I went to do my sit time after I got off of work on Sunday, I got there around six and left at almost seven. At first I struggled with trying to figure out what i wanted to use, I looked at some bushes, a few trees, and a mushroom; but I decided to use this vine that is growing inside of a dead tree. It fascinates me how something can live off of another thing that is dead. The vine is directly next to me when I am usually sitting in my spot, the tree it is growing in is one of my three things that I am following over the sit spot times. So I do not really know anything about plants, besides the difference in a tree, flower, and a bush; therefore, this was hard for me to identify it. After a few hours of trying I identified my organism as The commonly known purple winter creeper ( Euonymus Fortunei). The winter creeper is a non- native species, it needs partial to full sunlight exposure to survive. Some people use these plants as a part of their garden as decoration, it is recommended that it is watered at least weekly. The plant is a favorite food of many insects, causing people who have them in their garden a world of trouble. Trying to identify my organism was a very challenging task for me, so i started with an image search and of course there was like fifty plants that all looked the same. I went to another website and studied different ways that plants are identified and looked at the shape, edge, and veins on the leaves of the vine. I found it difficult to name the vine for which type it was, due to many of them being in the same family and looking almost similar. The final thing i took into account to name the vine was the overall appearance and location of the vine and where it grows in Virginia. Overall I had fun trying to find and identify an organism and this will help me in the long run with my independent project. When I first started my obeservation it was pretty boring because I didnt really realize what to look for, until i started looking at the shape, color and overall characteristics of the vine and its leaves. Like looking to see if had any flowers or notable features. In the end this was a rewarding time spent.
Hello!
I am glad that you were able to identify your organism despite it being a challenging experience! As you had mentioned, I hope this is a good help for when you are carrying out your independent project, and that the research skills will come in handy!
I am glad you had fun identifying your organism and the fact that you were able to actually find the species name is cool! I know I struggled finding mine and even had to ask 3 people for help so kudos to you!