First Visit to Ruffner Mountain

                                                            Photo by Hannah Spivey

We made our first visit to Ruffner Mountain this past Sunday. After looking at the information Dr. Van Zandt sent us about the various biodiversity plots we ending up choosing biodiversity plot 1. This plot genrally covers the Marian Harnach and Geology Trails. We started our walk on the Marian Harnach trail and then returned on the Geology trail. My first impressions of the site were overall positive. There was a lot of dead vegetation on the ground. I'm guessing this excessive debris is a result of the winter months and the recent hazardous weather we've had. As I mentioned in class, we saw some rather large vines Dr. Van Zandt identified in lab as poison ivy. I think there is a good variety and number of plant species at this site and we will have options when it comes to choosing which plant to track the phenology for. Above is a picture I took while standing on turtle rock on the Geology trail. 

Photo by Hannah Spivey

We saw a lot of vines while walking alongside the trail and a lot of this one (pictured above) in particular. It has thorns and will blend in more once the forest gets greener so that is something to watch out for, along with the lesser known forms of poison ivy. I am excited to visit our site again. I believe we choose well and this will be a great place for our project.

Marian Harnach Nature Trail at Ruffner Mountain

Marian Harnach Nature Trail, Ruffner Mountain

Photo by Shay Gibson

 

Ruffner Mountain is a state park located in Jefferson County with many trails for hiking.  Hannah and I decided to do our field study along Ruffner Mountain's Marian Harnach Nature Trail along with the Geology Trail. Both of these trails can be viewed on a map here.  This is a fairly simple trail, and with our first visit little green vegetation could be seen.  Much like this past week in lab, most of the ground was covered with dead leaves.  You can see that in the picture below.  This picture is of one of the plants we learned in lab called Nandina domestica. I have shown two pictures below of this plant.  The first is of the plant in the forest, and the second is of the dark red leaves seen on this tree.  It's hard to see Nandina domestica from the picture in the forest right now because of the like colored leaf background; however, you can see the distinct red leaves on the tree. 

Nandina domestica along Ruffner Mountain's Marian Harnach Nature Trail

Photo by Shay Gibson

Leaf of Nandina domestica

Photo by Shay Gibson

 

I chose to upload pictures of this particular plant because it was seen many times as we walked the trail.  Another important thing we noted throughout the trail was the disrepair found.  Many trees had fallen and the debris was everywhere.  You can see this from the picture below.  Despite the numerous trees that had fallen, many trees were still alive in our area.  The first picture in this post shows a wonderful picture of the forest taken along the Marian Harnach Nature Trail.  Little greenery was found along the trail because of the winter weather, but hopefully soon we will see some beautiful (or maybe not) flowering plants.  I think we chose a very biodiverse spot for our site. Though not being able to identify the plants right now, Hannah and I saw many different trees and bushes. I think this is going to be a great project, and I can't wait to see what we find here at Ruffner Mountain.

Tree fallen along the trail

Photo by Shay Gibson



 

Hannah's Initial Thoughts on Botany

Dr. Van Zandt mentioned the first day of class that, after taking Field Botany, we would be able to walk around campus and see more than just green plants. This is what I am most looking forward too in this class. My interim class was Field Ornithology and now I could not ignore the presence of birds on campus if I tried. I have always enjoyed learning outside because it is so much more interesting and engaging than sitting at a desk. I learn best by doing and I have always enjoyed labs over lectures in all of my classes. I hope to not only learn how to identify plants but also to be surprised at the wide variety and importance of plants in Alabama. I also hope to avoid poison ivy, snakes, and any other thing that could do me harm while collecting plants at Ruffner Mountain this semester. I was exposed to the outdoors a fair amount growing and was taught to appreciate nature so I am excited to learn more about plants and their role.

- Hannah Spivey

Shay's thoughts on Botany

This article discusses an interesting plant found in the mountains of the Philippians. This plant, pictured below and given the scientific name of Nepenthes attenboroughii, is a carnivorous plant.  One of the most known carnivorous plants is the Venus Fly Trap. This plant is an interesting find because it can catch larger animals than insects.  Back in 2000, two Christian missionaries found this plant when climbing Mount Victoria in the Philippines.  After being rescued, these missionaries told scientists about this interesting find along with exotic looking mushrooms. In 2007, researchers set out to find this exotic plant.  This carnivorous plant was different than any other plant that has ever been found.  According to the article, this "giant meat-eating plant" can catch a small rodent such as a rat. 

Image of Nepenthes attenboroughii from http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8195000/8195029.stm

Before reading this article, I never really thought about the various carnivorous plants and how big they can be.  To be honest, I was dreading discussing plants.  I have never been an outdoorsy type person, and plants were just a part of that.  Over the past few days of all of my classes, I have learned that plants are a huge part of what I want to go into...medicine.  This is given me a new devotion to studying and learning about the biggest part of our world.  We as humans rely on plants for lots of different things such as food, medicine, fragrances, and numerous others.  In addition to the many practical uses of plants, something I have always admired is the beauty of plants.  Don't get me wrong, some plants are very ugly, but some are extremely beautiful, too.  On Wednesday in class, we discussed how Alabama is one of the most diverse states in regards to the number of plant species.  Everywhere you look in Alabama, you will see some kind of plant.  My hope for this class is that it will increase my interest in plants and help me to see how truly important plants are to this world.