On the way to my sit spot

So my sit spot is a quick walk away from my backyard after following a small trail through some cul-de-sacs. This is my first viewpoint of my direction facing northeast from my neighborhood, this small stream under the bridge tends to dry up very quickly in the summer. It was a nice warm yet slightly cloudy afternoon when I decided to go to my sit spot. If not for the popular traffic that walks this way throughout the day this would have definitely been my sit spot.

Getting closer to my sit spot I note the time is 1:23 pm and I am immediately immersed in the singing of local birds. Just from peeking through the foliage, I can see a vivid red male cardinal singing on the top of an evergreen. I took the class backyard birds, one semester so it was fun to try and identify bird sounds I knew to pass the time, although I was very rusty. I close my eyes to try and listen more and I hear the buzzing of a bee close by along with the stream that’s behind the corner of my sit spot. I noticed the stream carries very distinct algae smell that stays on my hands after I pick up some river rocks.

I really like looking up at the canopies of the trees, as when it’s the brightest point of the day I get to look at the sunlight streaming through. I can hear more than seeing the screeching cicadas that come from all around me. The wind carries a slightly humid draft through the bushes that sway the leaves very gently. This all mixes together to create a cacophony of forest white noise.

I went on to focus on the three items I planned out to keep track of throughout the semester.

Baby (what I think is a cedar tree)

I picked some plants that have distinctive features and that stick out to me the most. One of the closest figures that stick out like a sore thumb is this baby cedar tree. Although it is small and it being summer and all I didn’t expect too many changes Although very small I can see that the leaves are sparse and I hope to see more roots and branches grow to show.

 

My next chosen object was this small field of ivy that has taken over a large part of the grove. I see that due to a lot of heavy rains it’s gotten very vibrant green. I wonder if it would dull or grow healthier with all the downpouring rains that have hit my area recently. As the weather gets colder, I’m am curious it the ivy will begin to recede later on or slowly start withering bit by bit.

Field of vines of some kind

 

The last object that I decided to follow for the semester is this small berry bush. Although I have seen these kinds of bushes throughout my neighborhood, I can’t say for sure I can identify them clearly. I believe these are pokeweed bushes or at least look alike. These seem to be still growing at this point into the summer so I wonder if they’ll last longer than the ivy. If they are edible please feel free to let me know and I would happily describe my experience later on, for science.

I believe a pokeweed bush