1. SBI-3U1
David Whiteside
Morrison Valley Park
Dandelion
The dandelion belongs to the Taraxacum officinale because
it is a herbaceous perennial plant in the family Asteraceae. The
physical characteristics of this plant are also what make it specific
only to its species.
The dandelion to the right shows the generic species of
Taraxacum officinale. The roots are taproots (up to ½ inch in
diameter), the flowers are large bright yellow, and are solitary on the
end of hollow stalks (ranging from 2 – 6 inches tall). The leaves are
long with jagged ends, and the fruit (seed) is very small with a
feathery exterior [1].
This plant lives in all parts of North America with the leaf
being very important for gathering water (each leaf is grooved so that
water runs directly to the root). The dandelion plays a large role in
honey-producing, as each flower produces large amounts of nectar
and pollen for bees.
As a weed, the dandelion grows in all locations of the
Morrison valley park area. The dandelion and other weeds have been
Kingdom Plantae
known to steal sunlight and sustenance (nutrients, water) from other
(unranked) Angiosperms
plants. This will affect the overall diversity of the area, because of
(unranked) Eudicots
the weed is competing for survival against the other more favorable
(unranked) Asterids
plants. On a positive note, the dandelion also provides food for many
Order Asterales
animals (squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, etc.) allowing for greater
Family Asteraceae
diversity in the animal life around it [2].
Tribe Cichorieae
Genus Taraxacum
Species Officinale
Human Impacts
- Because the Dandelion is a weed, people commonly use pesticides and herbicides to get rid of them. The runoff
from this often causes pollution either in the environment, or in the runoff areas (usually lakes, etc)
- The Dandelion provides food for many small animals (such as rabbits, insects, and others). Humans see the
dandelion as a pest, rather than a plant, and commonly remove them when they’re seen. Removing this source of
food for many animals may cause a drop in for other animals because of the lacking food source, which would
reduce the overall biodiversity of the area.
- The dandelion is a very common pest in North America. The industry of creating efficient and fast ways of
removing weeds and other plants is a very profitable one. By humans learning how to eliminate and get rid of
plants in a more efficient manner, the economy has grown greatly due to the amount of jobs created. If we manage
to eradicate the population of pest plants in Oakville, many jobs and floral “pest” jobs, will disappear as there is no
need for them to exist. Therefore, the dandelion is upholding many jobs on the fact of its very persistent existence
in the Oakville area.

2. Page 2 of 6 Morrison Valley Park
The wild Geranium usually blooms at 2 feet
Wild Geranium tall. The stem can have 3 pairs of leaves (opposite to
each other), and the flowering lobes are covered in a
fine white hair. Each lobe typically consists of 5
purple colored petals, 10 stamens, and 1 pistil (with
5 carpel’s). The plant is high in the hormone tannins,
and the pistil makes a beak-like fruit.
The Geranium belongs to Family
Geraniaceae and more specifically it is the
Geranium maculatum . Geraniums have the unique
shape of the fruit, along with the usually lobed
leaves. [3]
Kingdom Plantae
Division Magnoliophyta
Class Magnoliopsida
Order Geraniales
Family Geraniaceae
Genus Geranium L. – geranium
Species Geranium maculatum L.
The Wild geranium usually grows from 1-2ft tall, with a spread of about the same length. Native to
Northeastern United States, it blooms anywhere in the spring, but most commonly from April to May [10].
The bright purple flower tends to attract insects for pollination (usually butterflies). The plant prefers shady
areas (because most geraniums grow best in mildly shady conditions), and provides food for animals such as
bees and hummingbirds. Because of the very showy flowers, nay types of insects (butterflies, bees, flies, etc.)
are attracted to this type of plant. In the Morrison Valley area, this causes an increase in these populations,
because of the more favorable and easily identifiable food source.
Human Impacts
- The Geranium Maculatum grows in relatively specific environments and conditions. As such, there is a greater
possibility of extinction or endangerment. This is a very important aspect to the ecosystem of Morrison Valley,
because flowers like these attract different species of insects. If human pollution causes the eradication of this plant
in the ecosystem, these species might migrate. This might cause for political intervention on the protection of areas
such as these, to retain Oakville’s biodiversity.
- Because the flower of the wild geranium is very aesthetic, it might start to be grown and taken from its natural
environment by florists. When doing this, the population of the geranium would greatly increase in the wild (so
that florists will be able to harvest them) and would cause competition for nutrients in the surrounding area for
plants. A large population of shade – non-shade plants would result in a large reduction in low-lying plants, as the
et less sunlight, and the geranium’s longer taproot would take the majority of the minerals.

