Chula Vista Nature Center General Habitat Description

The habitat near the Nature Center can be divided into a number of regions -
 
1) the region near the parking lot along the railway tracks
    This is a highly disturbed area with a number of different microhabitats (S to N):
    - area along the frontage road receives drainage from across the road
      this area has some permanent fresh and brackish water 
    - area around the parking lot that receives periodic cutting
    - open field area between the fence and railway tracks, has a cliff face
      higher western surroundings provide some protection from wind
      mainly weeds with mustard, broom, fennel, daisies, sunflowers and buckwheat
      dry - no source of water other than fog, rain
    - exposed weedy area on east side of tracks mainly daisies, sunflowers, mustard
    - tamarisk groves
      provide windbreaks and southern/eastern exposures
    - a dump site for trash
    - freshwater cattail marsh with some smoke trees at north end of road
    - soft sandy road area as region blends into marshlands 
     
2) the region between the fence and the Sweetwater Marsh
    This region is highly disturbed as well but it has several distinct habitat zones.
     - an open area, mainly weedy with mustard and broom
     - several dirt roads - the main road being more gravel and harder
     - a treed region with some concrete pads along the main road
     - a treed region with laurel sumac along the marsh border
     - weedy region where the Russian Thistle was piled up
     - a weedy region with a lot of fennel along the marsh border
 
3) the marshland itself can be divided into zones by salinity
     - the upper reaches have at least one trapped salt pan region by the tracks 
4) the Nature Center 
     - the Center has a variety of vegetation not present nearby

5) Gunpowder Point
     While this habitat is quite varied it is also very exposed. As a result it seems 
     that arthropods are less evident on Gunpowder Point. (Perhaps this is just because 
     less time has been spent out searching this region.)