Observations by rijuarez

This particular domestic cat was located on East side Joe Battle in a water reservoir along with many others as they thrive off of multiple garbage bins from surrounding fast food restaurants. The variety of this wild, free-roaming, stray feline is an example of what behaviors feral cats show as they are very unsocialized and fearful of people.

This all black Valley Carpenter Bee also known as a Xylocopa Varipuncta was located in the campus gardens of The University of Texas at El Paso. The bee was seen in action collecting pollen and flying from flower to flower.

These fungi were located outside of the Fox fine arts building. Suspected to be growing after a 3 days period of constant rain followed with humidity as mushrooms find themselves to thrive in climates such as these. These fungi are known to be poisonous and cause gastrointestinal issues to humans as they are often confused to be an edible type of mushroom often purchased in local grocery markets. It’s off white and tan color with darker tan spots direct me to believe that this is indeed a Green Spored Parasol- Chlorophyllum Molybdites.

This plant seen growing wild along side Mesa was noted as a Trianthema Portulacastrum. This is known to be a flowering plant therefore it’s an angiosperm and for its small net like leaves its classified as a Eudicot. It is also know as an annual herb well known to grow as a mat or in a clump with stems that grow up to a meter long.

This is a photo of a Species of moss located
outside of the University Texas of El Paso Physical Science building, sited directly next to a gutter release drain casing ground moisture near a cement and rock support pillar. Because of this moisture and wet conditions it allows for moss to initiate growth and thrive as long as it sustains greats about of moisture and wetness from the release drain. Moss is defined by Oxford dictionaries of being a small flowerless often green plant which lacks true roots, growing in low carpets or rounded cushions in damp habitats and reproducing by means of spores released from stalked capsules. In addition, moss is botanically a non- vascular plant in their own land plant division classified as Bryophyta. They are small herbaceous plants that absorb water and nutrients mainly through their rounded bush-like leaves and harvest carbon dioxide as well as sunlight to create food by photosynthesis. There are 12,000 species of Bryophyta, the moss above is classifies as a Pleurocarpous since this is known as moss that grows in a carpet like manner opposed to Acrocarpous mosses that grow upright. Biodiversity was discussed massively in the introduction of the class and therefore this picture reminds me of everything that we have discussed in the matters that this moss has a vital impact on biodiversity and therefore it is important it understand that moss helps understand how plants have evolved on our planet. Moss has a massive role within its environment and in the ecosystem. This is because moss will help identify if there is a land that has enough moisture to help it thrive or if there is an ecosystem showing a decrease in moss most likely that environment is showing signs of a drought or climate change. In addition, moss is an identifier for levels of carbon dioxide as well as oxygen in which show relation to the weather as well as the overall atmosphere the moss initiated its growth. Moss is especially important for its properties of helping with other plants nutrient values as well as acts as an organic fertilizer, and of course flood

Because if the environments current rainfall. This flowerless water plant known as moss thrives fully with wet, damp, moist and shady locations. It’s scientific name of Bryophyta is a plant that grows much like carpet and reproduces by smaller parts of moss breaking off and regenerating.