Goldenrod species - Individual experiment

The purpose of this individual experiment is to determine the health of the goldenrod species within wetlands and drylands. The wetland component of this experiment was conducted on Wednesday October 14th at 2:30 pm at the Stong pond on a sunny but cool afternoon. The dryland component was conducted on Wednesday October 21st at 2:30 pm at the York blvd woodlot on a cold afternoon. The health of the goldenrod species was tested using four health proxies, width of the plant's stem, height of the plant, colour of the leaves, and the number of buds and/or branches. In order to collect the appropriate data, transect instruments were used for the experiment. Transects were placed at random and with quite some distance between each of the measurements. Approximately 5 to 6 transects were collected for each of the two locations, and the length of the transect depended upon whether at least 20 goldenrod individuals were recorded. The width of the stem was recorded by placing the measuring tape horizontally from one edge of the stalk to the other and the width was recorded in milimeters. The height of the plant was recorded by placing the measuring tape vertically from the base of the plant to the tip. The other partner would aid the measurement by holding drooping goldenrod invidiuals straight to obtain an appropriate height measurement. The colour of the leaves was analyzed from the bottom to the top, following a range of natural green to yellow to brown. The curl of the leaves was also recorded. The colour of the leaves is a subjective measurement and is at the discretion of the partner who measured the individual. The most abundant leaf colour was the colour recorded first in the data set. To add to the colour of the leaves, the percentage of colour was also recorded. This measurement is also subjective and is at the discretion of the partner who measured the plant. The percentage for the most abundant leaf colour was recorded in the data set. The percentage for the other colours was not recorded. The number of buds or branches for the plant is also a subjective measurement. Any plant with a bud that shows a visible potential of flowering into a classic goldenrod appearance was counted and recorded. In order to specifically locate an indiviudal on a transect measurement, the distance from the point marked 0 meters to the location of the goldenrod individual was recorded. This number is recorded as the transect distance.