Flora and Fauna
by Mariana M.
Memorial Academy
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/triton/EcoSur/MarianaM/MarianaM.html
Descriptive Essay
My first day of camping, Thursday, was beautiful. I felt very good once we got there. It was sunny with a very good blowing wind. The area was very nice and clean. I was able to breathe clean and fresh air. I carried my things and started to set up my tent. It was hard for us to set it up because the wind kept blowing it up. All the days that I stayed there were sunny from the morning until 5 or 6 p.m. Then the cold would start and I couldn't be without a jacket. I felt really good about having to go to sleep at 10:30 because that way we could have time to talk to our friends for a short time and say good night to them. The first night I couldn't be outside of my sleeping bag because it was really cold.
All of the nights were really pretty with a perfect round moon and stars all over the place. When I first started to sleep I thought I heard that something was touching and trying to open our tent. But my surprise was that nobody was there and that the wind was the one who was doing it. In the mornings the squirrels were trying to open our boxes of food. And also the cows, birds and squirrels were the ones who always woke me up because of their noises. At 5:30 a.m. it was really cold outside. The first day I tried to get out but I couldn't take the cold. The tent was sweating and with vapor all around. I felt really sad when we were supposed to leave. I had a lot of fun and it was a great place to be. I also felt happy because I was going to see my parents again and because I was going to be able to take a shower and take my film to print.
It was a great experience and I wish I could go back with my parents so they could experience that wonderful place.
I give thanks to you, Miss Watts, because you gave me this opportunity of getting to know and discover this place.
Description of Birds
Red-Headed Woodpecker
The Red-Headed Woodpecker is a black and white bird and has a medium size beak. Its legs are kind of big and it has black eyes. They eat worms and some other little animals. Return to Index. |
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Common Crow
The crow is a jet black bird with big black eyes, yellow beak and legs. The wings are wide and big when they fly. They eat meat from dead animals. Return to Index. |
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Rockhopper Penguin
The Rockhopper Penguin is a black and white bird. It is really big and has a big yellow beak and legs. It has a white line in the middle of its head and its hair is really funny. It looks like a rock and roll dancer. Its wings and tail are really big. Return to Index. |
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Mandarin Duck
The Mandarin Duck is a colorful animal, with colors green, black, white, red and yellow all around its body. They have a big beak and legs colored yellow. They have a funny head and eyes colored black. Their stomach is kind of going to the front and they have little wings. Return to Index. |
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Description of Flowering Plants
Black-Eye Susan
The Black-Eye Susan is a green, brown and yellow plant. They have tall flowers that have a center in the middle of the petals colored brown with yellow. They eat insects that they trap. Their petals are yellow. Return to Index. |
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Cardinal Flower
The Cardinal flower is red with green and a little white. They have large flowers and look like a candle because of the white part kind of falling down. Return to Index. |
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Prickly Flower
The Prickly flower is a beautiful cactus colored green, yellow and orange. They have spines and some little fruits. The flowers are colored yellow with a little orange in the center. Return to Index. |
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Yucca
The Yucca is a green flower that grows tall. They look like big grass and have flat leaves. Return to Index. |
Two Birds Comparison
The two birds I chose to compare are the Mandarin duck and the Red-Headed Woodpecker. The Mandarin duck belongs to the Ansetiformes group and it's an aquatic bird. The Red-Headed Woodpecker belongs to the Piciformes group, and it's an inland bird. The Red-Headed Woodpecker has a bigger beak than the Mandarin duck. The Mandarin duck can swim and float on the water and the Woodpecker doesn't. Woodpeckers can fly on top of the trees and hold themselves with their feet on the branches. Also, Woodpeckers are colored black and white and Mandarin ducks are beautiful birds with a lot of colors, (red, green, white, black, etc.). Something that I like about woodpeckers is that when they are flying they look like white butterflies. And something that I like about Mandarin ducks is that they have beautiful colors.
Two Flowers Comparison
The two flowers I chose to compare are the Prickly pear and the Yucca. The Prickly flower is an inland plant and the Yucca is an aquatic flower. The Prickly flower comes from the cactus family and is the most beautiful cactus I have ever seen. The Prickly flower produces a fruit called a pear, and also a pretty flower with colors orange and yellow. The Prickly flower has spines all around and it's round. The Yucca is an ugly plant that looks like grass, is all green, flat and grows taller.
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