Japanese knotweed
Fallopia japonica
FOUND by slabbe2010-08-25
Oakland, Maine
ID Confirmed
Quality checked by Molly
Peer reviewed by Molly
Field Notes
A team of 5 teachers surveyed the Messalonskee Trail System looking for Fallopia japonica, Japanese Knotweed. The day was overcast, cool with a chance of showers. Our mission was to practice collecting data and uploading to Vital Signs as to be better prepared for classroom instruction.
Supporting Evidence
Alternate leaf arrangement with simple, oval , smooth edged leaf.
At the pen's tip the emerging white flower at the leaf node is shown.
This broken, mature stem shows a hollow center and swollen joint.
Species Observation: Species Looked For
Did you find it?:
I think I found it
Scientific name:
Fallopia japonicaCommon name:
Japanese knotweed
Count of individuals:
1-10
Coverage:
Between 1/4 and 1/2
Reproduction:
Flower (plants)
Sampling method:
Quadrat (user-placement)
Place Studied
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Latitude:
N 44.555440 °
Longitude:
W -69.713280 °
Observation Site Information
Name:
slabbe's visit to Messalonskee Trail System
Habitat:
Upland - Forest
Trip Information
Name:
Messalonskee Trail System
Trip date:
Wed, 2010-08-25 08:30
Town or city:
Oakland, Maine
Type of investigation:
Species and Habitat Survey
Ecosystem:
Upland
Watershed:
Lower Kennebec
Sampling Method:
Quadrat (user-placement)
Nearest waterbody:
Messalonskee Lake
Habitat Observations
Species diversity:
5 different species
Evidence of vectors:
Walking trail
People
Recent disturbance
Tree canopy cover:
3/4 - Completely covered
Soil moisture:
Dry
Comments
The verdict is....
Although I'm speaking for the entire team, I would say that we all feel a lot more comfortable with the process now. We also invited the other science teachers who did not participate in the institute. Most of them are very interested in using the program in their classes also.
In addition to user placement quadrat, we also collected data using random placement. This allowed us to experience what most of our students would probably get in their quadrats since they don't have the experience to pick an area they've identified as having invasives , as we did.
What's the verdict?
So do you feel better prepared now that you've done an observation so well on your own? Was it useful to explore where you'll have your students do their investigation?
Love your second piece of evidence.
Yes very useful
We collectively talked about classroom management strategies and brainstormed questions they will have. We also worked through how the data will be entered and how that will work with our students.