Site Overview

           The area of study examined for this Field Study is near the Ladera Recreation District.  It is at the base of a small hill near Webb Ranch as well.  My study area is on a creek surrounded by many trees.  The trees drop many dead leaves.  Because there is a creek, there are also many insects and arachnids.  The area of 100 meters squared is 20 meters by 5 meters.  The 5 meters goes across the creek and 20 meters along it.

            The creek produces a variety of plant and animals.  There are many valley oak trees, which have darker green leaves.  Other trees have lighter green leaves.  During my first visit, I saw a tree that looked similar to an olive tree, but there that was the only one.  There was definitely a spectrum of green in the leaves of the trees on and around the creek.  Some roots from the trees were revealed, likely de to erosion.  There are little grasses or flowering plants, but I did see some poison oak.  The poison oak, however, is not over everything and is mainly in the trees towards the edge of the creek.  The animals were somewhat scarce in my first visit.  There were many flying and crawling insects and arachnids.  There is a very small pond of standing water where I observed a water insect, but it was difficult to identify it because it was so small.  There are few animals such as a rabbit or a squirrel, but that could change as the year progresses.  There was a hole in the ground at the base of a tree that looked as if it could house a small animal.  The only water in my area of study is a small creek that is not flowing in the fall.  It is mainly standing water with a little shallow pond.  The creek is at the base of a small ravine, but there are more shallow slopes down to the creek I used to access my area.  This creek is at the base of a small hill where the trees are sparse.  At the bottom of the creek and at the edges of the banks and small, shallow pond there are rocks and pebbles.  This area is cool, and the shade contributes to that temperature.  This is a riparian area because it is based on the water source of the creek.

Questions about the ecology of my study area:

1.     How does the flow of the creek change over time, especially through the winter and spring?

2.     How does the shade produced by the trees affect the way other plants grow?

3.     Does the standing water have an effect on the health of the plant and/or animal life in my study area?

Driving Directions From Sequoia High School, Redwood City, California:

1. Head northeast on Brewster Ave toward Broadway

2. Turn right onto El Camino Real

3. Slight right onto Redwood Ave

4. Turn left onto the State Route 84 W ramp

5. Merge onto CA-84 W

6. Take the exit on the left onto I-280 S toward San Jose

7. Take exit 22 toward Portola Valley

8. Merge onto Alpine Rd

9. Turn right onto La Mesa Dr

10. Turn left to stay on La Mesa Dr

11. Turn right onto Andeta Way

NOTE: This is the faster route to take, but there are other ways.  Also, the area is in all the trees you can see near the bottom of the small hill.  Don’t go up the road.  There should be a gate towards the left closer to the house than the barbwire fence.  If you can’t find the gate, there is a big hole in the barbwire fence.  My area of study is close to the end of the little bunch of trees and there is a gentle slope down to the creek where my area begins.  There will be a map provided that will make it more clear where the study area is.