^^These were taken on the day of my first sit spot session on September 15th, 2019. The first three are my objects I was observing throughout the semester and the others are general pictures of my sit spot.
^^These were all taken on December 4th, 2019-the last sit spot session. The first 3 are the 3 objects I observed and the others are images of my sit spot in general.
My first object I was observing over the course of the semester was this tree. The left one is from September 15th and the right one is for December 4th of 2019.
This is my second object I was watching over the semester-the moss and algae on this rock. Its view was obstructed in the right picture, which was taken on December 4th of 2019. The left was taken on the first sit spot date: September 15th, 2019.
The left picture is from September 15th and the right picture is for December 4th of 2019. These are pictures of the pinecones I was watching over the course of the semester.
These are images of the willow tree next to my sit spot. The left one is from September 15th and the right one is for December 4th of 2019.
These are images are of the pine canopy above me and the trees to the left of my sit spot. The left one is from September 15th and the right one is for December 4th of 2019.
December 4th, 2019 4:25-5:37p.m.
My sit spot has changed drastically over the course of this semester. Since my last session was at night, many things changed. The air wasn’t foggy, the willow lost the rest of its leaves, it is not as frigid outside, and now it is super windy (last session there was no breeze at all). However, I still couldn’t see any fish, the pine tree canopy above me still had needles, there was a lot of leaf litter in the pond water, and the grass seems to have grown on average a centimeter longer than it was in the beginning of the sit spot (it was long these past 2 sessions). Comparing it to my first sit spot made me realize all the changes it had. Since my first sit spot, the trees and bushes went from green and luscious to brown and bare. The temperature dropped drastically as well, and the cool breeze from the beginning has turned into a harsh, cold wind. Furthermore, at my first sit spot I heard and saw so many animals and insects, but now I couldn’t see or hear anything besides plants and the wind. The moss in the pond has remained consistent, but the wind is now so strong that it made ripples in the pond and moved the moss and algae to the South and Southeast side of the pond. Other than that, I haven’t found any large changes since my last session.
I decided to follow the moss on a submerged rock, pinecones on the forest floor beside me, and a tree across the pond. I thought these would be easy to track, but I was wrong. I saw the rock in the water all of one time throughout this entire semester. The rest of the times it was either covered by floating algae, or the sky was dark and stormy so I couldn’t see clearly into the water. I lost my pinecones about halfway through. Either they decomposed at an extremely quick rate, or human or wildlife interference moved them from where they were previously. Before I lost them, I noticed them getting softer and less crispy-a sign of decomposition occurring. Thankfully the tree didn’t move, so I got to see it go from being a green machine to turning bright red and orange to it becoming a skeleton of its former self. It lost all its leaves, and it is much skinnier than I initially thought it would be. It had such big leaves that I thought it would need to be thicker to support their weight, but apparently, I was wrong. I noticed that there were a lot of nut/seeds on the top tiers of the tree, and I was thinking this may aid in their seed dispersal because they are easily available to birds flying at the canopy height. This experience has really allowed me to open my eyes to the small changes present throughout the seasons-ones that I would have missed if I wasn’t looking for them.
I feel like I gained a new love for nature through this sit spot. I’ve always loved being in nature, but this made me want to forest bathe more. Forest bathing is taking 3-7 minutes out of your day to just sit and appreciate and enjoy nature. I do it regularly but I learned that I need to do it more so I can have more peace and balance in my life. I felt so calm and relaxed after each session, and I want to do it more so I can be more relaxed in my daily life. I am always rushing around and I need time to just sit and be (if that makes sense). This was my first east coast fall and winter, which was super cool to witness firsthand. I probably wouldn’t have noticed as many of the changes as I did if I wasn’t outside looking and listening for things. This experience has definitely made me want to spend more time in nature than I already do. I’ve noticed myself listening more to my surroundings instead of subconsciously drowning out the extra noises-it’s super relaxing to just listen and look. Additionally, I am finding myself looking for small insects and little details when I am out in nature instead of just noticing trees and larger animals.
By far the coolest thing I experienced in my sit spot sessions was watching my first real fall. I’ve never seen leaves turn colors and fall before, and I got to see it and I was so stoked. It was all so beautiful! I am definitely going to remember my first real east coast fall for years to come. I feel like I will also always remember a moment I had in the beginning of my first sit spot session. I closed my eyes and focused on listening to what was around me and I didn’t realize how much I subconsciously blocked out and it made me smile so widely. Now I try to make sure that I don’t drown any noise out because it is so calming and relaxing to hear it. That moment is still so vivid in my head, so I am sure I will remember that for years too.
Hey!
Coming from SoCal as well, I definitely loved witnessing my first real fall and I am so glad that you really enjoyed it as well! It will be interesting when we transition into full on winter and into spring here in Virginia. I’m sure it will also be amazing!
Fall in Virginia is the best part I believe of what nature has to offer here in this state. I have lived overseas on the Mediterranean in which fall does not occur the same, so I could totally see where you are coming from. Out of all the blogs I have read through your experience I think has had the biggest significant because of you coming from such a warm place. Also, quite interesting to see that the rock on the moss you were following disappeared probably due to how much rain we are having, but still an interesting update.
I am so glad you got to experience fall, especially this years fall! Fall is definitely the best season!