DOCK POINT

Katrina Moran
Dock Point field trip on 6/21/2012

The weather was beautiful out and the temperature was around 70 degrees. It was a perfect day for a hike and a field trip. All clear skies and just gorgeous out. Our class went to Dock Point but started identifying organisms on the beach first and then worked our way up the trail afterwards.
I am going to list all the different organisms, plants, flowers and animals that I saw and identified on our field trip to Dock Point, enjoy!

Organisms found on beach:

SITKA PERIWINKLE- Littorina Sitkana
ALEUTIAN MOON SNAIL- Natica Aleutica
LUVA ALGAE aka Sea Lettuce
BALTIC MACOMA- Macoma Balthica
BEACH HOPPER- Traskorchestia Traskiana aka "Jumping Jacks"
BLUE MUSSEL- Mytilus Trossulus
RED MITE-Dermanyssus gallinae 
ACORN BARNACLE- Balanus Glandula
PLATE LIMPET- Tectura Scutum aka "China Hats"

References: Alaska's Seashore Creatures by Carmen M. Field and Conrad J. Field

Plants and flowers I identified while on the Dock Point trail:

COASTAL SAXIFRAGE- Saxifraga ferruginea  
SALMONBERRY- Rubus spectabilis 
DEVILS CLUB- Oplopanax horridus 
RED ELDER BERRY-aka RED ELDER- Sambucus racemosa ssp. pubens
SITKA ALDER- Alnus crispa ssp. sinuata
BLACK COTTON WOOD- Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa
COW PARSNIP-Heracleum lanatum
FRAGILE FERN- Cystopteris fragilis
LADY FERN- Athyrium filix-femina
WILD CELERY- Angelica lucida
NORTHERN YARROW- Achillea borealis
ARCTIC DOCK-Rumex arcticus
SITKA SPRUCE- Picea sitchensis
TRAILING BLACK CURRANT- Ribes laxiflorum
SITKA WILLOW- Salix sitchensis
GOATS BEARD- Aruncus sylvester
ALASKAN BLUEBERRY- Vaccinium alaskaense
SKUNK CABBAGE
OSTRICH FERN- Matteucia struthiopteris aka "Fiddle Heads"
ARCTIC WILLOW- Salix arctica
FALSE HELLEBORE- Veratrum viride 
DWARF DOGWOOD- Cornus canadensis
OVAL-LEAVED BLUEBERRY- Vaccinium ovalifolium
GRASS OF PARNASSUS, BOG STAR- Parnassia palustris
ALPINE FORGET-ME-NOT- Myosotis alpestris, ssp. asiatica
SITKA MOUNTAIN ASH- Sorbus sitchensis


References: Alaskan Wildflowers by Verna E. Pratt and Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coat by Pojar Mackinnon

Some of the different kinds of animals I saw and identified were:
STELLERS JAY- Cyanocitta stelleri
NORTH WESTERN CROW- Corvus caurinus
BALD EAGLE- Heliaeetus leucocephalus




References: Guide to the Birds of Alaska by Robert H. Armstrong

Overall a great day for a field trip and learned a lot of other different kinds of plants and animals I never knew about or learned about. Great day!