3. Morrison Valley Park Page 3 of 6
Mourning Cloak Butterfly
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Class Insecta
Order Lepidoptera
Family Nymphalidae
Genus Nymphalis
Species Antiopa
The Nymphalis Antiopa belongs to
class insect of phylum arthropoda.
Common Wingspan of the butterfly is
57-101mm [9]. The wings of the butterfly
are a dark reddish-brown color, and have
blue “eye” spots along the edges. Typical
Habitat of the Mourning Cloak butterfly is
anywhere in North America (They are the
most common butterfly) where there is
shrubbery [8].
The Nymphalis Antiopa is a very common butterfly in North America. In larval form the caterpillar is very
spiny, with red – brown colored dots running down the back. Spines are long with short side branches [9]. The
season of reproduction are usually in early spring, causing the first-gen adults to be seen in early summer. The larvae
are present from early spring to late spring, and the caterpillars live together in their larval from to feed [9]. These
pre-adult identifiers, along with the adult forms unique body are what make the mourning cloak butterfly different
from other animals in the Nymphalidae Family.
The diet consists mainly of nectar, rotting fruit, and tree sap. The butterfly grows from its larval form (known
as the spin elm caterpillar). The eggs laid during reproduction are usually placed in clusters around very favorable
food sources. In the Morrison Valley ecosystem, this particular butterfly was very abundant. Because of the large
population, the Mourning Cloak is an essential prey for many animals. Frogs, birds, and possibly snakes use the
larvae and butterflies for a valuable food source.
Human Impacts
- The Mourning Cloak butterfly is a very aesthetically pleasing insect. Even though the butterfly is very common
throughout North America, if there is a large population in the Morrison Valley area, it could be considered a tourist
attraction. This would be a very important political and economic subject. Politicians can use their interest and value
in nature to get potential voters, and when it becomes a tourist attraction, the new population of incoming people
would greatly increase the local economy. However, in the process the natural diversity in the Morrison Valley area
would decrease. This is due to the common reasons: people will feed animals, kill animals, kill plants by accident, and
litter causing the ecosystem to change drastically.
- Because the butterfly reproduction relies very heavily on certain plants, human impact happens very easily. By
people using contaminants on their lawns or cars, the new solution has a possibility of poising the ecosystem. IF the
ecosystem is damaged, and the plants fail to grow to full bloom as per usual, a large majority of the insects will
migrate, looking for more suitable areas of reproduction, causing a decrease in bio-diversity.

