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More
Than Just Grass! |
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More
Than Just Grass! |
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Urban grasslands
are often thought of as “wastelands”, which are ideal for building
on. The question is, are they really “wastelands”? What actually
lives there? What are we losing when we build on top of this ecosystem? The
environment, and how we take it for granted has always interested me, and so
this investigation was for me to see what exactly lives in the urban grassland
ecosystem. Also, I believe that this is an ecosystem that has not really been
explored, and so I wanted to be able to do original research. And so, the purpose
of this investigative report, was to identify the flora of the urban grassland
ecosystem, analyse the results, and raise awareness to what we are destroying
by building on it. For four days in September and October 2002, I went to such
an area of urban-grassland, beside Russ Baker Way, on Sea Island. From the road
to the Fraser River, this area measures approximately 260 yards in width. Using
a “deciduous marker” (a Pacific Willow tree) by the Fraser River,
and a street lamp named C-17 on Russ Baker Way as markers, I lined up a study
area of approximately 10 yards in width to study a sample of this location.
Starting at the edge of the road, I took note of every species of flora that
I encountered, writing a description of each, perhaps drawing a simple sketch,
and photographed the specimen. I continued meticulously working my way along
my sample study area, making note and photographing each new species I encountered,
until I reached the edge of the Fraser River.
In total, 42 different species of flora were found in the area. Of these 42 species, I discovered 14 distinct families, of which the Sunflower family was most plentiful, having 6 different species. After conducting my field studies, I returned home, where, using my field notes, drawing and photographs, as well as excellent field guides, I successfully identified 23 of the 42 species of flora. The remainder of the species were not successfully identified before this deadline, and need further consideration.
The size and diversity of these plants was different, at different areas of the study area. I categorised my study area into four distinct regions: The Mown Area (from the road edge of Russ Baker Way, to 25 yards in [named so because it is mown by the City of Richmond), the Basic Grassy Area (from 25 to 100 yards in from the road edge), the More Complex / Diverse Area (from 100 to 200 yards in from the road edge), and the Edge of Study Area / Meeting with Fraser Riverbank (200 - 205 yards in from the road edge). I found that the further away the plants were from the road, the greater their botanical diversity and overall health, due to the close proximity to human disturbance near the road. I also found that the closer to the river, the more wetland plants, such as the Soft Rush (Juncus Effusus) started to appear, because of an increased moisture in the soil. Of the 23 species of flora I successfully identified, only five of them (or 22%) were native to the Pacific Northwest of North America, most being introduced from Europe or Asia. This is mainly due to Sea Island’s lengthy agricultural and settlement history; as the farms and gardens on Sea Island disappeared over the years, these plants escaped into the wild, forming the population I discovered in this study. These introduced species have since dominated the native species. My study has brought up several new possible areas of investigation. Some of these include: conducting a year-round botanical study of the area, investigating the fauna of the area, and conducting an in depth historical study of some of the plants.