I could not help but notice the increased coldness outside. The breeze was chillier. I was thankful that I had brought a small blanket along with me as I put it on and enjoyed my view in a cozy and warm manner. Also, I do not know If it was just me but everything looked a lot more cooler-toned. I sensed a lack of warmth in my garden. Maybe it was the psychological effect of me thinking that winter is approaching?
During my 15 minutes, I focused on the dry bamboo leaves on the ground. I had noticed that there was a lot more in number. There were also some flowers and plants which had dried up. It was probably the dry and shriveled up leaves which made the bushes in my garden seem less full. There was a group of ants on the dry patch of grass right in front of me. It was unusual because I had always seen ants move in a line. But these ants were not. They were scattered all over the dry patch. I watched it as it slowly moved under the thick green grass near the dry patch. I had also noticed a few kites here and there in the sky. I really enjoyed looking at this view because I had never thought I would be back home for a festival that just passed by. It is called “Dashain” and it is when people all over Nepal fly kites. I felt very good after this realization.
The three things that I followed had a few changes. The yellow hibiscus plant was about the same height. However, the flower on the top of the plant had gotten much bigger. The flower that was on the bottom was no longer there. The rocks looked drier and less green. The bamboo bushes seemed much thicker since the last time I spent time in my sit spot. There were many more shoots growing high up in the sky as you can see in the picture. The one on the right is the picture I took today.
There were no changes in two of the plant species I had looked up in Inaturalist which were the fern plant and the donkey tail plant. The red flower plant which belongs to the Canna coccinea species was a different story. The last time I observed it during my time in the sit spot, it had a bunch of beautiful red flowers. However, today there were none. All the flowers had dried up. This kind of made me upset.
There were numerous plant species in my one square meter area. Firstly, the base of it was covered with grass. There were fern plants on the top left and right edges of the area next to the brick wall. I am still keen on finding out whether this fern plant is acting like an invasive species in my garden. (Hopefully not!) On the top left was a beautiful plant with yellow flowers. I think there must have been at least 7 species of plants in that small area. There were two types of fern-like plants next to each other. Also, dry leaves were scattered here and there.
Though I did not see much animal activity today in my garden, I had a lovely time observing the various plant species in my garden.
There’s so much diversity in your garden! It is disappointing when beautiful things disappear, hopefully those flowers will be back next year!
Good work, Sneha! It seems our sit-spots chose to be cold this time.
I would have loved to see those special ants that were not moving in a line but were in a patch.
It’s great that you noticed changes in the bamboo bushes you decided to focus on.
Nice observations Sneha – i particularly like your photos of the bamboo and descriptions of it!