msato02's Journal

Today I went on a hike at the Thornewood Preserve. This is 6.5 miles away from my house, so I was excited to see tree's in this new environment. Once I got there, I went straight to the hiking trail and found that a lot of the trees were the same. The tree's in this environment however seemed to grow taller than the trees at Puglas Ridge. While I was there I noticed a lot of oak trees, but I also found some new plants such as the broad-leaved paperbark and the Roses. There were also lots of flowering plants. The trees were easily accessible, and I could find the trees right off the hiking trail. I would describe this community as a woodland plant community. The geography around the hiking trail was very hilly.

Here are my two identified tree's.

1. 1', 2', 3, 4 Group 2: 1', 4', 6, 7 Cedar Tree
2. 1', 2', 3', 5', 8 Group 7: 1', 2', 5', 7', 9', 10', 12', 13, 14' (Olive) Olea Europea

Today I went on a nice walk and identified two trees using Matt Ritter's "A Californianian's Guide to the Tree's Among Us." Here are the steps on how I Identified the trees:

1. 1’ 2’ 3’ 5’ 8: Group 7: 1', 2', 5',7, 8': Maples (Acer spp.)
2. 1', 2- Palms: 1', 2', 11, 12', 13', 14- California Fan Palm (Washingtonia Filigera)

Today I went on a hike at Pulgas Ridge. Although Eaton Park and Pulgas Ridge are a few miles apart, the layout of trees is a lot different. There was more open space at Pulgas Ridge, and this can be seen through the many oak trees littered throughout the park. The trees are massive and usually, there were small growing shrubs on the ground. The trees were easily accessible as well, and all of the trees are within 10 feet from the hiking trail. I would describe this community as a woodland plant community. The geography around the hiking trail was open at the base, with some grasslands, but as the trail progressed there were more hills.

Today I went on a lovely hike at Eaton Park in San Carlos. On the hike, I made 5 more Inaturalist observations and even used an identification tree to identify two different trees. All of the trees listed here were found right off the hiking trail. All of them were easily accessible; however, it was difficult to take photos when there were other tree's surrounding them. Each tree selected here had access to sunlight and was usually growing from a hill.

This week I went on a hike at Pulgas Ridge located in San Carlos. There were lots of oak trees, as you can see with the five observations I have linked to this journal post. Today I will identify 2 of these trees using the Trees Of California Book from two observations I took a while back (also linked).

1: 1’ 2’ 3’ 5’ 8’ 9’ 13’ 14’ 15’: Group 11: 1’ 2’ 6’ 7’ 12’ 13’ 14’ 15 16’ ( Betula spp.)
2: 1’ 2’ 3’ 5’ 8’ 9’ 13: Group 8: 1’ 3’ 4’ 16’ 19’ 23’ 24’ 27 28 (Magnolia Grandiflora)

Today I went on a lovely hike at Eaton Park in San Carlos. On the hike, I made 5 more Inaturalist observations and even used an identification tree to identify two different trees. I have listed the observations on this journal post. These are the trees I identified and these are the different steps I took to identify them:

1: 1’ 2’ 3’ 5’ 8’ 9’ 13’ 14’ 15-Group 10: 1’, 2’, 4’, 5’, 8, 9 Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)

2: 1’ 2’ 3’ 5 6- Group 4: 1’, 5’, 7’, 8’, 10 California Buckeye (Aesculus Californica)

Today I went to hiking spots to identify trees that were not planted in front yards or gardens. The trees I have listed are all beautiful and they were all seen in Eaton Park. Taking pictures of these trees was a good way to get out of the house and explore the nature around my neighborhood.

1. If I had to use one type of tree leaves I would pick the silver maple. I would use silver maple leaves because they have a fuzzy underside, and the hairless topside will give me maximum grip.
2. I do think trees make the neighborhood look better. It provides shade and places for birds to nest in. The sight of tree's also makes me happy because it reminds me that while I am still at home, I am still close to nature.
3. One benefit of planting non-native plants in cities is that they can add a sense of greenery to the oftentimes greyness of a city. Sometimes they may be able to survive in the city longer than native plants. A con for planting non- native plants in cities is that they can germinate and possibly become an invasive species, which can overtake the native plants.