Date: 1 April 2020 12pm
Location: Tustin, California
- Latitude: 33.742070
- Longitude: -117.819770
- Elevation: 138′
My House:
- Has a lot of different plant types, in the front we have a water conscious landscape that resembles the natural environment rather than the prototypical green lawn with a white picket fence.
Signs of Spring
- I notice the change in the temperature. When I first came back home for spring break, its was still cool and rainy, typical of Winter, not Spring. The past week however, has been filled with summer like days, a nice change. Sun and rising temperatures play major ecological roles, their effect on the landscape is starting to become apparent….
- Birds. Birds. Birds. In my back yard we have fairly large trees, with good protection and lots of branches. They provide refuge too many different kinds of birds: Crows, Hummingbirds, Sparrows, even Parrots (Parrots were accidentally brought to OC around 1963). The chicks are also starting to hatch! Just this morning my cat and dog tag teamed a baby bird (species could not be identified). Birds can be heard all different times of day. Throughout the day different birds make their calls, and this lasts until the sun sets. This may be apart of the niche they occupy, what time they get to call to mates, or socialize.
- The final sign that I have noticed has been the emergence of flowers, or the formation of bulbs. Flowers all around my house and in the surrounding area have starting blooming, which as been a big indication of the arrival of spring. My front yard is about to be covered in bright red roses, so I am excited to see how that looks.
Leaves:
- Wine Grape (Vitis vinifera) On my back wall there are extensive Grape vines which lose their leaves during the winter time, but grow back during spring, and eventually even form little grapes. They have broad green leaves that are able to absorb a lot of sunlight.
2. Garden Geranium (Pelargonium x hortorum) are small little plants that we have throughout my backyard in pots. They have small thick green leaves with bright red flowers that form on the top. 
3. Rose (Rosa) Like I was talking about earlier I have Rose bushes in my front yard. We have your traditional bush Roses, but also roses that grow more like a shrub, similar to the Sticky Monkey Flower. The more standard bush Roses have thick dark green leaves that have a smooth texture on the top, and a softer/ lighter feeling on the bottom. The bulbs are forming, and some have even started to bloom like the one pictured below!
https://www.10000birds.com/red-crowned-parrots-at-irvine-regional-park-orange-county-california.htm
