Observing the Pollinator Garden & Shields Oak Grove

Meeting 3 was a productive one! Dyan led the group through several brainstorming exercises to get us closer to our course goal: to design and perform an experiment in ecology.

Our meeting minutes:

9:10	Meet in the arboretum by the triumphant pig sculpture outside of Scrubs cafe.
9:20	Solo walking tours + structured observations and questions.
9:40	Small group walking tours + structured observations.
10	Whole class discussion of observations + questions, recording highlights into notebooks.
10:30	Walk to Shields Oak Grove.
10:45	Solo and/or small group walking tours + structured observations.
11:30	Break, individual reflection, write down ideas.
11:45	Discuss personal field site trip.
12:15	Set agenda for next meeting.
12:30	End of class.

Pollinator Garden Highlights

    Several themes repeatedly came up when sharing observations found in the Pollinator Garden:

            1. No visible pollinators (hummingbirds, bees, etc.) on the California Poppies. Why is that, and how are the poppies able to sustain themselves without external help?

            2. Plants with purple flowers, like lavender and nightshade, had a lot of bee and ladybug activity.

            3. How do manmade barriers (cement paths, parking lots) affect animal behavior and migration?

            4. What effect does introducing nonnative plants have on local pollinators?

            5. Does the UC Davis Arboretum have small scale population/species fragmentation?

Shields Oak Grove Highlights

A common theme that arose during big group time is the difference in behavior in creatures found in both the Pollinator Garden and the Oak Grove. We concluded that this space could serve as a prime setting for a comparative study (ex. comparing squirrel foraging habits on the main campus vs. at the Oak Grove).

Additionally, everyone shared their findings from the field trip they took to a field site of their choosing within the City of Davis. Multiple people went to the arboretum, others went to Putah Creek, one went to the MU Quad, and another visited the Wildhorse Agricultural Buffer.

Homework

    1. R studio assignment #2 (found in shared Google drive)

    2. Continue adding ideas to the "Question Warehouse" 

Next Class, 4/12

*Reminder- wear sunscreen and bring water!

Attached is the transportation spreadsheet. If you are able & willing to drive classmates please add your name, phone number, and how many people you can drive (not including yourself). If you have a class before 9am, please add your name in the spreadsheet were asked. Ideally, these people can commute together. If none of those students have a car, then we will revise the plan. Thank you!

Drivers park here. Bikers can park their bike inside the gate.

9:10	Meet at the Putah Creek Experimental Ecosystem.
9:20	Start with solo walking tours at the drainage pond. Gather observations and questions.
9:35	In small groups, share ideas, re-examine the area together, note similarities between each other's observations.
9:50	Whole class discussion of observations + questions.
10:10	Move to the grassland. Round 2 of solo walking tours.
10:30	In small groups, share ideas, re-examine the area together, note similarities between each other's observations.
10:50	Whole class discussion of observations + questions.
11:10	Break.
11:25	Walk to Putah Creek hiking trail. Observe the area in groups or solo.
11:50	Whole class discussion of observations + newfound questions.
12:10	Set agenda for next meeting.
12:30	End of class.