Field Study #3

I visited my field study location for the third time this weekend. In just two weeks since my last visit, the park has changed so much that I almost didn't recognize the trail at first! It had just rained and the ground was very wet, so I'm glad I had my rain boots! The park looks beautiful in the fall- the colors are changing, and leaves are falling everywhere. I noticed so much intricate detail in the leaves. Those leaves reminded me that God designed all of His creation with so much beauty and complexity. As I left the park, I could see the start of a beautiful sunset! I am so grateful to live in a place where there are many public parks and trails for everyone to enjoy. What a gift to be able to see all this beautiful wildlife in its natural habitat!

Field Notes

Date: Saturday, October 7, 2023

Time: 6:30pm-7:00pm

Climate Conditions: Rain, some clouds. It was raining all day and there was still a little rain when I got to my spot. By the time I left, the rain had stopped and the sky was mostly clear.

Temperature: 50℉

Length of Day: 7:20am-7:44pm (12 hours, 24 minutes)

Organism Observations: It was much quieter today, but I did hear some bugs and birds. They weren't as loud today, but I did hear a few birds who sounded like they were "cackling." There were so many leaves everywhere on the ground and on the trail. I wonder if the rain caused more leaves to fall today? The leaves came from many different types of trees. Some leaves are still green, but most of the leaves on the ground were different shades of red, yellow, and brown. There were some interesting spotted/speckled leaves as well. One of my favorite leaves was a large, dark brown beech leaf. It had interesting ridges, bite marks, and spots on it. I picked it up and it felt very dry and brittle. I also noticed some wild red berries on the ground.

Changes noticed since last visit: The fungi I saw on the log last visit is gone. Most of the wild apples have already fallen, but the apple tree had a few apples left in its branches. The apples that were still on the tree looked almost rotten- they were brown and appeared to have a shriveled, wrinkly texture. On my first two visits, I noticed that one of the plants had green leaves that were turning red. The same plant still has most of its leaves, and its leaves are almost completely red now. During my last visit, I saw a plant with a tall stem, thin green leaves, and small white buds. I'm not sure what kind of plant it was, but it seemed to be the only one of its kind at my 30x30. I was surprised to find that the same plant has tiny flowers on it now. The flowers have yellow/orange/brown-ish centers and tiny white petals. I wonder why the plant didn't bloom until fall. I always thought that most flowering plants don't bloom so late in the year.

Pictures

Panorama from today's visit. It's changed a lot since the last two visits!

        

Three different views of the trail. There are so many different colors of leaves! I wonder why different types of trees turn certain colors.

The fungi has mysteriously disappeared...where did it go?

Here is the plant that I have been observing. The trees in the background are starting to look bare, but this plant seems to be holding on to its leaves as they turn red.

This is the plant with the tiny flowers. I wonder what kind of plant it is, and why the flowers bloomed so late in the year.

There are a few apples left on this tree, but they look like they're rotting.

I love this photo because you can see the sun peeking through the trees!

An interesting beech leaf

Field Sketches

I decided to try some field sketching during my visit. I drew the beech leaf and the plant with tiny flowers. I looked at each plant for a good 30 seconds before attempting to draw it. Pausing to observe each plant helped me to notice some interesting details to include in my sketches! I only had lined paper and a dull pencil, so they aren't the best sketches, but I'm still glad I tried. Field sketching helped me observe the plants more carefully. I learned a lot about leaves just from taking the time to observe and sketch them in their natural habitat!

Some notes, in case my handwriting is too hard to read:

Sketching the plant with flowers helped me notice the detail in the tiny leaves and the structure of the stem and its branches.

• The plant's stem branches out into lots of smaller branches
• Each tiny leaf had a vein going through the middle and then some veins going from the middle to the leaf edge.
• I also noticed some bite marks on one of the leaves while I was drawing it!

I learned a lot about the beech leaf, too! It had lots of interesting marks, veins, and other details.

• The leaf had pointy, jagged edges.
• There were a few bite marks near the edge of the leaf.
• There were little lines/ridges in the spaces between the veins. The lines went the opposite direction of the veins.
• There were also some darker spots and lines on and around the leaf's veins.

I really enjoyed today's field study. It will be fun to see how my 30x30 will continue to change!