How Do you Do Slough?

One of the things I love about home schooling is choosing to study about areas of interest and taking advantage of opportunities in our studies.  What better example of this then our time here on the West Coast?  Our oldest boys were supposed to begin a course in Physics this year for their high school science requirement.  However, we just could not pass up the opportunity to study the new environment where we have been placed.  So, we chose to have a 18 week study of marine biology instead.  We all agreed we could pick up two semesters of physics in the spring and into the summer if needed to make this happen.

We are now half way through our course, and we have learned so much about this place where we live.  I never would have appreciated Monterey for its habitat had we not taken this course.  I am sure we would have missed out on several nature adventures as well.

This last week we studied about estuaries and had the opportunity to visit one just ten miles from our house.  The boys chose to writer reports in lieu of formal testing...I have been able to take those reports and share what we learned here.  SO...it seems I have the joy of two guest bloggers for this post.  Sean focused on the animals we learned about and Henry was more centered on the plants.  I will also add a few other facts about the estuary at the end of the blog.

internet photo

internet photo

internet photo

There are lots of animals that live in the estuary habitat; however, most of the animals are visitors coming in with the tide and then leaving again.  For instance, the bat ray and the leopard sharks enter the estuary at high tide to feed on the gaper clams.  The gaper clams burrow into the sandy bottoms during low tide; however, they expose their siphons to feed during the high tides.  This is a dangerous meal time for the clams as it becomes easier for the sharks and rays to find them.

We looked along the edges of the estuary as we hiked along the trails, but did not spot any of these creatures ourselves.  We found out that this is also the area in which the leopard sharks breed and protect their young in "nurseries" but this will not happen until May-June.

We saw evidence of the interesting reclusive animal known as the packrat (also known as the dusky footed wood rat).  There were nests of this creature found all along the trail.  These packrats created nests out of twigs and were found on the ground and into the trees.  We were told that the packrats various nests for different purposes.  These animals are known as crepuscular animals as they are most active during the twilight hours.

internet photo

The animals I found most interesting were the various species of birds that call this place home.  Some stay all year round while other spend their winters or use this as a stop along their migration path.

The acorn woodpecker had a large population that congregated around some snags.  We found out that these Monterey pine were killed by a fungus (plant cankers) and were set to be cut down.  However, a volunteer suggested that the reserve crate these snags by just cutting off the crowns of the pines leaving behind the trunks for a habitat.  That is when the acorn woodpeckers moved in to make this their home.

We noticed several galls in the oak trees.  When we asked about this, we were told that the acorn woodpeckers hide the acorns from the oak trees in holes.  Then the wasps find the acorns and bore holes in them to lay their eggs.  The acorn woodpeckers then return to find an added bonus to their meal!  However, there are obviously enough left over to form these galls on the oaks which will eventually open up when the wasps are fully formed.

There were also many types of raptors in the area (red shouldered hawk, red-tailed hawks, peregrine, Northern harrier).  Our guide told us that there were so many species because the estuary had a plentiful supply of food for all of them.  There was a red-tailed hawk that flew over us.  We were even able to see it dive for a quick snack!

There was also an old barn left over from the dairy farm that was once located on the reserve.  The reserve decided to set up owl boxes to attract barn owls. One set of boxes had barn owls and they began to raise their young; however, on the opposite side of the barn a pair of Great horned owls occupied their box.  Normally, the Great horned owls would prey on the barn owls; however, these two groups were able to live near each other because of the food source near by on the estuary.

Other birds we saw during our time at the estuary were water fowl (buffleheads, eared grebes, coots, and mallards), egrets (great white and snowy), herons (blue), pelicans (brown and white), Say's phoebes, scrub jays, kingfisher, double crested cormorants, and yellow-rumped warblers.

 The estuary habitat that Sean wrote about could not be possible without the plants that surround the water and its edges.

Before we even entered the estuary, we were asked to clean the bottoms of our shoes.  The reserve is trying to avoid the plant epidemic that has spread in other areas from entering Elkhorn.  The sudden oak death fungus spreads quickly and there is little that can be done to prevent its spread once it is in an area.  At this time, there is no evidence of it in the estuary and it is likely due to their preventive measures.

The oaks are are very different from what we have known in the past.  There were holly leaf oaks, oak leaf cherry, and coastal live oaks.  These trees all grow along the edges of the estuary and are able to change with the salinity levels easily.

