Biodiversity ProjectBY: GREYSON HOBBS – BIOL 1101L – F – CRN: 7563

Pecan Tree

Scientific Name: Carya illinoinensis

Description: Thick, light brown to reddish brown bark, with

narrow, irregular fissures. It has alternating, compound leaves that

are 12-20 inches long. The nut produced is reddish brown with

irregular black or darker brown blotches.

Location: In my back yard (Cleveland, GA).

Interesting Facts:

The U.S. Produces more than 80% of the world’s pecan crop.

There are over 1,000 varieties of pecans

The pecan nut provides zinc, which helps the body produce

testosterone.

Leyland Cypress

Scientific Name: Cupressocyparis leylandii

Description: The Leyland Cypress is an evergreen conifer that grows

to 35-50 feet. It grows very quickly but has a short life span (20 years).

Location: In my yard (Cleveland, GA)

Interesting Facts:

It is largely used in rows as a privacy hedge or singularly as landscaping

features.

They are very drought-tolerant.

They can grow an impressive three to four feet annually.

Southern Magnolia

Scientific Name: Magnolia grandiflora

Description: The Southern Magnolia has dark green leathery leaves,

that alternate. In the summer, it has creamy white flowers that are

very fragrant. It is an evergreen and can grow up to 80 feet.

Location: In my yard (Cleveland, GA)

Interesting Facts:

It is the official State tree of Mississippi.

The Southern Magnolia can live up to 120 years.

They have a unique root system that are rope-like and largely

unbranched.

Post Oak Tree

Scientific Name: Quercus stellata

Description: These slow growing oaks can reach a height of 50 feet. They have alternating, simple leaves with two to three paired lobes and are capable of growing in poor dry soil, or during a drought.

Location: In my yard (Cleveland, GA)

Interesting Facts:

The Post Oak is frequently identified by its cross-shaped leaves.

The name post oak comes from the fact that the wood is commonly used for fence posts.

Native Americans would use the acorns from the post oak medicinally to treat a number of illnesses, ranging from skin infections and canker sores, to fevers and dysentery.

Sweet Crabapple Tree

Scientific Name: Malus coronaria

Description: This is a relatively small tree with a short trunk. It often has several stout branches, which generally leave the smaller branches widely spread and open rather than forming a compact crown. The bark is rough, cracked, and reddish brown to gray in color.

Location: In my yard (Cleveland, GA)

Interesting Facts:

Some of the fruit is too sour or bitter to eat but it is still used for making jelly and preserves.

Crabapples are native to Asia and Russia.

If the fruit is not picked, it will stay on the tree throughout the winter, providing a colorful contrast to the starkness of other plants during the season.

Broom Moss

Scientific Name: Dicranum scoparium

Description: Broom moss is usually robust and coarse, forming shiny

tufts with woolly stems. The leaf midrib extends to the tip and usually

has four ridges along its back. The leaves are lance-shaped with a

long, slender point.

Location: On a dead tree in my yard (Cleveland, GA)

Interesting Facts:

It usually forms tufts or mats on soil in dry to moist forested areas.

It can be distinguished by its leaves, which strongly curve to one side.

Camel Cricket

Scientific Name: Ceuthophilus maculatus

Description: These crickets have large antennae and legs. They can

be found on all continents and many continental islands. They very

in sizes, and are mostly brown with black spots.

Location: In my basement (Cleveland, GA)

Interesting Facts:

They feed at night on plants and even on some other insects.

The name “camel” came from the high arching back of the cricket.

These crickets have the traditionally large hind legs for leaping.

Yellow Jacket

Scientific Name: Vespula maculifrons

Description: Most of these are black and yellow; however, some are

black and white. They can be identified by their distinctive markings.

They are social hunters living in colonies containing workers, queens,

and drones.

Location: On my porch and house (Cleveland, GA)

Interesting Facts:

They have a characteristic, rapid, side to side flight pattern prior to

landing.

All females are capable of stinging.

Yellow jackets are important predators of pest insects.

American Chestnut

Scientific Name: Castanea dentata

Description: Starting in early June, the American Chestnut has a mass of white catkins that are visible at great distances. The leaves are long compared to their width, and have teeth on the edges that curve inward.

Location: In my yard (Cleveland, GA)

Interesting Facts:

Many of the trees were devastated by the chestnut blight, a fungal disease.

Before the disease was introduced, it was estimated that there were over three billion American Chestnut trees in the Appalachian Mountains. After the disease few than 100 remained.

The nuts were once an important economic resource in the U.S., being sold on the streets of towns and cities, as they sometimes are now during the Christmas season.

Eastern Red Cedar

Scientific Name: Juniperus virginiana

Description: The Eastern Red Cedar is a species of Juniper native to

Eastern North America. It is a dense slow-growing coniferous

evergreen tree that may never become more than a bush on poor

soil. The bark is reddish-brown, fibrous, and peels off in narrow strips.

Location: In my yard (Cleveland, GA)

Interesting Facts:

The oldest reported Eastern Red Cedar was 795 years old.

Its berries are used to provide gin with its characteristic flavor.

Cedar chests and lined closets prevent moth damage to wool clothing

because the volatile cedar is a natural insecticide.