We did a site walk in Ravine Park today to start off our Ravine project and collected a sample of tree and understory specimens for later study.
Students collected and positively identified the following plants: Bracken fern, Sword fern, English ivy, Vinca, Cedar, Laurel, Douglas Fir, Vine Maple, Salmonberry. There are other plants (potential birch, alder, and aspen - but we need to check these with tree guides). We will dry the leaves and press them in books.
We found a coyote scat that looked like it had hair in it. And I thought I saw a Cascara tree - it looked so much like the one in Camosun bog, but I was mistaken. We picked a sample, and after returning to school, and seeing the pattern in the stem, I think it is more likely a really young horse chestnut. We'll know for sure if we can observe the flower and fruit.
For your field notes, take a note of your samples and classify them as bryophyte, tracheophyte, and then gymnosperm and angiosperm and identify the characteristics that support your classification.