There were also several non-native trees, plants and grasses growing in the area.  The first area we visited was a place where researchers were trying to remove the non-native grasses.  The harding grass is a non-native grass that was brought into the area for the dairy cows to graze.  It is quite invasive and they have not been able to get it under control at this time.  We saw a grove of beeches that were probably left from when the Europeans planted them around their homes.  There was also a flowering tree (shrub) that took over large areas of the estuary called a coyote bush.  The eucalyptus (blue gum) trees in the area were brought here from Australia because the Europeans were told it was a fast growing tree.  It has now become a invaluable resource for the monarch butterfly population during their migration south each year.  The vinca vine that grows in some areas are also invasive and were brought for flower beds.  Although there have not been residential homes close to the estuary for years it continues to grow.

A non-native invasive plant that the researchers do not hinder from growing in the area is the milk thistle.  The reason being that it saves people who consume a certain deadly mushroom that grows in the area.  This golden capped mushroom appears to be harmless and is eaten but will kill the person within days.  The mushroom does not follow the "normal" specifications of a harmful mushroom so unless the person knows what they have eaten it is a terrible death.  A doctor in the area discovered the antidote and is one of the only physicians who can administer the remedy because it has not gone through proper testing. even though it is highly effective.

Our guide shared an interesting recipe for pesto while discussing the plants in the area.  He told us that we could take the leaves from stinging nettle from the plant and boil before blending to create a smooth pesto sauce.  I do not think he had us convinced but he said it was quite tasty.

A fungus that was pointed out to us is very helpful at the estuary as well as for everyday use.  pisolithus tinctorius is a decomposer that breaks down the nutrients in the soil for better growth in the estuary.  However, it is also a great source for dyes that range from tan to a rich purple.  It is regularly used when dying wool and other material.  Aswe were leaving the estuary we actually saw one of these that had been spread across the path to show the various shades from one specimen.


 

One important plant is the pickleweed that grows along the edge of the water.  It helps stop the land from eroding.  However, the pickleweed is endangered by the excess algae growing in the water.  This is due to the run-off from the farms along the Salinas River that flows into the estuary.  The fertilizers cause the algae to grow faster and chokes out the pickleweed.  One interesting fact about pickleweed is the ability to remove salt from the water.  It regulates its salt intake by sucking the salt up into the upper parts of the plant.  When this occurs, the tops of the plants turn red and eventually fall away to rid the plant of the salt.

In this same area, we found alkaline heath which also removes salt from the estuary waters by causing the salt to be removed from the plant leaves.  The wind then blows the salt crystals away.  Some thing this looks like dew but it is actually crystallized salt particles.

Poison oak is not our favorite plant, however, it serves its purpose here on the estuary.  When there is a wild fire, the first plant to usually return is the poison oak which grows tall and creates a canopy to allow for other plants to grow underneath without harm.  These plants will eventually choke out the majority of the poison oak.  [SIDE NOTE:  Our guide obviously had a high regard for this plants as he informed us that it was not the fault of the poison oak that our bodies over-reacted to its oils.]

As we were leaving the estuary, our guide pointed out several other plants of interest.  He showed us the solanum nightshade.  This plant looks like it is growing tomatoes but they are quite poisonous if eaten.  The last "plant" of interest was the geaster (literally 'earth star') which we were able to see the hardened shell.  This is actually a fungus that grows and then flips inside out and hardens before producing thousands of spores that are dispersed by the wind.

To conclude, this amazing learning experience, I wanted to add that there is over 1400 acres within the estuary reserve.  There are several areas of industry in the surrounding area.  There is a large power plant now run by natural gas but for many years it used coal fuel to power the plant.  The company (a Texas organization) that took over about twenty years ago had to promise to clean up the area.  I think they have done well.  There is also a working dairy farm and several agriculture crops (artichokes, Brussels sprouts, strawberries) as well.  We also evidence of duck hunting just outside of the reserve.  I was glad to see that the vibrant habitat of the estuary was not being destroyed by these outside sources.  However, the drought is a source of constant changes in the environment.  There were several areas that should have been ponds feeding into the estuary from springs that no longer existed.  The animals and plants adjust to this shifting changes.  It would be interesting to see the difference in appearance when the drought is over.  Thankfully, there are many volunteers, college students, researchers and environmental agencies working together to provide for constant supervision of the area.

This was a great experience and I am so thankful for the opportunity to go on this tour.  I hope that it made the pages of our text come to life for the boys.  I know it helped me to better understand the information but putting it in context with the actual habitat.  I already have plans to do a similar field trip to a tidal pool in the area.  I cannot wait to see what we are able to learn there!