Isabella- Finding My Spot

9/15, 6:30-7:42pm, clear skies and temperature around 80˚F

Being a commuter student, I selected my backyard as my sit-spot not only out of convenience but because of the wildlife I tend to see. From birds and butterflies to squirrels, rabbits, and deer, we see it all! We recently redid our screened-in porch, and I have been sitting outside in the evenings. I try during the day, but it is so hot! We do have curtains to block some sun and a fan in the ceiling, but evenings are definitely the most comfortable. From my screened-in porch, I have a great view of my entire backyard. Immediately outside of the porch is where I sit and watch the environment around me.

I love sitting outside with my grandmother and watching the variety of bird species that come to our bird seed feeder. We have seen cardinals, finches, robins, blue birds, sparrows, and other species we have not been able to identify. Squirrels also raid the bird feeder. They tend to gather beneath to eat the seeds birds have discarded or dropped. There was a chipmunk in the early summer mornings along with a couple squirrels who would come and store up on food. Seeing him shove the seeds into his cheeks and watching his cheeks grow by the minute was quite the sight. We sit about 5 feet from them on the screened-in porch and maintain silence to ensure they do not flee. I did spot a couple gray hummingbirds a couple weeks ago at the hummingbird feeder my father put out, but none have come since. I took the hummingbird feeder down and replaced it with the bird seed feeder, which normally hangs on that pole. I attempted to pull up the pole to relocate the feeder closer to the primary tree for my sit-spot but found it to be stuck. My dad will move it when he gets a chance, and I look forward to seeing if there is even more bird activity at the tree.

Beginning my journaling, I first noticed the position of the sun in the sky. The sun was setting since I began at 6:30pm. I live in a valley, and the sun was setting behind the mountain directly in front of me. The bright, neon orange sun could be seen to the left of the primary tree. I then narrowed my focus on the tree. I was not sure what kind of tree this was, so I later asked my father who said it was a sugar maple tree. The fullness of the tree stood out, even though I could see gaps where the sky could be seen. The leaves are still a very vibrant green, as they have been all summer, and have not begun to change color. A few leaves had fallen to the ground but very few. This told me that nature is in the early stages of fall. The tree was planted about 20 years ago and has been in my backyard since I can remember. The trunk looks very different than I remember from my childhood. Roughness and cracks in the bark were noticeable to me because I remember the bark being smooth like the branches in the pictures below. A spider web at the base of a branch then came to my attention, but I saw no spider in the web. I wondered what kind of spider spun that web, how long the web has been there, and if the spider has made a new home somewhere else. The web looks like it was successful in trapping some gnats. I did not see any other insects on the tree. A couple small, white butterflies were flying low to the ground. Their bodies looked triangular when still. I heard birds and saw a few robins fly by, but I did not hear or see nearly as many birds in my backyard as I would in the morning and afternoon. I also heard insects I believed to be crickets and cicadas. I knew they must have been nearby due to the closeness of the sound, even though I could not see them. These kinds of noises are very familiar to me because I sit on my back porch frequently during the spring, summer, and fall in the evenings. The air smelled slightly like dirt, but I did not detect any other scents. The sky became darker after the sun had set completely behind the mountain. The sky looked like it faded from a white into a baby blue as I looked farther up. There were very few thin clouds when I came outside, but at this time, the sky was completely clear.

I know many organisms must live in this space and inhabit the tree although I saw very few. Countless insects must reside just below the surface of the mulch at the base of the tree. The tree’s roots must extend deep into the ground, but I wondered how deep. Some roots are also visible above the ground because they had pushed their way up. I wonder how much water this tree requires per day, how much oxygen it produces, and how many organisms it supports.

Focusing on my surroundings and leaving all the thoughts about school, the future, and what I need at the grocery store was easier than I expected. My mind wandered in the beginning; however, I feel this is very normal. After a short time, I found myself being more in-tune and attentive to what was going on around me- the sounds, smells, and sights. Doing my first sit-spot journal in the evening was comfortable and relaxing; however, I am thinking the morning or early afternoon will yield more activity. Over the summer, I woke up early several mornings and sat on the porch while eating breakfast and really enjoyed watching all the critters attracted to the bird feeder. I firmly believe, like many things, this is a learning experience. Getting into a groove with the process will come over time. Being able to tune in faster and spotting important environmental changes will become easier as time goes. With fall around the corner, I expect to be writing about leaves changing color!

My focal objects: I took an overview picture of the sugar maple tree and bird feeder in my sit-spot. As I describe it in my journal, I wanted to show the texture of the bark on the trunk as opposed to the soft texture of the branches. The spider web is shown as well, unfortunately lacking a spider. Lastly, I included a photo of a leaf on the sugar maple tree. At some point, I would like to do a leaf rubbing and include it in my blog.