Site Description

            The estimated break down of the study area into trees, bushes, water, bare ground, and grasses is as follows. 45% of the study area is mixed small bushes and grass. 12% of the study area is trees both young and mature. 18% of the study area is bare stone, 8% of the study area is mixed stone and dirt. 9% of the study area is taken up by the creek, and the path way takes up the remaining 8% of the study area.

             There are not many signs to indicate constant animal usage but there are some. There are occasionally deer hoof prints near the area and in the area indicating that deer pass through the area. There are dog prints, which show that there are dogs passing through the area. Aside from these to animals there are not many signs of usage by local animals. One can hear birds in all trees but not see them so they are close whether they use this particular spot remains to be seen.

            The soil at this sight differs from one side of the site to the other. On the trail the sand is much more sandy that the dirt closer to the creek. Closer to the creek the soil becomes more loam, like turning a darker color and yet still having air particles in it. Where there are trees on the site the soil turns darker. Closer to the creek the soil is damp and moist and not too sandy or clay like plant life and mold grows faster closer to the house.

            The site is a flat area in a small valley in a dip in the hills of the park where the creek comes through. The flatness of the area allows the water to pool creating a small pool of clear water. The dirt also collects here because it is a flat area at the bottom of a small slope so the dirt that is eroding collects here. The water thought in the center of this area pushes the dirt to the side so there is an exposed rock shelf in the center of the site around the creek.

            The area is lightly forested and so is protected from the wind making the temperature in it higher because wind chill does not occur as much. The upper area gets the most wind because it is the least protected from the wind by the hills around it. The study area is in a small valley and acts as a gutter for the surrounding area taking in the drainage from the hills around it. As the area is the most protected there are more trees there instead of meadow plants, the plants in the area are greener and less drought resistant then the ones in the surrounding hilltops.

            The climate around the site is very mild. This allows for the almost unchanging way that the site exists. The site stays green for a very long period of time during the year and does not really change a huge amount. Inside the study area there are microclimates. It is drier on the side of the site closer to the street and damper more towards the rest of the park. This is what creates the densities of the plants there. There are more grasses and bushes toward the wetter end of the study area and less smaller greener plants toward the drier end of the study. The differences in the climate with in the site is easy to se upon further observations.