decreased significantly since the reintroduction of the Canadian wolves to Yellowstone since the late 1980’s. Wolf packs target calf’s and the weak then kill and feed off of them. The moose have very unique joints in their legs that allow them to walk easily through deep snow. They like to live near water, and do not seem to be bothered by the large herds of elk that share the same habitat as the moose live in. Moose do not like dogs, they will charge dogs if they are provoked. There are a lot of animals to see in Jackson, but the moose are the most interesting to me.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Observation #4
Site: Behind my house in a wooded area
Date: 5-15-08
Time of day: 5: pm
Temperature: 59 degrees
Weather Conditions: sunny
Wind Conditions: Calm
Soil Conditions: Dry
Notes: The area is not that different than my last observation. The ground is getting dryer and more green. I have now realized that the bird population is completely dependant on the amount of birdseed in the bird feeder. It seems as if they move between the neighbors house and ours depending on which bird feeder is full. The flies are now making their way out of our house and into the outdoors. Chiselers have been running all over the ground as they come out of hibernation. The aspen trees are growing little fruits on their branches. I don't know if these are buds or seed carriers, but I think that they are seeds. A herd of elk passed by as they made their way up into the forest. This has probabley been my most uneventful observation so far.
Date: 5-15-08
Time of day: 5: pm
Temperature: 59 degrees
Weather Conditions: sunny
Wind Conditions: Calm
Soil Conditions: Dry
Notes: The area is not that different than my last observation. The ground is getting dryer and more green. I have now realized that the bird population is completely dependant on the amount of birdseed in the bird feeder. It seems as if they move between the neighbors house and ours depending on which bird feeder is full. The flies are now making their way out of our house and into the outdoors. Chiselers have been running all over the ground as they come out of hibernation. The aspen trees are growing little fruits on their branches. I don't know if these are buds or seed carriers, but I think that they are seeds. A herd of elk passed by as they made their way up into the forest. This has probabley been my most uneventful observation so far.
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