Foggy Redwoods and Rocky Coastlines: Roadtrip to Fern Canyon Oct. 8-11

    Along the way to Fern Canyon, my father and I explored the foggy Redwood forests and rocky coastal regions that clutter Northern California's coastlines. These are some photos that I took on the drive north through the Avenue of the Giants and Redwood National Forest.
    1. Falling couldn't have been easy for this Redwood; it must have taken a mighty lightning storm for  this tree to fall down--that's my best guess. These sequoias found along the coast grow to monstrous proportions, and I sometimes felt as though I would be swallowed whole by these whale-like trees. In fact, it was rare to even see the top of some of these towers..
    2. Roaming the grassy beaches, elk were extremely common along the drive to Fern Canyon. As friendly as the creatures looked, the park rangers cautioned us to maintain a safe distance between the animals and our Jeep. As we drove along, they peered curiously at us through their timid eyes.
    3. This photo illuminates the tranquility of the grasslands in which the elk roamed. My father couldn't help but fall in love with the silence.
    4. Inside the canyon, spiral trees decorated the fern covered corridor. These strange abnormalities reminded me of the bizarre world of Alice in Wonderland; I pondered the irrationalities of the blue highlighted birds that stalked us and the bear claw prints that remained intact on the murky creek bottom. Perhaps nature isn't always what we expect it to be..
    5. Fern Canyon as the marine layer sulks into the coast line..
    In conclusion to my photo journalism, my main hope was to illuminate the hidden beauty and irrationality of nature. Fern Canyon is a beautiful example of how we must embrace the "abnormalities" that nature presents us with. Instead of destroying these masterpieces with deforestation, we must preserve what is left of nature.. not dismiss it just because its different, or bizarre.

Field Study: New Zealand's Biomes Oct. 7

    As part of a field research study on New Zealand, I became curious about the extreme nature of its geography. In fact, New Zealand is one of the smallest countries to have more than four biomes. The North Island consists of mostly deciduous forest and coastal areas, whereas the South Island consists of grassland, what one may call "arctic tundra", and mountainous regions. Overall, one can conclude that New Zealand is a great example of how many biomes can coexist harmoniously for thousands of years. However, most of the animals found on these two islands are not native, but rather brought over from European countries. Therefore, most animals have adapted to what was most familiar to their natural habitat.
    Of all of the biomes found in New Zealand, the deciduous forest is the most abundant, because it takes the greater part of the North Island. The plant life, or producers, is mostly deciduous trees such as oak and beech, along with some evergreen tree species; other producers cluttering the forest floor are moss, fern and wild fungi. Serving as energy sources, these producers work to keep the forest and its inhabitants alive. Keeping with the food chain, the next level up from the producers is the primary consumers. These small creatures harbor the energy of the producers, and they become a valuable source of nutrition for secondary consumers. These creatures are, but not limited to, insects, birds, fish, chipmunks, squirrels, and even some larger animals like elk, deer, and the endemic Moa. Mostly omnivores, these animals are ranked the lowest of animals on the food chain. Next on the food chain, the secondary consumers profit off the primary consumer's nutritional value and protein content. These (mostly) larger animals are amphibians, large mammals like the weasel and raccoon, and larger birds like the nation's symbolic Kiwi bird and Haast's Eagle.  Finally, the largest and most predatorial of the food chain are bears and forest cats. These animals depend on all the lower ranked animals as vital parts of their nutrition. Without these energy sources, the whole food chain would fall apart. Every component of the food chain is necessary for the deciduous forest biome to thrive.