Site Description

     This documentation provides information collected during trips to Eaton Canyon in the autumn of 2012 for my Fall semester Field Study Project at La Salle High School, Pasadena. The purpose of this is to understand the methods of field study, complete an observation, and identify evidence of living organisms. This will be accomplished through first-hand studying of the chaparral biome, which is dry and warm, and typically has dense, spiny shrubs. My particular location was a meadow-like clearing, surrounded by trees and dense shrubs. The entire meadow was filled with knee-high grass and a few lone trees dotting the landscape. I could not recognize the trees within, but the surrounding trees were primarily oak trees and western sycamores. I saw one prickly pair cactus, two deer, and one coyote. On one side, there was a tall hill, which was covered in California Buckwheat. -JR

List of Animals

Mule Deer  (Odocoileus Himionus)
Number seen: 2
The mule deer has adapted well for this area, with hard hooves to climb rocky incline and the ability to eat and digest a wide array of plant life. They are tan in color with a white underbelly. They have skinny legs and large ears.

Mountain Lion  (Panthera concolor)

Number seen: 0

The mountain lion is tan, a darker shade on the back and much lighter shade on the belly.

Coyote (Canis latrans)

Number seen: 1

They have the appearance of small, ugly, grey dogs, with fox-like faces. They have large ears and hunt mostly smaller prey, but typically hunt in packs.

List of Plants

Prickly Pair Cactus (Opuntia littoralis):
Number seen - 4
This species of cactus has adapted to its surroundings by growing small thorns instead of leaves, to hold in water. Also, they absorb massive amounts of water whenever it is present and store it for times of desperation.

Poison Oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum):
Number seen - 2
Named such because of its natural characteristics, poison oak plants have three leaves on the end of one stem, often with a red or orange tint. It leaves an itchy skin irritation or rash on whichever location of the arm it touches.

California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum):
Number seen - 14
Typically growing up to around 1 meter in height, the california buckwheat has bundles of small, white flowers growing in bunches at the end of its stalks and stems.

Western Sycamore (Platanus racemosa):
Number seen: 4
Western sycamores are tall and I found most to be located near the dried-up riverbed. They are tall and have a light bark, which has white, tan, and light-brown sections on it and peels in several areas. The leaves have five points each.


Whipple Yucca (Yucca whipplei ssp. parishii):
Number seen: 3:
The Whipple yucca grows in a semi-orb shape. Its leaves are green and spiky at the tip. They closely resemble the agave, which I did not see on this particular trip, except that their leaves are thinner.

"Bird's Eye View" Map

This is the map of the meadow in Eaton Canyon, around 3/4 of a mile from the parking lot.

Ratkovich's Observation Log:

10:45 - It is sunny and very warm. There are very few clouds. 

10:55 - I see droppings of some sort. They appear rough and round, probably from a rabbit or deer.

11:20 - Found more droppings. These appear smoother and more oval-like than the ones i discovered earlier. They are almost a bean-shape, and there are more of them in a smaller area. Perhaps the animal was smaller?

11:23 - I found a clearing. There is a lot of grass here, and few trees. It reminds me of a savannah, yet it is only a small section of the area.

11:27 - I see a collection of sticks. Could it be a nest of some sort?

11:29 - There was a small rodent-like creature hidden in the grass. I only got a short glimpse of it before it ran into another collection of sticks, similar to the one I saw about three yards away.

11:35 - I found what I assume is owl droppings, yet I am only going off of what I have seen in magazines and nature shows, as well as a field trip I took in middle school. It appears to be a few inches long, and it is oval-shaped. There are various bones and feathers sticking out, hinting that the animal which left this is carnivorous, and eats birds. Once again, this leads me to believe that this could be owl feces. I poked it with a stick and it opened up fairly easily, revealing more bones and feathers.

11:44 - The people I was with, as well as myself, attempted to go into a different area, which we initially thought was a path. It turned out not to be. As I turned around, I noticed what appeared to be poison oak because it had three leaves at the end of one stick and a red tint. I fear I may have brushed it on my previous passing, yet I am going to try to not think about it.

11:52 - Saw a cactus fairly large cactus next to a dead tree, which appeared to be burned. I took pictures of the cactus.

12:02 - Decided to sit down by a log, which had many holes. We decided that was not a great idea when we saw many red ants nearby.

12:08 - Attempted to walk up a steep hill to get a birds-eye view. I got stuck several times and ended up using my hands to climb. The people I was traveling with decided against climbing half way up, yet I was already at the top when they decided to climb down and try another way. Because of this, I took pictures for all of us to get an idea of a birds-eye view. Saw a black widow. At this moment, I realized climbing the hill was a bad idea, and became paranoid of rattle snakes, tarantulas, and black widows alike, yet I only came across black widows. I began my decent of the hill on a different area than I had climbed, hoping it would be easier. It was.

12:13 - Realized we should probably head back to the bus, as we had somewhat of a trek in front of us. On the way back, I saw a deer directly in front of me, yet it ran into the brush before I could take a clear picture. Luckily, it stood atop the hill and ate shrubbery as I videotaped it. I found this interesting, as this shows that the deer can digest a diversity of plants, which would be necessary where certain species are scarce. I could not videotape this in time, but the doe appeared to have young with her.

12:18 - Stopped filming, and discovered tracks similar to the smoother ones I found earlier. I'm assuming these are deer tracks now, because of the deer I saw nearby.

Deer - 12:09

While walking in Eaton Canyon, I managed to come across a deer grazing in the woods. As such, I proceeded to film it until it ran away. There was a young deer near it, yet it ran away before I could film. It was consuming dense shrubbery, as well as leaves from a nearby bush. The diversity of digestible plants is absolutely a necessity for animal life in an area with fewer food sources than most.

Buckwheat - Oct. 29, 10:49
This picture is of the Flat-Topped Buckwheat, which grows many small flowers in bunches.

Prickly Pear Cactus - Oct. 29, 11:35
The Prickly Pear cactus is common in the southern-Californian chaparral. Its spines are actually modified leaves, adapted to lose less water and protect the plant from other organisms attempting to steal its water. Cacti of most types contain a surplus of water, as it is a rarity in such dry environments.

Coffee Berry - Oct. 29, 10:51
Named the "Coffee Berry" due to its berries' resemblance to coffee beans, the California Coffee Berry has edible berries.

Poison Oak - Oct. 29, 10:46
The Poison Oak has three leaves, usually of a red tint or color, and leave an itchy rash on any point of contact as a defense mechanism. Thus, it should be avoided.

Whipple Yucca - Oct. 29, 11: 03
Every part of the Yucca, including its flowers, are edible. It grows a stalk, which can achieve up to 10 feet before it distributes seeds and promptly dies.

White Sage - Oct. 29, 10:49
The White Sage is characterized by white, leathery leaves, which are used to keep in water. It has a strong smell, probably to repel other organisms seeking their water.