Gabrielle’s Sit Spot 4

2:50pm to 3:55pm, Weather was chilly. 11/5/19

Walking back to my sit-spot in the chilly autumn weather is a feeling I can’t describe. The cold air felt more substantial than usual and had no scent. The scent change didn’t stop me from seeing the changes around me, however. Suddenly I realized how bright the area was, as most trees had lost their leaves. There were no ants on the ground, only gnat-like bugs flying. The leaves on the ground had small holes in them, signaling decomposition! The area was almost unrecognizable from how I’ve last seen it.

Firstly, I just looked around to see all of the differences; the lack of leaves or sounds was my first news. The area was almost barren of sound; only the highway could be heard. Despite being by the creek, it was barely indistinguishable from a cricket. Bird calls were few and far between too. Only three birds called while I was there, two at once and one later. I could even hear the leaves rustling as the wind blew through what was left of them, but only when the wind blew. Overall, the transition of winter is quiet, almost smothering you with silence.
Then I realized a new addition to the landscape, the trees I had been following had distinct and red holly berries on them. These berries brought me into a cheery mood, as holly is a wintertime classic; however, holly berries are poisonous to most animals, so I wondered how the population of birds and squirrels were affected by it. I noticed my distinct branch pile was also disturbed, as it looked to have a new, thicker, addition. I thought it was my main tree at first, but I couldn’t recognize it.
Focusing on the nearby tree, I finally saw my ant friends. Only a few were crawling up the bark, and I quickly lost them if I looked away for too long, but seeing a familiar face was refreshing. The tree also had a small bird land on one of its barren branches, and it had a brown underside with two distinct white squares on each wing! It called out as well, being the third call that day, but flew off as quickly as it came.
Overall, the sit-spot seemed to be hibernating, almost. So quiet with barely any noise, almost like a sleeping bear. The difference in plant-life was fascinating to look at, however, as I would have never noticed the species of trees until their berries sprouted. I think that the evolution of the sit-spot is fascinating, as the differences can be so sudden, yet so simple…