marynorberg's Journal

Today it was a chilly forty degrees and sunny- my favorite weather! So I decided that while my laundry was in the dryer, I would take a nature walk. I started in the pine tree reserve. I flipped over a rock, hoping to find some centipedes or worms, but I found two salamanders! It got my hopes up, considering it was the first rock that I flipped, but unfortunately those were the only salamanders I found. I also found a roly poly under that same rock. Then I made my way over to the resevoir, where I found a flock of geese. I also saw lots of chipmunks, but they moved too fast for me to get a picture. Around the resevoir, I found a trail that led into a more wooded path. I took this and flipped over an old tree branch, where I found an earthworm underneath. I also saw lots of birds. On my walk back through the pine reserve, I saw a squirrel eating an acorn. It was a very pleasant walk!

Today I did my nature walk in the Pine Tree reserve behind the Rec Center. It was cloudy and windy, but I enjoyed the fall weather. I went with my friend from this class, and we walked along the trails and noticed that we were surrounded by every kind of green plant! We saw ferns first, and noticed that they did not have the small spores underneath, which means they are not reproducing right now. We then found lots of moss around the rocks. They also did not have the spores sticking up. I think that the reproduction season is over. We saw some pinecones on the ground, and looked up and saw more hanging from the trees. There were lots of orange needles on the ground, which shows that even these big trees are getting ready for winter. However, some flowers were still in bloom! Which would explain why I saw some bees. The pollinators are still coexisting with these flowering plants.

Today I went with some friends from class for a nature walk! Although we saw plenty of birch and pine trees, our main focus was on the mushrooms. It was a hot and sunny day, so the shade was nice. On our walk down, we found many of the same species of mushroom, the "Hairy Rubber Cup", growing at the base of all the trees on the sidewalk. Once we got to the forest, there was a lot more biodiversity found among the mushrooms. Several were huge, and growing in clusters. But some, like the Milky Conecap, were tiny and difficult to spot in the tall grass. Some even looked like they had melted, because I think they were dying. Overall, we found several different kinds of mushrooms, and it made me wonder just how many mushrooms there are in my own backyard!

Today for my nature walk, I walked around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. It was an incredibly windy day, and around 60 degrees. However, the geese and swans were still swimming in the water. I noted them first, because when I think of biodiversity, my first thought is always about animals, not plants. However, there were not many wild animals that I could see in the area, so I moved on to the plants. There were lots of small white flowers that bordered the entire reservoir, which I am assuming were planted there by humans. However, I found many other plants that seemed to me living in the wild. I found Some berries growing on a tree that I believe to be "Toyon" berries. I also found lots of green lichen growing on one of the trees. There were also lots of mushrooms that were surrounding the base of all the trees. It seems that even on a single tree there is a whole sample of biodiversity!