Field

Notebook
Survival Guide
Annie Goyanes
What is a Field Notebook?
- For scientists to record accurate and useful data
and information about a field expedition or
experiment.
- Data can be shown as: sketching, list and labels,
detailed descriptions, measurements, specimen
collected, diagrams, graphs, flowcharts
- Field notes support the understanding of a
phenomenon or site location
- “Scientific Method in a notebook”
- Observations
Darwin speculating origin of
- Purpose of field expedition/phenomenon studied
species with first
- Collecting Data evolutionary tree
- Analyzing Data
Before going into the Field
- Research the phenomenon or site location you will be exploring

Questions to Ask Yourself:

- What kind of data are you collecting and how will you organize it?
- What materials do you need to collect your data?
- What type of habitat is it?
- Common plants and animals? Keystone species?
- How do these plants and animals use and live in this habitat?
Crystal Lakes Sand Pine
Scrub
What are the characteristics of a Sand Pine Scrub?

https://www.archbold-
station.org/html/aboutus/habitats.html
Keep this in mind when on the field:
FIRST TASK WHEN ARRIVING TO THE FIELD

- TAKE NOTE OF YOUR ENVIRONMENT

- Site name/location/date
- Time of day and temperature
- Weather conditions
- Soil conditions
Data Collection
- Look closely to see insects and
invertebrates!
- Do I see anything that surprises me?
- What role do these plants play in
this habitat?
Prickly Pear Cactus
- Started developing
spines
- Cactus towards inside
of park had fruits
produced
- Ground nesting birds,
snakes, and small
mammals may hide
under spiny pads
Saw Palmetto
- Endemic to Florida
- Scrub pines are
usually dominated
with Saw Palmetto
Scrub Oak
- Sand pine scrub
understory can be
characterized by
scrub oak
- If there is an
absence of fire,
scrub oaks can grow
to tree height
forming a xeric (dry)
hammock
Love Vine
- Native vine grows special root-like structures into hosts, like Sand Live Oak, to
parasitize.
Invasives Data
Gopher Apple & Crowfoot grass
- Gopher Apple is the
preferred food
source of gopher
tortoises and other
wildlife
- Crowfoot grass is
non-native but
attracts bee
pollinators and is
semi-parasitic to
other hardwoods
Gopher Apple Crowfoot Grass
Hog Plum
- No flowers or fruits
produced
- Their berries have been
used in the making of soap
and cosmetics
Palafoxia
- Endemic to sand pine scrub
- Can produce a pretty pink
flower
- Attracts bees, butterflies,
and moths
Harvester Ants
- The Scrub Scarab Beetle
is commonly found in
these harvester ant hills
and clumps of grass in
the open areas of scrub
- Harvester ants clear
large area near nest hole
for vegetations and seed
debris to fall in hole
Natal Grass
- Invasive
- Establishes and
spreads on both
limestone and sandy
soils
- Only thrives in low
nutrient soils
- Disturb road edges,
firelines, and
undisturbed areas
Data Collection
- Any fruits or flowers on individual
trees or plants
- Any interactions among insects like
mating or fighting
- Interactions between insects and
plants like feeding and pollinating
- Bird calls
Ecotone to Sand Pine Habitat

Brown
Thrasher
in high
elevation
tree
canopy
Lantana camara
- Invasive
- Their flower heads should
be removed to prevent seed
dispersion
- Reduces number of seeds
available for native wildlife
- Fire or slashing can also
reduce the density of this
invasive
Sand Pine cones
- Sand pines provide
cover and nesting sites
for many songbirds,
woodpeckers and
squirrels.
- More than 20
threatened or
endangered species
utilize sand pine
forests, including
Florida scrub jays that
sometimes nest in the
Discussion
- What interpretation or analysis did you make based on your observations on
site?
- How was your experience collecting data on the site? Was it a good or bad
experience? What could be improved?
- Your hypotheses about how observed ecological principles apply to scientific
observations
- Purpose of the field exploration and issues to further explore
- Questions and comments: What will I do differently next time?
Remember you can use your
collected data to make
scientific interpretations and
analyses!
Literature Cited
Florida Natural Areas Inventory. (2010). Sand Pine Scrub. Retrieved from:
https://www.fnai.org/PDF/NC/Scrub_Final_2010.pdf

Deyrup, N.D., Wilson, C.B. (2017) Discovering Florida Scrub: A Guide to Exploring Science n a Native Ecosystem.
Retrieved from:
https://www.archbold-station.org/documents/education/DiscoveringFloridaScrub_Curriculum_Archbold.pdf

Fire Effects Information System (FEIS). (2017). USDA, US Forest Service Department of Agriculture. Retrieved from:
https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/management_project_summaries/CFILN11/all.html

Main, M. Upland Habitats Module: Scrub, Dry Prairie, and Rangelands [PowerPoint Slides]. University of Florida,
IFAS Extension.

Natural History of S. Florida. (2020 Oct 16). Crystal Lakes Sand Pine Scrub. [Video], Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30SpnCOx7kM&list=PLpE54NUqUenMggLMkO422bE5-ZfoQbSdf&index=1