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Huilota Común (Zenaida macroura)Observ.
cortes-castro_f_17Descripción
The specimen observed here looks to be a Mourning Dove. This bird was captured on 02/01/2020 at 12:21 pm. This picture was taken after a light morning shower and the specimen was observed in my backyard. The habitat is urban because there are many houses and man made structures nearby but there are also natural elements present. As seen in the pictures the specimen was in my back patio and on the fence. The Specimen had red feet and was gray with some hints of black near its tail. Its beak was slim and black, suitable for eating seeds. It also had a small black dot on both lateral sides of its slender neck. The feathers under its wings were white/light grey in color. The specimen was about 12 inches long from head to tail. The Mourning dove can be found within Northamerica. They range from all of the United States and Mexico to small parts of southern Canada. This specimen is considered to be a deuterostome
Distribution
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mourning_Dove/maps-range
Description
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/mourning-dove
Fotos / Sonidos
Observ.
cortes-castro_f_17Descripción
This specimen appears to be a perforated ruffle lichen and it was observed on 03/29/2020 at 9:47 AM. This observation was made in my back ward and this lichen was growing on a cultivated craymedow tree.The habitat where the lichen was observed is urban because there are houses and man made objects in the area. The tree where the lichen is growing does not receive much shade during the day. It appears that there are many of the same lichen covering the tree. The patch of lichens that I photographed is about 8 inches tall and 3 inches wide. It has a blush/grey color and the lichen seems to have a flaky texture. The edges of the lichen are shriveled up and some small root-like structures can be observed protruding out of the lichen. The underside of the lichen is brown in color. The perfierated ruffle lichen can be found mostly on trees. They can be found throughout the world but they prefer a moist climate to grow.
https://www.nps.gov/ever/learn/nature/upload/LichenProjectFactSheetLoRes.pdf
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Lombrices de Tierra (Familia Lumbricidae)Observ.
cortes-castro_f_17Descripción
This organism was observed in the community entrance gardens of the subdivision I reside in. The specimen was observed on 03/24/2020 at 6:40 PM, right after the irrigation system was watering the nearby grass and plants. The worm was seen in leaf litter under the shade of a large tree. The soil where the worm was found was moist and had many decaying leaves. The specimen was fairly small and measured about 5 inches and was thin in diameter. The color was a mixture between a light black and pink. The specimen also had a head region that would burrow itself into the soil. Earthworms geographic range is known to be areas where temperate to tropical soils are found and they like to be in moist soils (i.e Florida). Earthworms are considered to be non insect protostomes, they exhibit bilateral symmetry and possess a complete digestive tract.
http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/MISC/MISC/Earthworm.htm
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detailfull/soils/health/biology/?cid=nrcs142p2_053863
Fotos / Sonidos
Observ.
cortes-castro_f_17Descripción
This specimen appears to be a Stilt Legged Fly and it was observed in my back porch. The organism was observed on 03/28/2020 at 2:12 pm. The habitat in which this fly was observed was on my porch, which is considered an urban one. There are many house and man made structures in the vicinity. But here are also many cultivated plants around that provide shade. The fly was resting high on one of the walls of my house, when I approached it and took the picture the specimen did not flee. The specimen was about 2-3 inches long and had 6 fairly long legs. It also had two large black eyes with wings that were alternating between transparent and black. Also the bases of the legs were an amber color but then transitioned to black. This specimen has the resemblance of a wasp. The stilt legged fly has a world wide geographic range but there is more diversity in tropical climates. They are poorly represented in cooler climates. These flies enjoy moist areas and near my house there are two fairly large lakes. This organism is considered to be a protostome. It has segmentation regarding its body parts and it possesses bilateral symmetry.
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Abaniquillo Pardo del Caribe (Anolis sagrei)Observ.
cortes-castro_f_17Descripción
This specimen was photographed on 4/28/2020 at 12.34 pm. This specimen is a Cuban Brown Anole and the spies were captured in my backyard. The habitat is urban because it was found in my backyard, although there are bushes and trees nearby, the habitat is still surrounded by many man made objects (ie houses, trampoline, patio). This lizard was sunbathing and did not automatically run as I got closer like many other lizards in my yard. The anole was about 6 centimeters long from head to tail and had scaly skin. It is mostly brown with some lighter tints of brown running along its back. It is also observed that there exists two pit-like holes on each lateral side of the anole's neck. These types of anoles can be found from Georgia and Florida all the way to the southern tip of Mexico and the Bahamas. This organism is considered to be a deuterostome.
