PALOS VERDES PENINSULA LAND CONSERVANCY
Come back and visit!
White Point Nature Preserve
White Point Nature Preserve is located at 1600 W.
Paseo del Mar, San Pedro, CA 90731 on the north
side of Paseo del Mar off of Western Avenue.
The Preserve is open daily from dawn to dusk. The
Center is open from 10am to 4pm on Wednesday,
Saturday, and Sunday.
George F Canyon Nature Preserve
George F Canyon is located at 27305 Palos Verdes
Drive East, Rolling Hills Estates CA 90274 at the
southwest corner of Palos Verdes Drive East and
Palos Verdes Drive North.
The Nature Center is open Friday 1pm - 4pm,
Saturday and Sunday 10am - 4pm, other days by
appointment.
For more information contact:
Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy
www.pvplc.org
(310) 541-7613
Nature Notebook
Grade 3
This program is made possible by:
Name:
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Field Observation Checklist
Plants
Black sage
California coastal poppy
California sagebrush
Deergrass
Saw-toothed goldenbush
Purple sage
Sycamore tree
Bladderpod
California fuschia
Cattail
Deerweed
Lemonade berry
Sticky monkeyflower
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California bush sunflower
California lilac
Coyote bush
Golden yarrow
Prickly pear cactus
Stinging nettle
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Invertebrates
Dragonfly
Wasp
Bumble bee
Fly
Ant
Butterfly
Honey bee
Harlequin bug
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Allen’s hummingbird
Blue grosbeak
Cactus wren
Common raven
House finch
Northern mockingbird
Song sparrow
American kestrel
Brown pelican
California gnatcatcher
Cooper’s hawk
Lesser goldfinch
Red-tailed hawk
White-throated swift
Lady bug
Snail
Pill bug
Stink beetle
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Birds
Black phoebe
Bushtit
California towhee
American crow
Mourning dove
Say’s phoebe
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Mammals
Cottontail rabbit
Gopher
Skunk
California ground squirrel
Raccoon
mouse
Tree squirrel
Opossum
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Other
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Vocabulary
Welcome to White Point!
Today we will take a closer look at the plants that grow in
adaptation – a structure or behavior that increases a plant or
animal’s chances of surviving in its habitat.
the preserve. Let’s pay special attention to the adaptations
that allow each plant to best survive in its habitat.
extinct – No longer existing
endangered species – A species that is in danger of becoming
extinct.
habitat - The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or
other organism
Tongva – The Native American people of the Los Angeles area.
Stewardship Agreement
Today as a steward of the White Point Nature Preserve I agree to:
1. Walk at all times
2. Keep on the trail
3. Stay with the group
4. Observe gently
… because I know that these 4 steps will help me to stay safe and
protect the natural world as I explore.
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Student Signature
Build a Plant
White Point Then and Now
1) Habitat: ……………………………………………………………………………………………….
2) Name of my plant: ………………………………………………………………………………….
3) Draw your tennis ball plant and label its adaptations
There have been many changes to the environment at White Point over
time. Some animals have been able to survive through these changes
and others have gone extinct.
1) The picture below shows what it may have looked like here at White
Point 12,000 years ago during the Pleistocene. Circle one animal that
has gone extinct and put a square around another that still lives in
White Point today.
4) One interesting adaptation of this tennis ball plant is that
it has ………………………………………………………………….. that help(s) it to
survive by ………………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
5) Are there any habitats where your plant would not survive?
Tropical Rainforest
Temperate Rainforest
Desert
Pond
Coastal Sage Scrub
Deciduous Forest
Grassland
Taiga
Tundra
2) Name one threatened or endangered species that lives on the Palos
Verdes Peninsula now.
What can you do to live more sustainably in your environment to
ensure that other plants and animals can continue to survive?
Folded or Flat Leaf Lab
White Point Then and Now
The Tongva people lived in this area for thousands of years. The local
environment affected how the Tongva gathered their food, made their
clothing and built their homes. The plants that grow here were
extremely important to the Tongva and were used in many ways.
QUESTION: Do folded leaves or flat leaves gather more sunlight?
PREDICTION
Use the model below to develop a prediction.
1) Draw lines from the sun to each piece of paper. Use your pencil to
Write the Tongva name of one local plant and draw a picture
of how the Tongva people used it in their daily lives.
fill in the parts of the paper that would be in the shade. Where
would there be shadows?
PLANT NAME (TONGVA LANGUAGE)
______________________________
2) Based on the model above, I predict that folded / flat leaves
gather more sunlight.
EXPERIMENT
Test your prediction using your hand in the sunshine.
Folded
Flat
RESULTS
3) In my experiment my folded / flat hand gathered more sunlight.
Plant Adaptation Scavenger Hunt
Light or Dark Leaf Lab
QUESTION: Do light green or dark green leaves gather more heat
During your hike, search for adaptations that help plants survive in
from the sun’s energy?
PREDICTION
1) I predict that light / dark leaves will gather more heat from the
coastal sage scrub habitat. Fill in the name of the plant you find with
each adaptation below.
suns energy.
EXPERIMENT
Use thermometers to compare the temperature of light and dark
pieces of paper.
RESULTS
2)
Light Paper
Plant with light green leaves
Plant with spines
Plant that swells to store
Plant with very small leaves
Dark Paper
Temperature
water
3) Overall in my class more teams found that the light / dark paper
gathered more heat.
Plant with waxy leaves
Plant with fuzzy leaves
Plant with folded leaves
Plant with dark green leaves
Holding Water Leaf Lab
QUESTION: Do some kinds of leaves store water better than others?
PREDICTION
1) I predict that the plain / wax paper cup will hold more water for
longer.
EXPERIMENT
Use a wax cup and a paper cup to compare how well each holds
water.
RESULTS
2) The plain / wax paper cup held more water for longer.