4. Page 4 of 6 Morrison Valley Park
Eastern Garter Snake
The Thamnophis Sirtalis (common eastern garter snake)
is most commonly mistaken with the Ribbonsnake. The most
notable difference, being the dark vertical lines under the jaw of
the snake[5]. This distinct marker makes it different from all
other snakes in the reptilian class.
The eastern garter snake, as part of phylum chordata,
has an internal backbone. The physical appearance of the
eastern garter snake usually consists of the following. The snake
itself is long and slender with large variations in color.
Anywhere from black to red on the upper portion of the body
(usually with 3 light stripes) while the underside of the body is a
light green shade [4].
The habitat of the snake changes wildly, having been
known to be in forests, to fields, and meadows. The diet of the
snake consists mainly of small aquatic animals (fish, crayfish,
etc) and small rodents. The natural predators of the eastern
garter snake include foxes, raccoons, and hawks (in the
Morrison valley area.) The snake is also semi-aquatic [5].
The garter snake is known as a natural predator in the area (to small Kingdom Animalia
animals). This generally changes the biodiversity of an area. For example, there Phylum Chordata
will most likely be a smaller rodent and chickadee population due to the garter Subphylum Vertebrata
snake hunting these animals. The saliva of the garter snake has a slight toxicity, Class Reptilia
allowing it to kill smaller prey. As an important part of the ecosystem, for human
Order Squamata
concern, the snake eliminates common “pest” animals (such as rats, mice, and
Suborder Serpentes
small amphibians).
Family Colubridae
Subfamily Narticinae
Genus Thamnophis
Species Sirtalis
Human Impacts
- The eastern Garter snake is a snake. This may seem redundant, but many people have Ophidiophobia. This is the phobia
of snakes. Because of fears around reptiles, much like this, people see the garter snakes as pests. Many humans may catch
and move the snakes out of their ecosystem, and many people may catch and kill the snakes. This inhumane treatment
causes a disturbance in the ecosystem, as a predator has been eliminated, causing the prey population to grow, causing
competition for food sources.
- The political view (while running for political office) would usually consider neighborhood and citizen complaints. As
snakes are considered pests, its likely that many politicians would need to consider removing or controlling populations of
these snakes. This could cause debates on the humane treatment of animals, along with possible money needing to be
allocated for the resolution of such complaints,
- Human pollution (of fertilizer and pesticides, drain-o, car coolant, etc.) can cause contamination in the entire ecosystem of
Morrison Valley. Through the amplification of toxic materials in the food chain, the snakes could very easily be poisoned
by these contaminants, or their food sources could rapidly vanish. This would inevitably cause an increase in the population
of the prey, which generally consists of “pests” causing more human intervention, and a spiraling circle of trying to control
nature.

5. Here is a map of the Morrison Valley area, an area that flourishes a large
biodiversity.

6. Citations
[1] Dandelion. (n.d.). Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology, and
Weed Science | Virginia Tech . Retrieved June 21, 2012, from
http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/tarof.htm
[2] Dandelion - Davis Wiki. (n.d.). Davis Wiki - The definitive resource for Davis,
California. Retrieved June 21, 2012, from http://daviswiki.org/Dandelion
[3] Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum). (n.d.). Illinois Wildflowers. Retrieved
June 21, 2012, from
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/woodland/plants/wild_geranium.htm
[4] ARKive - Common garter snake videos, photos and facts - Thamnophis
sirtalis. (n.d.). ARKive - Discover the world's most endangered species. Retrieved
June 21, 2012, from http://www.arkive.org/common-garter-snake/thamnophis-
sirtalis/
[5] Easter Garter Snake. (n.d.). Virginia Herpetology. Retrieved June 20, 2012,
from www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/reptiles/snakes/eastern-gartersnake/
eastern_gartersnake.htm://
[6] Common Garter Snake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia. Retrieved June 21, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Common_Garter_Snake
[7] Nymphalis antiopa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia. Retrieved June 21, 2012, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphalis_antiopa
[8] Mourning Cloak Butterfly (Nymphalis antiopa). (n.d.). NatureNorth.com -
Manitoba's online nature magazine. Retrieved June 21, 2012, from
http://www.naturenorth.com/spring/bug/mcloak/Fmcloak.html
[9] Glassberg, J. (n.d.). Species Nymphalis antiopa - Mourning Cloak -
BugGuide.Net . Welcome to BugGuide.Net! - BugGuide.Net .
Retrieved June 21, 2012, from http://bugguide.net/node/view/3188
[10] Geranium maculatum. (n.d.). Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved
June 21, 2012, from http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/
your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/c850/geranium-maculatum.aspx