sources
https://www.oaklandzoo.org/animals/brown-anole-cuban-anole
https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/herpetology/florida-amphibians-reptiles/lizards
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Clase BryopsidaObserv.
cortes-castro_f_17Descripción
The organism observed here is a true moss, the moss appears to have a carpet texture and it is very green. If you look closely at the moss you can observe some very small leaf-like structures. The moss was growing on a palm tree that was cut at the base and the base of the palm tree was decaying. No reproductive structures were observed when the picture was taken. The moss covered the whole circle that the trunk left behind. The trunk measures about 1 foot in diameter and it was covered in moss. There were also some mushrooms growing on top of the moss. The pictures were taken on February 1st at 12:31 PM right after a light morning rain shower. The habitat where the moss was found can be described as urban because there are many man made structures nearby. There are also many cultivated plants and mulch near the moss. Also, the area experiences a lot of shade from trees nearby. True mosses can be found in shaded and moist areas. (I do not know the exact species of moss therefore I cannot determine the geographic distribution at the moment)
http://botanyprofessor.blogspot.com/2012/09/mosses-of-central-florida-1-leucobryum.html
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Calavera (Ludwigia octovalvis)Observ.
cortes-castro_f_17Descripción
The organism in these pictures is a Mexican primrose willow. The flower of the plant measured about 1.5 inches from petal to petal. The flower was a bright yellow color and it was composed of four petals. The stem of the plant was red with the leaves being a dark green. The stigma of the flowers was also yellow and the stepals were a light green color. The whole plant had many of the yellow flowers present and had many branches and the plant stood at about 2 feet tall. The pictures were taken on February 23rd at 4.50 PM. The weather was about 76 degrees fahrenheit and there were no clouds present and there was a great amount of sunshine. The organism was in an aquatic habitat as it was right next to a lake. The plant was growing on the slopes of the lake bank which caused it to lean downwards. There were also many other plants growing in close proximity to it. The Mexican primrose willow can commonly be found living near or in lakes. This plant can be commonly found in the southern United States, In states that include Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, And the Carolinas.
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Helecho de la Resurrección (Pleopeltis michauxiana)Observ.
cortes-castro_f_17Descripción
The organism seen here is a resurrection fern, and the image was taken on February 1st at 12:42 PM. The picture was taken just after a light rain shower and the sun was covered by clouds. The ferns observed were anchored on a pine tree and were thin and long. The fern was light green and there were many growing in patches all over the pine tree and each individual blade measured about 4 inches. The underside of the fern had a more yellowish tint and it had little brown dots that appear to be sori. Also there were multiple fiddleheads present. Overall the whole system of ferns was about 3 feet tall and wrapped around the pine tree. By observing the pine tree, it did not appear to be affected negatively by the fern growing on it. The resurrection fern was located in an urban and semi-natural habitat, there were many cultivated pine trees and plants in the area and there was a lake nearby. There is also a road and sidewalk in close proximity to the ferns. These pictures were taken on a small man made trail near the community entrance of the subdivision where I live. According to the National Wildlife Federation, resurrection ferns are commonly found in the southeastern United States, but they can be found as far north as New York and as far west as Texas.
https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Plants-and-Fungi/Resurrection-Fern
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Hongos de Repisa (Orden Polyporales)Observ.
cortes-castro_f_17Descripción
This is a fungi commonly referred to as Annual Self Fungus or Phellinus Gilvus, and it was observed to be growing on a stump of an old tree. The stump also had green moss covering it. The organism was oval shaped and measured about 9 centimeters long by about 4.5 centimeters wide and the organism was part of a cluster of four. The color is a mixture of brown and yellow and there are visible marks on the cap that appear to be some sort of veins. The cap also appears to be rigid and not soft like other mushrooms, it looks to be leathery. When looking under the mushroom we can see that the gills are yellowish brown also. The weather on the day the observation occurred was cloudy and it had just stopped raining . The temperature was 63 degrees fahrenheit or about 17 degree celsius and it was on the first of February at 12:38 pm. The trunk of the dead tree where the self fungi is located protrudes from the ground and acts like a pedestal. There are many other plants around the area that are cultivated but the fungi are not. The tree stump was located in the garden located in the main entrance of my subdivision. Self Fungi reproduce from summer through fall and they are commonly found on red oak and other hardwood trees. A distinguishing feature is that these fungi are bracket shaped due to the way they grow and they are a corky texture.