My sit-spot
My sit-spot
The rough sketch of my sit-spot
My sit spot lies in the middle of a bunch of pine trees, with an empty parking lot in front, accompanied by the mountains in the background. When I was originally looking for my sit-spot, it was mid-afternoon, and the sun was high in the sky beaming down. Immediately upon seeing the location, I instantly knew that this was my sit-spot as the sun shined through the trees radiating down at the picture-perfect location. The surrounding trees were covered with algae and lichens, and others had dark gray peeling off the trunks. Many of the bottom of the trees were covered with lively, beautiful green plants up along the trees. The plants and large pine trees create the perfect setting any time of the day. Many of the branches on the pine trees were long, sharp, and twisted. While the barks of the trees seemed dull in color, the pine trees and pinecones contained lots of color and vibrancy. The pine trees create the ideal amount of shade, with hundreds of earthy-green plants and ferns. At my sit spot, I am surrounded by tall plants, with some plants having small holes in the as if insects had eaten through them. I had arrived at my sit-spot later in the evening at 6:30 pm, I could hear lots of animals and was surrounded by insects. Everything around me was so alive and awake, as the gentle breeze made the pines on the pine trees dance. There were small gnats and mosquitos that were active, but as the sun set beyond the mountains, the mosquitos had calmed down. The sunset had shined through the pine trees, shedding light on the active environment, as I felt safe and isolated in the warmth of the sun, but cool due to the temperature of the evening.
My experience at my sit-spot was very active from the amount of nature around me. Even though the sun was setting, there were lots of animals and insects that had came out at night to sing. I could see birds and squirrels running around me as I silently sat and observed. The cicadas would occasionally overpower a lot of the other noise, as if to show their dominance through sound. I was able to hear crickets and a supposed katydid as the sun had set, creating a darker sky and more active night. It was extremely fascinating to experience how alive nature was, whether it was light or dark out. I was able to witness a bird picking up sticks, as if to create a nest, or clear its path. The animals I had seen treated me as a foreigner on their territory at first, but after a while, they settled and were more comfortable with my presence. Upon arrival to my sit-spot, I could smell the dewy and sweet smell of the pine trees, and the plants. Later, I could smell the hay and manure from the horse stables on the top of the hill. As for the sky, I had arrived at the perfect time in which I observed the sun slowly setting beyond the mountains. At first, the sky was mostly white and light blue tinted, however it gradually changed into a reddish-orange view, deliberately revealing the many colors the sky contained, until finally setting at a darker blue.
The experience I had at my sit-spot was serene and alluring, as it was an epitome of something I have always wanted to do. I had been very stressed for the past week, so sitting outside and enjoying nature’s beauty was time well-spent and helpful. It made me realize how grateful I was to be in this position in life, and I should make the most out of precious moments. Watching the sunset and the lively rhythmic sounds of animals and insects, was like opening a new door to opportunities in getting involved with nature. I was able to clear my mind and focus on the present of what I was surrounded by. I truly enjoyed being outside and being able to later research on the things that I had observed.
Overall, I feel confident that I chose a sit-spot I will truly enjoy observing. For my next time at my sit-spot, I wish to go early in the morning and see how different it will be. It was a great experience to look further into things I would never normally notice being outside. I truly appreciated the art and beauty of becoming “connected” with my surroundings. I had a little bit of difficulty clearing my mind, but I am sure it will eventually become easier. I am thrilled to see how different things look at my sit-spot when the temperature and seasons start to change.
The three objects that I observed were the lichens on the tree in my Southwest direction, the pinecone on the tree directly in front of me (West), and the small plant with the triangle design in the center. I am going to observe the lichens on the tree and see how it is affected with the seasonal changes, and the growth of the pine tree. I will also be following the pinecone on the trees to see how they change, as well as the needle-like pines. Lastly, I want to follow the plants next to me and see if there are any more holes that an insect may have eaten through.
Lichens on tree
Pinecones on Pine Tree
Insect Eaten Plant
Hi! The description of your sit-spot is positively alluring and incredibly detailed. I like how in your drawing you identified the different plants and trees as to what they were. I could picture everything you wrote in my head and will be exited for your next blog post to see how your sit-spot differs in the early morning, then from the night time experience you had. Thanks and good job!
Your sit spot sounds so beautiful and serene. I felt like I was there in your shoes just looking around at the plants then up at the sky as it transformed. I hope you will get to see more animal activity and learn why the behave in the ways that they do. What type of bird did you see, blue-jay, crow, robin, starling, sparrow? (if you’re not sure its all good)
I love this. I felt like I was with you this whole time. Your pictures were so beautiful. I really liked how you said the insects came out to sing. I never thought of it that way, I always thought they just came out to make loud busy noise. I can’t wait for you to go in the morning and see what the insects act. Overall great job and I really enjoyed reading this.