Kingdom Plantae(unranked) Angiosperms(unranked) Eudicots(unranked) AsteridsOrder AsteralesFamily AsteraceaeTribe CichorieaeGenus TaraxacumSpecies Officinale

SBI-3U1David Whiteside

Morrison Valley Park

The dandelion belongs to the Taraxacum officinale because it is a herbaceous perennial plant in the family Asteraceae. The physical characteristics of this plant are also what make it specific only to its species.

The dandelion to the right shows the generic species of Taraxacum officinale. The roots are taproots (up to ½ inch in diameter), the flowers are large bright yellow, and are solitary on the end of hollow stalks (ranging from 2 – 6 inches tall). The leaves are long with jagged ends, and the fruit (seed) is very small with a feathery exterior [1].

This plant lives in all parts of North America with the leaf being very important for gathering water (each leaf is grooved so that water runs directly to the root). The dandelion plays a large role in honey-producing, as each flower produces large amounts of nectar and pollen for bees.

As a weed, the dandelion grows in all locations of the Morrison valley park area. The dandelion and other weeds have been known to steal sunlight and sustenance (nutrients, water) from other plants. This will affect the overall diversity of the area, because of the weed is competing for survival against the other more favorable plants. On a positive note, the dandelion also provides food for many animals (squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, etc.) allowing for greater diversity in the animal life around it [2].

Dandelio

Human Impacts

- Because the Dandelion is a weed, people commonly use pesticides and herbicides to get rid of them. The runoff from this often causes pollution either in the environment, or in the runoff areas (usually lakes, etc)

- The Dandelion provides food for many small animals (such as rabbits, insects, and others). Humans see the dandelion as a pest, rather than a plant, and commonly remove them when they’re seen. Removing this source of food for many animals may cause a drop in for other animals because of the lacking food source, which would reduce the overall biodiversity of the area.

- The dandelion is a very common pest in North America. The industry of creating efficient and fast ways of removing weeds and other plants is a very profitable one. By humans learning how to eliminate and get rid of plants in a more efficient manner, the economy has grown greatly due to the amount of jobs created. If we manage to eradicate the population of pest plants in Oakville, many jobs and floral “pest” jobs, will disappear as there is no need for them to exist. Therefore, the dandelion is upholding many jobs on the fact of its very persistent existence in the Oakville area.

Kingdom Plantae

Division Magnoliophyta

Class Magnoliopsida

Order Geraniales

Family Geraniaceae 

Genus Geranium L. – geranium

Species Geranium maculatum L.

Wild

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Human Impacts

- The Geranium Maculatum grows in relatively specific environments and conditions. As such, there is a greater possibility of extinction or endangerment. This is a very important aspect to the ecosystem of Morrison Valley, because flowers like these attract different species of insects. If human pollution causes the eradication of this plant in the ecosystem, these species might migrate. This might cause for political intervention on the protection of areas such as these, to retain Oakville’s biodiversity.

- Because the flower of the wild geranium is very aesthetic, it might start to be grown and taken from its natural environment by florists. When doing this, the population of the geranium would greatly increase in the wild (so that florists will be able to harvest them) and would cause competition for nutrients in the surrounding area for plants. A large population of shade – non-shade plants would result in a large reduction in low-lying plants, as the et less sunlight, and the geranium’s longer taproot would take the majority of the minerals.

The wild Geranium usually blooms at 2 feet tall. The stem can have 3 pairs of leaves (opposite to each other), and the flowering lobes are covered in a fine white hair. Each lobe typically consists of 5 purple colored petals, 10 stamens, and 1 pistil (with 5 carpel’s). The plant is high in the hormone tannins, and the pistil makes a beak-like fruit.

The Geranium belongs to Family Geraniaceae and more specifically it is the Geranium maculatum . Geraniums have the unique shape of the fruit, along with the usually lobed leaves. [3]

The Wild geranium usually grows from 1-2ft tall, with a spread of about the same length. Native to Northeastern United States, it blooms anywhere in the spring, but most commonly from April to May [10]. The bright purple flower tends to attract insects for pollination (usually butterflies). The plant prefers shady areas (because most geraniums grow best in mildly shady conditions), and provides food for animals such as bees and hummingbirds. Because of the very showy flowers, nay types of insects (butterflies, bees, flies, etc.) are attracted to this type of plant. In the Morrison Valley area, this causes an increase in these populations, because of the more favorable and easily identifiable food source.

Kingdom AnimaliaPhylum ArthropodaClass InsectaOrder LepidopteraFamily NymphalidaeGenus NymphalisSpecies Antiopa

Mourning Cloak Butterfly

The Nymphalis Antiopa belongs to class insect of phylum arthropoda. Common Wingspan of the butterfly is 57-101mm [9]. The wings of the butterfly are a dark reddish-brown color, and have blue “eye” spots along the edges. Typical Habitat of the Mourning Cloak butterfly is anywhere in North America (They are the most common butterfly) where there is shrubbery [8].

Page 3 of 6Morrison Valley Park

Human Impacts

- The Mourning Cloak butterfly is a very aesthetically pleasing insect. Even though the butterfly is very common throughout North America, if there is a large population in the Morrison Valley area, it could be considered a tourist attraction. This would be a very important political and economic subject. Politicians can use their interest and value in nature to get potential voters, and when it becomes a tourist attraction, the new population of incoming people would greatly increase the local economy. However, in the process the natural diversity in the Morrison Valley area would decrease. This is due to the common reasons: people will feed animals, kill animals, kill plants by accident, and litter causing the ecosystem to change drastically.

