Life in a Cubic Foot Pictures

Look at Noah's blog for more photos

Woodruff

Asperula Odorata(Galium)

Woodruff, Galium odorata, is a sweet-smelling, perennial herb native to Western Eurasia. The distinct bright green star-shaped leaves form around the stem of the plant with small white flowers of four petals each (cyme flowers) at the tips of the stem. The plant can grow up to 20 inches long and often sprawls under taller plants and trees (usually in forests) for shade. G. odorata likes full shade and moist environments and thus cannot thrive during summers in drier biospheres. Its miniscule seeds are like burrs, with tiny hooks that stick to animals and clothes, spreading the plant to a variety of places such as San Diego, CA from its native Eurasian locale. The strong aromatic qualities of Galium odorata (hence the odorata) are due to the presence of coumarin, which have led to the plants’ use as a tea and a flavoring agent. However, this natural chemical can be toxic in higher concentrations.

Annual Sowthistle

Sonchus Oleraceus

Annual sowthistle, Sonchus oleraceus, is commonly found in California coastal areas where, as its common name denotes, it pesters gardeners year round. Under these favorable conditions, this weed blooms with daisy-like flowers that mature into dandelion-like seed heads. These white, fluffy seed heads differ from that of dandelions in that dandelions are more rounded, whereas those of the annual sowthistle could be likened unto an Einstein-esque hairdo. The seeds in the head are surrounded by long, wispy, thin hairs that can be easily carried by the wind, allowing these weeds to be quite common in most of California. This weed is also characterized by the white, milky sap that seeps from its hollow stems when cut. S. oleraceus also harbors many different types of aphids and nematodes that can carry plant viruses that destroy fruit and vegetable crops. In other words, it’s not the ideal plant for your home garden.

Southwestern Cupgrass

Eriochloa acuminata

Southwestern cupgrass, Erichloa acuminata, is an annual summer grass native to California that usually blooms from June to November. It is characterized by the cuplike shape of its seed spikelets, which are arranged around a narrow, hairy stem. The grains are very small, but the flower heads they are arranged upon can range from two to ten inches in length. The grains themselves are flat on one side, rounded on the other, and pointed at the tip. E. acuminata can grow up to four feet tall, with several other stems growing out of the same plant, all of which are only sparsely, if at all, hairy. Southwestern cupgrass becomes established in disturbed soil, like agricultural areas or urban/disturbed topographical zones.

Collecting, Saving, and Storing Seeds

TED Talk: In this video one of the most interesting thing that I heard him talking about was about the apples and how many there were and how they are going extinct. Also how some are named from older relatives. something else is that these apples and seeds are going extinct and I think we need to do something to keep these from going away.

Doomsday Seed Vault Opens In Norway: In this article I agree with what was said. This new vault to keep seeds in like a storage is cool because like what the article said it would save more seeds from going to a waste.

Seed Bank for the World Threatened by Financial Crisis: This article to me sounds like if they are making collecting the seeds we have to pay a lot more money. In the article before this one, the vault they are making in Norway, made it sound like if it was not going to take that much money, but in this article it sounds like they are putting to much money for this.

Near Arctic, Seed Vault Is a Fort Knox of Food: I think it would be a good idea for them to put every sample of seeds and take there over there. But what if they run out of space to leave the seeds? Would they make another vault next to it or around it or someplace else?

Global Seed Vault: How long is the vault? Are they going to make another vault some place else were it's warmer or does the seeds to to stay cold to still be put in storage for a long time?

Insects in the Garden

In our cubic foot we found different type of insects. All the grass and flowers around the cubic foot was wet, so there we slugs and worms and other creatures running in there. I found worms, caterpillars, rollies pollies, ants, bees, flies, and etc.

Plant Research

I would be growing these two vegetables and the other plants that we have in the garden.

Superschmelz Kohlrabi

Brassica oleracea

A Superschmelz Kohlrabi is a type of vegetable. This vegetable is made to be planted in the cold weather like in the fall. The Superschmelz Kohlrabi needs to germinate for about 6 to 9 days. The harvest days for the Superschmelz Kohlrabi is about 55 to 130 days. The need to be 1/4 deep and about an inch of spacing from each seed, the rowing space has to be 18 inches apart. When the Superschmelz Kohlrabi is germinating the soil needs to be 70 to 85 degrees. Requires fertile soil. They should be water on the days when it is hot or they look dry.

http://www.reimerseeds.com/Seed-Planting/Kohlrabi-Seeds/Kohlrabi-Germination.aspx

http://www.territorialseed.com/product/884/322

http://growingtaste.com/vegetables/kohlrabi.shtml

Snowball Cauliflower

Brassica oleracea

A Snowball Cauliflower is a type of vegetable. This should be planted in the fall during cold weather not hot weather. This should germinate in 5 to 10 days. The harvest days is 60 to 90 days. 1/4 to 1/2 inches deep into the soil. The spacing should be 1 inch apart from each other. The snowball cauliflower should have sun and some shade. You should water this plant so that the soil would be moist.

http://www.reimerseeds.com/Seed-Planting/Cauliflower-Seeds/Cauliflower-Germination.aspx

http://www.groworganic.com/pvfs-cauliflower-snowball.html

Carbon Fixation In Elodea Lab

Analysis:

1. When we blow air into the Phenol red, it changes it's color from red to yellow because of the CO2 we blow in with the straw.

2. I think it took about 35-50 minutes to see the color change. I think the color changed because of the cells the elodea plants has in it.

3. I think in this procedure it would need the light for it's reactions and it also needed the light so that this whole process could go through photosynthesis.

4. No we did not see the tube with the Phenol red change color because that one did not have a elodea plant inside like the others and that is why it did not have the same results as the others.

5. Carbon Fixation occurring on humans I don't think that can happen.

6. I believe plants use carbon so that they can make their own food and etc. Carbon Fixation is the process when plants take in carbon from the carbon dioxide to create compounds.

7. The reason why you have to have the control in any experiments is so you can see if anything happens that you weren't expecting something you can analyze it.

Invasive Species

The invasive specie I found is called the Xenopus Laevis, also known as the Afican Clawed Frog. It's native range is South Africa, Lesotho, the Cango, and South Kenya. It now has been found in different places around the world, but in California there are serveral collected in Orange County. Their ecosystem is in wetlands and are freshwater. Their names Xenopus means strange foot and laevis meanssmooth. They are about 5 inches long, have no tougue or extenal ears. They live up to 5 to 15 years. The way they are harmful is because they reproduce a lot and would eat other frogs or other animals around them. They are usually found in ponds or in rivers.