Diario de ericandersen

The following are some recent observations of animals I found throughout the San Francisco Bay area:

1) Monkey-faced prickleback eel (Cebidichthys violaceus): Someone was fishing for these eels in the tide pools at Pillar Point.

2) White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)

3) Whelk (Buccinum undatum)

4) Hairy Hermit Crab (Pagurus hirsutiusculus)

5) Sea Lettuce (Ulva lactuca)

I found all these observations on March 7, when I went to Pillar Point to check out the tide pools there. What I found most interesting about my trip was the incredible number of predator-prey relationships in such a geographically small area. The whelks and limpets fed on black turban snails. The starfish varieties all preyed on the California mussels. An elusive octopus somewhere in the tide pools was feeding on a variety of animals. The anemones seemed to eat anything that fell into their mouths (I personally checked this fact). The numerous predator-prey relationships existing in such a small area and across such a small elevation range contrasts with the relationships I'm used to seeing on land. The terrestrial predator-prey relationships I'm most used to are raptor's relationships with their prey. When I see hawks around my home in Los Angeles, I see them soar high in the sky above a wide area of land and swoop down to catch rabbits, snakes, and other small creatures to eat. Seeing predatory behavior up close when searching the tide pools was enjoyable and eye-opening for me.

I went up into the Berkeley Hills this weekend and found some interesting plants:

1) A plant with irregular flowers: Common Vetch (Vicia sativa)

2) A plant with regular flowers: Bermuda Buttercup (Oxalis pescaprae)

3) A monocot: Grass variety from the family Poaceae

4) A dicot: Bear's Breeches (Acanthus mollis)

5) A plant in the pea family (Fabaceae): A legume with purple flowers from the family Fabaceae

6) A Gymnosperm: Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)

7) A terrestrial plant that is not a seed plant: California Shield Fern (Polystichum californicum)

8) A plant with pinnate leaves: Green plant from the genus Jasminum

9) A plant with opposite leaves: Bottlebrush Tree (Callistemon citrinus)

10) A plant in the sunflower family (Asteraceae): Dandelion from the genus Taraxacum