- Because the butterfly reproduction relies very heavily on certain plants, human impact happens very easily. By people using contaminants on their lawns or cars, the new solution has a possibility of poising the ecosystem. IF the ecosystem is damaged, and the plants fail to grow to full bloom as per usual, a large majority of the insects will migrate, looking for more suitable areas of reproduction, causing a decrease in bio-diversity.

The Nymphalis Antiopa is a very common butterfly in North America. In larval form the caterpillar is very spiny, with red – brown colored dots running down the back. Spines are long with short side branches [9]. The season of reproduction are usually in early spring, causing the first-gen adults to be seen in early summer. The larvae are present from early spring to late spring, and the caterpillars live together in their larval from to feed [9]. These pre-adult identifiers, along with the adult forms unique body are what make the mourning cloak butterfly different from other animals in the Nymphalidae Family.

The diet consists mainly of nectar, rotting fruit, and tree sap. The butterfly grows from its larval form (known as the spin elm caterpillar). The eggs laid during reproduction are usually placed in clusters around very favorable food sources. In the Morrison Valley ecosystem, this particular butterfly was very abundant. Because of the large population, the Mourning Cloak is an essential prey for many animals. Frogs, birds, and possibly snakes use the larvae and butterflies for a valuable food source.

Kingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataSubphylum VertebrataClass ReptiliaOrder SquamataSuborder SerpentesFamily ColubridaeSubfamily NarticinaeGenus ThamnophisSpecies Sirtalis

Eastern Garter The Thamnophis Sirtalis (common eastern garter

snake) is most commonly mistaken with the Ribbonsnake. The most notable difference, being the dark vertical lines under the jaw of the snake[5]. This distinct marker makes it different from all other snakes in the reptilian class.

The eastern garter snake, as part of phylum chordata, has an internal backbone. The physical appearance of the eastern garter snake usually consists of the following. The snake itself is long and slender with large variations in color. Anywhere from black to red on the upper portion of the body (usually with 3 light stripes) while the underside of the body is a light green shade [4].

The habitat of the snake changes wildly, having been known to be in forests, to fields, and meadows. The diet of the snake consists mainly of small aquatic animals (fish, crayfish, etc) and small rodents. The natural predators of the eastern garter snake include foxes, raccoons, and hawks (in the Morrison valley area.) The snake is also semi-aquatic [5].

The garter snake is known as a natural predator in the area (to small animals). This generally changes the biodiversity of an area. For example, there will most likely be a smaller rodent and chickadee population due to the garter snake hunting these animals. The saliva of the garter snake has a slight toxicity, allowing it to kill smaller prey. As an important part of the ecosystem, for human concern, the snake eliminates common “pest” animals (such as rats, mice, and small amphibians).

Human Impacts- The eastern Garter snake is a snake. This may seem redundant, but many people have Ophidiophobia. This is the phobia of snakes. Because of fears around reptiles, much like this, people see the garter snakes as pests. Many humans may catch and move the snakes out of their ecosystem, and many people may catch and kill the snakes. This inhumane treatment causes a disturbance in the ecosystem, as a predator has been eliminated, causing the prey population to grow, causing competition for food sources.

- The political view (while running for political office) would usually consider neighborhood and citizen complaints. As snakes are considered pests, its likely that many politicians would need to consider removing or controlling populations of these snakes. This could cause debates on the humane treatment of animals, along with possible money needing to be allocated for the resolution of such complaints,

- Human pollution (of fertilizer and pesticides, drain-o, car coolant, etc.) can cause contamination in the entire ecosystem of Morrison Valley. Through the amplification of toxic materials in the food chain, the snakes could very easily be poisoned by these contaminants, or their food sources could rapidly vanish. This would inevitably cause an increase in the population of the prey, which generally consists of “pests” causing more human intervention, and a spiraling circle of trying to control nature.

Morrison Valley Park

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Here is a map of the Morrison Valley area, an area that flourishes a large biodiversity.

Citations

[1] Dandelion. (n.d.). Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science | Virginia Tech . Retrieved June 21, 2012, from http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/tarof.htm

[2] Dandelion - Davis Wiki. (n.d.). Davis Wiki - The definitive resource for Davis, California. Retrieved June 21, 2012, from http://daviswiki.org/Dandelion

[3] Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum). (n.d.). Illinois Wildflowers. Retrieved June 21, 2012, from http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/woodland/plants/wild_geranium.htm

[4] ARKive - Common garter snake videos, photos and facts - Thamnophis sirtalis. (n.d.). ARKive - Discover the world's most endangered species. Retrieved June 21, 2012, from http://www.arkive.org/common-garter-snake/thamnophis-sirtalis/

[5] Easter Garter Snake. (n.d.). Virginia Herpetology. Retrieved June 20, 2012, from www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/reptiles/snakes/eastern-gartersnake/eastern_gartersnake.htm://

[6] Common Garter Snake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved June 21, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Garter_Snake

[7] Nymphalis antiopa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved June 21, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphalis_antiopa

[8] Mourning Cloak Butterfly (Nymphalis antiopa). (n.d.). NatureNorth.com - Manitoba's online nature magazine. Retrieved June 21, 2012, from http://www.naturenorth.com/spring/bug/mcloak/Fmcloak.html

[9] Glassberg, J. (n.d.). Species Nymphalis antiopa - Mourning Cloak - BugGuide.Net . Welcome to BugGuide.Net! - BugGuide.Net . Retrieved June 21, 2012, from http://bugguide.net/node/view/3188

[10] Geranium maculatum. (n.d.). Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved June 21, 2012, from http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/c850/geranium-maculatum.aspx