Site 4: Meadow Vegetation

At this location, you’ll notice quite a few different things flowering. One major characteristic that you’ll notice that all these plants share is that they love the sun! This typifies plants common of grasslands. At this location, we have a wide variety of grasses, as well as Seashore Lupin, Field Mustard, Black Lotus, and Poison Hemlock. How many species of grasses can you tell apart? If you look closely, you can probably find at least four! However, identifying grass species tends to be a little botanically intensive, so just appreciate how diverse a system can be even if it doesn’t look like it. There are quite a few things we can identify though! I’m sure you’ve noticed the beautiful Seashore Lupin; these plants are characterized by purple-white flowers that are bilaterally symmetric on a tall stalk. If you pull apart the two lower petals, you can see the “wolf claw” that is the male part of the flower (Lupin = wolf). We will also find Poison Hemlock here; don’t eat it! Although touching it isn’t necessarily bad, you might get a tiny rash. You can identify it from its highly divided leaves and how the flowers come together to make an umbrella like shape. It is thought that these flowers act as one super flower to attract more pollinators. Somewhat ironically, people used to take very low dosages of this plant as a sedative.  One of the more interesting plants we might find here is the Black Lotus. It is a large shrub with pinnately compound leaves and long hanging stalks of white flag flowers, similar to those of the Lupin. This isn’t a friendly tree; look at the thorns on it!

Common Velvet Grass, one of the few easily identifiable grasses. Look at the purple tinge!

Field Mustard

Poison Hemlock; in my defense, I didn't know what it was when I touched it.
Only illustrates how important it is to know your plants when you're in nature!

Seashore Lupin

 

Arielle relaxing under the shade of a Black Lotus tree