The inherent nature of life is constant change. To fear change is to fear life itself.

-Jonathan Lockwood Huie

September 30th, 2019

6:00PM-7:00PM

If one was to take the not-so-beaten path between the VAC and Dana they’d soon be on their way to my little piece of paradise. Follow the pavement, passing the VAC on the left and Dana on the right. Walk through the parking lot and turn slightly right to the patch of trees directly behind Dana. Under the brush of the sycamore is where I enjoy laying out my mat and spending quality time with my deciduous friends.

While I tuned in for my session, I looked all about me and noticed the sycamore tree had an increase of spider webs, particularly on this one branch facing the NE. As it turns out it is actually the product of web worms! It basically looks like a spider TP-ed a house but with webs instead of toilet paper. The sycamore tree also had an increase of leaves with brown spots and holes in them. The Weeping Willow was looking quite similar as it did to my last blog post: hardly any leaves; only leaves at the top; vines growing up and down the trunk. Because the spider-web I was following blew away, I decided that the third object that I will be following will be the water levels and intensity of the stream that runs right in front of my sit-spot (SE). The stream appeared to have the same water levels and intensity as my last blog as well.

When prompted to explore my sit-spot I was compelled to get a closer look at the stream. The pebbles that made up a single riffle were bathed gently in the spring water, creating small ripples. A calm babbling sound emerged and became the focus of the up-close-and-personal experience. I witnessed a few Water Striders (Gerridae) enjoying the cool waters of the day. After walking back up the embankment, I walked over to a tree which is normally on the NE of my sit-spot. The tree had bark with raised, vertical ridge lines and teardrop- shaped leaves. The leaves were jagged on the ends, like shark teeth. The texture of the leaf felt smooth if you brushed the leaf toward the tip and a rough feeling if you went in the direction of the stem. Hopefully someone an assist me in finding the species of this tree soon enough. I chose the stream to examine because I was sure to see something moving; I also went o examine the unknown tree simply because I didn’t recognize it.

Walking around my site was fun! The opportunity to bring out the inner child within me and curious of my surroundings again is always a good time. Unfortunately, I never thought of going down the ledge of the stream before because of my fear to fall in or get muddy. However, I did it today and I learned that it’s okay to get a little dirty in the name of science. I also would have never seen my sit-spot from that perspective had I not been prompted to do so.

The adaptations I observed from the organisms within my sit-spot were difficult to think of. The Sycamore tree grew roots within the stream itself allowing itself to have a solid supply of water. This addresses the issue that terrestrial plants must hurdle over of having sufficient water in drought conditions. There is a species of spider that is so minuscule, you sometimes have to squint to see them. They create their webs and hang upside down in them, perhaps to conserve energy when the wind blows; being on the underside of the web automatically protects the spider from hard hitting winds. I also had the theory of the spidering living on the underside of the web to put some type of barrier between it and predators which address concerns of predation. Lastly, my lovely Willow tree has created roots, both Ariel and underground, to receive the most water as possible. Coming up with observations about adaptations was difficult for me as I had never really though like that in the field before. Thankfully, I sat there long enough to realize just how nicely evolution set up these organisms for success!

Sincerely, Tia