Observation #8

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Aspen Tree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Quaking Aspen, or Populus Tremuloides is a member of the Willow Family. The Quaking Aspen got its name because its leaves move in even the slightest breeze. The Aspen tree can range from 66 to 82 feet in height and average 7 to 12 inches in diameter. It is the most common tree in all of Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. The Aspen tree grows on a variety of soils, the best soils for it being derived from igneous rock. It requires certain kinds of nutrients including calcium, magnesium, potassium and nitrogen. For reproduction, the Aspen Tree grows 10 cm long fruits which are made up of a string of little capsules. Each of the capsules contain 10 seeds surrounded in a cotton like fluff to aid in the dispersal of the seeds. The young Aspens often fall prey to grazing cattle and other heriborus animals. This grazing kept the young trees from being able to mature and this resulted in a dieback, or massive death of many trees. The Aspen tree usually resides in forested areas, but I have seen them nearly everywhere. During the fall, the leaves of the Aspen Tree turn into colors of bright yellow and red. The leaves eventually fall off for the winter. Caterpillars often use the Aspen leaves as sources for food and a place to make a cacoon and turn into a butterfly. Bird use the dead trees to build houses for themselves.

Citations: Plants of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

Observation #3

Site: Behind my house in a wooded area

Date: 5-12-08

Time of day: 9:00 pm

Temperature: 46 degrees

Weather Conditions: overcast

Wind Conditions: Calm

Soil Conditions: Dryer



Notes: Small leaves are beginning to form on the branches of the aspen trees. This morning there was a female moose grazing on the grass by a remaining pile of snow. The moose looked like it had had a rough winter. It was very skinny and had a limp. The coat was very shaggy and unhealthy looking but I think that this is because it is in its molting period. With the coming of spring it seems as if the entire ecosystem is waking up. All of the snow has finnaly melted and with that more green grass is sprouting up. The bird population is increasing as they begin to consume seeds out of our bird feeder at an increasing rate. The birds are filling their niche because the seeds they drop are then being eaten by the squirrels and other rodents.

Observation #2

Site: Behind my house in a wooded area



Date: 5-9-08



Time of day: 6:55 am



Temperature: 36 degrees



Weather Conditions: Overcast, light rain



Wind Conditions: Calm



Soil Conditions: Wet



Notes: Buds have now began turning to leaves. The snow is now limited to small patches of areas in the shade. There is now a little more bird activity. This is probably due to the fact that my parents refilled the bird feeder. I spotted a herd of elk just outside of my area. The elk are on their way up into the mountains to have their young where it is safer and more protected. There is still little to no insect activity. There was squirrels climbing up and down the trees. The area smells like a damp forest because it had been raining last night. Animals are trying to compete for their territory and resources. The population of squirrels are constantly chatting with each other.

Observation #1

Site: Behind my house in a wooded area

Date: 5-7-08

Time of day: 6:00 pm

Temperature: 55 degrees

Weather Conditions: partly cloudy

Wind Conditions: Breezy

Soil Conditions: Very moist

Notes: The snow is coming close to be completely gone. Green grass is sprouting up in patches, but is not nearly as filled out as in the valley. I think this is due to the higher elevation that my observation area is at. Buds are beginning to appear on the branches of trees. There has been very little insect activity besides the occasional spider or fly. I spotted what I think is moose scat. The moose seems to come into the area to lick a salt block that my parents put out during the winter. There is little bird activity, but i doubt this will be the case further along in my study. Much of the ground is covered with dead leaves from last fall.