Date: May 20th, 2024 Time: 14:00
Location: Finnerty Point, Saanich, BC. Lat./Long.: 48°28’24″N 123°17’43″W
Weather: 18° C, Cloudy, Wind SW, gusts 28 knots, no precipitation.
Topography: The site is located on a rocky point with undulating topography. Its aspect is 64° NE, and its elevation varies from 1 to 8 meters above sea level. The nearby ocean is the Salish Sea.
Flora: Structural forest stage with mature trees, well-developed shrubs, and herb understories:
- Tree Layer:
Grand Fir (Abis grandis)
Coastal Douglas-Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
Garry Oak (Quercus garryana)
Madrone (Arbutus menziesii)
- Shrub layer:
Oregon grape (Beberis nervosa)
Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)
Oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor)
Daphne (Daphne laureola)
Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus)
- Herb layer:
Small Camas (Camassia quamash)
Trailing blackberry (Rubus ursinus)
Ivy (Hedera helix)
Miner’s lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata)
Licorice fern (Polypodium glycyrrhiza)
Field chickweed (Stellaria media)
Pacific Sanicle (Sanicula crassicaulis)
- Moss layer:
Cladonia spp.
Xanthoparmelia spp.
Evernia spp.
Fauna: The most common bird species observed perching near the shoreline were Olympic Gull (Larus glaucescens) and Blue Heron (Ardea Herodias). Mammals included the Pacific Harbour Seal (Phoca vitulina richardii) in the ocean, Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus), and Columbian White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) at the shore. Reptiles during the visit were Garter snakes (Thamnophis ordinoides)
Questions:
I noticed a diverse variety of vegetation within a few meters. I wonder if substrate classes ( bedrock, shallow, and deeper soil) affect vegetation composition.
-Does elevation and slope position influence species richness on this site?
-The abundance of plant species in the meadow (North) is relatively low compared to the Douglas fir forest (South). Is this relative to the moisture regime that modifies site conditions and vegetation establishment?
Photo showing the site of observation, facing E.
