stevenkronen's Journal

White Mulberry:
Keys to group: 1', 2', 3', 5', 8', 9', 13', 14. -- Group 9
Group: 9 -- 1., 2'
Species: Morus alba (White Mulberry) Page 88

Callery Pear:
Keys to group: 1', 2', 3', 5', 8', 9', 13', 14', 15' -- Group 11
Group: 11 -- 1', 2', 6', 8', 9', 10', 11.
Species: Pyrus calleryana (Callery Pear) Page 98

Ginkgo:
Keys to group: 1', 2', 3', 5', 8', 9., 10. -- Page 8
Species: Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) Page 8

Chinese Pistache:
Keys to group: 1', 2', 3', 5., 6', 7' -- Group 6
Group: 6 -- 1', 3', 11', 18', 24', 29', 30', 31', 32', 33'
Species: Pistacia chinensis (Chinese Pistache) Page 91

Sweetgum:
Keys to group: 1', 2', 3', 5', 8', 9', 13', 14. -- Group 9
Group: 9 -- 1', 3', 7', 8', 9., 10.
Species: Liquidambar styraciflua (Sweetgum) Page 76

Silver Birch:
Keys to group: 1', 2', 3', 5', 8', 9', 13', 14', 15' -- Group 11
Group: 11 -- 1', 2', 6', 7', 12', 13', 14', 15., 16'
Species: Betula spp. (Birches) Page 33 (Betula pendula)

• Where did you walk in the natural area?
  I walked from the parking lot about 300 yards past the playground to the hiking trail entrance and walked a short ways on the trail

• What are the landscape characteristics you walked through?
  There was a small creek that ran through the park but mainly I was just on a slightly sloped dirt trail

• Are there are lot of shrubs, trees, grasses, wildflowers?
  There were mainly shrubs but some occasional tall trees
  Hilly or flat?

• The park was mainly flat but the hiking trail had a an uphill slope to it
  Is there a body of water nearby?
  Yes a small creek
  What plant communities do you think you were in?
  Chaparral?
  

California Fan Palm:
Keys to Group: 1', 2. (Page 121)
Group: 1', 2', 11., 12', 13', 14.
Species: Washingtonia filifera (California Fan Palm)

Crimson Bottlebrush:
Keys to Group: 1', 2', 3', 5', 8', 9', 13. -- Group 8
Group: 8 -- 1., 2.
Species: Callistemon spp. (Bottlebrushes)

A. For these observations I visited the Douglas Family Preserve in Santa Barbara, California
B. It is a relatively flat piece of land that sits on a bluff above the ocean, has little to no slope, fairly dry soil, and many different kinds of California plants that are mainly shrubs and grasses.
C. I walked about half a mile to a mile on this preserve to see that plants I captured

For this set of observations I went to the More Mesa Preservation Coalition which is nearby my house in Santa Barbara. There I saw many different kinds of plant species along with massive Eucalyptus trees. Some of the plants I saw were the ones I captured here for my observations.

Plant Collection #1:
This shrub is growing in my front yard right below our big Jacaranda tree. There are no insects on it and the shrub is only about 1 foot tall

Plant Collection #2:
This tree is also growing in my front yard. No insects were found on the tree and it is about 40 feet tall

Plant Collection #3:
This olive tree is growing near the driveway of my house and is about 20 feet tall. It had no insects on it.

Plant Collection #4:
This shrub is growing just down the street from my house along side a fence. The shrub is about 7 feet tall

Plant Collection #5:
This pepper tree is growing in my neighbors yard and I didn't see any insects on it when I took the photos and observed it. The tree is about 30 feet tall.

Summary:

• If I had to pick one tree to use the leaves as toilet paper I would pick the leaves on the #4 shrub because they are the largest individual leaf/leaflet and seem to be the most durable. Also, it is a very smooth leaf with smooth margins.
• Having trees throughout my street and neighborhood certainly make the area more pleasant. They provide a great deal of shade and also numerous colors for a beautiful landscape.
• One pro to planting non native trees in our cities is that it provides a great deal of biodiversity to the area
• One con would be that they provide less of an environmental benefit since they don't naturally respond well to the given area.