Heather+Santa+Cruz

//__ Santa Cruz Island __// Santa Cruz Island is a beautiful island. It is about 20 miles from the coast of Ventura, CA. The Island is 22 miles long and 2 to 6 miles wide. If you look out from the coast of Ventura, you will see two islands. The one on the right is Santa Cruz Island; the one on the left is Anacapa Island. Although, it's location is amazing thing to study, its appearance is ironic. Did you know that the north side of Santa Cruz is all volcanic rock; the south side of Santa Cruz is not volcanic rock, it’s all older sedimentary rock? To me, it looks like an upside-down dinosaur with a lump on its back. Santa Cruz's appearance is fascinating, the plants there are superb! There are many different kinds of Plants on Santa Cruz Island, like the Island Morning Glory plant, giant kelp, and The Santa Cruz Island bush mallow. //__ Island Morning Glory __//  //__ (Calystegia macrostegia s. macrostegia) __//  ﻿     The Island Morning Glory flower is a beautiful plant that looks like a white, creamy colored horn with a yellow star shining brightly in the middle. They can be white, pink, or purple; all with beautiful yellow stars in the middle. It blooms in native rocky areas, like Santa Cruz, San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Anacapa and Santa Catalina Islands. The flower blooms from May to September. //__ Giant Kelp __// //__ (Macrocystis pyrifera) __//    Giant Kelp is home to more than 800 species of marine life. They can grow up to more than 120 feet. You can find Giant Kelp along the Pacific coast, from Alaska to Baja California. The Channel Islands giant kelp is brown. Giant Kelp can live up to 7 years and they can grow about 10 inches a day. //__ Santa Cruz Island bush mallow __// //__ (Malacothamnus fasciculatus v. nesioticus) __// ﻿   The Santa Cruz Island bush mallow flower is a beautiful flower that looks like a lavender horn with a dark purple middle. This flower is only found on Santa Cruz Island. It blooms from April to September; the plant can grow from 4 to 15 feet. This beautiful plant is on the endangered list, it is very close to being extinct. Some of the animals that live there are endangered too; the California Brown Pelican is endangered, so is the Island Fox but the Aggregating Anemone isn’t. //__ California Brown Pelican __// //__ (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) __//     The brown pelican was once endangered, but on November 17, 2009 the Brown Pelican was officially removed from the Federal list of Endangered Wildlife. The Brown Pelican currently lives on Anacapa Island and Santa Barbara Island. They have a 12 inch long bill, a throat pouch, and an average wingspan of seven feet. Did you know that is it is physically impossible for a pelican to straighten its neck? They have come up with their own comfortable way to sleep and relax. The brown pelican gets its food by plunge diving into the ocean. It eats anchovies, sardines, and mackerel. They hunt for food within five miles of land. They can dive from 10-30 feet in the air, sometimes as high as 100 feet in the air. They can eat as much as 4 pounds in a day. //__ Island Fox __//  //__ (Urocyon littoralis) __//      The Island Fox is an endangered animal that is smaller than a house cat, weighs 2½ to 6 pounds. It has white on its stomach, lower half of its face, and on its throat. It has rusted red sides and gray fur on its head. It eats deer mice, small birds, snakes, lizards, and insects. Its favorite is deer mice. You can find them on Santa Cruz Island, Santa Rosa Island, and San Miguel Island. The islands with out the Island Fox on it are: Anacapa Island, Santa Barbra, Santa Catalina, San Clemente, and San Nicolas. //__ Aggregating Anemone __//  //__ (Anthopleura elegantissima) __//      The aggregating anemone's diet is a wide variety of small crustaceans, like shrimp. They live from Alaska to Baja California. These anemones collect small bits of shells and sand on their column that can act like a sunscreen and help protect them from drying out. It is found on rocky, tide swept shores in the Pacific coast of North America. It is blue with hints of dark purple along the edges; it has a bright yellow middle. By: Heather E.  ﻿Heather, your really good at writing, keep it up!- Angelina