Download Pond

Pond Group’s Exploration
of Beaver Ponds and
Surrounding Areas
Pond Group
Kristen
Lindsay
Elyza
The Beaver Clan
Connor
Colin
Andrew
Beaver Ecosystem
Audubon Nature Center in Huntington, VT
Map created by Colin Arisman
Beaver Facts…
•
The beaver is the largest rodent in North America
• The rodent family is castoridae genus Castor
• 40-60 pounds, four feet long
• Large incisors used for cutting down trees
• 200 trees in one year
• Some do not build lodges
• Beavers have a hairless tail which keeps them level when cutting
down trees
Beaver Lodging
 Sturdy base
 Gather trees and make a large pile
 Hollow out the inside
 Mud, sticks, and rocks
 Entrance is underwater
Two vent holes
Two entrances
Dam Information
The purpose of the dam is to create a
protective moat around there lodge.
They make the dams so that its easier for
them to get food. They also use it for a winter
food source.
Process:
1. They chop down a tree, and cut it into
manageable pieces .
2. Beavers arrange the trees so that they
will catch the most debris, usually with the
widest end upstream.
3. Beavers push mud up onto the piles of
sticks, on the upstream side, thus clogging
the river.
Habitat, Breeding, and Diet
• Beavers breed between January and February. There gestation
period is 100 days. They have an average of four kits a year.
• Beavers have two types of lodges: conical and bank lodges.
• Lodges are generally made from trees, sticks and mud. A
beaver lodge can be finished in two days.
• Beavers habitats are in: rivers, streams, ponds, small lakes, and
marshes.
• The beavers are the only mammals to make there own
ecosystem besides humans.
• The beavers diet consists of the cambium (the inner bark of the
tree), of deciduous trees and shrubs as well as some aquatic
plants.
Upper dam measurements- 140 cubic meters; 3,766 cubic feet
Lower dam measurements- 192 cubic meters; 5,184 cubic feet
Explorations…
What We Found…
Maple Forest
Species of Animals
•
•
•
•
•
All types of Insects
Spiders-Big and little
Squirrels
Chipmunks
Red efts (terrestrial form of a
newt)
• Variety of Birds
• And many other creatures!!
Soil
Layer
Depth Description
(cm)
Organic 5
Spongy, moist,
dark brown
A
10
grayish
pH
level
5
B
15
5.2
C
40+
Reddish-orange
brown
Light-brown,
damp
5
6
Variety of Plants
• Hay-Scented Ferns-
•
•
• Hemlocks-In the pine family,
Very common in this area.
Grow in large colonies.
Lacy, light-green leaves.
Habitat is in woods and
open woods.
Canada MayflowersCan grow up to 8inches
tall. The leaves are
•
alternate and grow from
the main stem. They
bloom in the mid spring
and they grow in wooded
areas.
Clubmoss- The vascular
plant inhabits in moist
places in tropical or
subtropical forests. Grows
in clusters and they have
scale like leaves
which is native to North
America and Asia. Small
cones, and short-green leaves
arranged to give the branches
a flattened appearance. The
bark is soft and light.
Red Maples-Most common
deciduous tree in our area. Grows
beneath larger trees. The leaves
are three-lobed, and are dull green
on top and pale green on bottom.
The bark is dark gray, rough and
scaly.
Hemlock Swamp and Forest
Plants, Animals, and Soils
Hemlock Sub-Group:
Kellyn, Kathryn, Morgan, Rowland, Maria,
and Dora the Explora
From the Pond Group
Audubon
Center in
Huntington,
Vermont
Hemlock Swamp Flora and Fauna
Layer
Species
Canopy
Hemlock, Tsuga
canadensis
Shrub
Hemlock, Tsuga
canadensis
Ash, Fraximus
americana
Herb
Cedge, Carax pelustris
Cedge, Carax intumesins
Cinnamon Fern,
Osmunda cinimonia
Cowslip, Caltha pelustris
Raspberries, Rubus
pubescens
Cattails, Typha latifolia
Bryophytes
Peat Moss, Sphagnum
squarrosom
Delicate Mossfern,
Thuidium delicatulum
Tree Moss, Climacuim
dendroites
3 Lobed Bazzania,
Bazzania trilobeta
Liverwort,Tricholia
tomentela
Moss, Calliergon
cordifolia
Moss, Rhytidia delphis
squarrosis
Species
Green Frog, Rana clamitans melanota
Evidence of Beavers (abandoned
stumps), Castor canadensis
Mosquitoes (27 species in VT)
Woodpecker, Melanerpes
Viceroy, Liminitis archippus
Azure Damselfly, Coenagrion puella
Common Whitetail, Ursus americanus
Hemlock Forest Flora and Fauna
Layer
Species
Canopy
Hemlock, Tsuga canadensis
Sub-canopy
Moosemaple, Acer pensilvanium
Mountain Maple, Acer spicadum
Beach, Fagus grandifolia
Shrub
Wild Sarsaparilla, Aralia
nudicaulis
Hobble Bush, Vibernum alnifolia
Herb
Blue Bead Lilly, Clintonia borealis
Canada Wayflower, Maianthium
canadensis
Partridge Berry, Mitchella repens
Bryophytes
Moss, Hypnum imponens
Mother-in-law’s Cushion,
Lucobryum glaucom
Species
Red Squirrel, Tamiasciurus vulgaris
Mosquitoes (27 species in VT)
Black Ants, Monomorium minimum
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus varius
HEMLOCK SWAMP SOIL PIT DATA
Layer
pH
Depth (cm)
Description
Moisture
Texture
O
4.0
25
Spongy, dark,
and matted
Very moist
Spongy
A
4.0
4
Grey and gritty
Very wet
Sandy
E
5.3
13
Reddish-brown
and soft
Fairly moist
Smooth
B
-
17
Sandy and wet
Wet
Rocky
C
5.3
60+
-
-
-
Hemlock Trees
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
hemlock
ash
white birch
0
50
100
150
Age (years)
Age v. Height of Trees in Hemlock Forest
30
25
20
Height (m)
Diameter (cm)
Age v. Diameter of Trees in Hemlock Forest
hemlock
15
ash
white birch
10
5
0
0
50
100
Age (years)
150
THE END