11/12/2020 3:30-4:48pm 55℉ Cloudy with some sprinkling

The weather we had received because of the hurricane has made some changes to my sit spot. The first thing I noticed was that the creek’s water level is the highest it has ever been when I am there. The speed of the water has accelerated as well. The ground around the creek has been exposed to the water rushing from the creek flooding. On the side of the creek I sit on there was minimal leaves and branches, but the other side had an abundance of leaves and larger branches.

The storm took my dead log that I have been watching. I am still sad about this. The log was my favorite thing to watch because it had changed the most compared to the rock and bush. I suspect that the log is close by in the creek but since the water was so murky, I couldn’t be sure. The space left by the log is mostly mud with some grass growing. The rock was completely submerged in the creek. Even though I could not see it, I think that the sediment around the rock will be the bigger rocks because of the flow of the river. There are definitely no eddy parts it is all riffle! The bush has made some progress towards change but not much. The berries are continuing to shrivel up and fall but the leaves are now starting to change colors. It has almost been two months since I started observing this space. I wish that I had thought more about specific things to look at in my objects instead of just the overall change in the objects.

The creek is always changing. As stated in the song Just Around the Riverbend “the water is always changing, always moving.” The creek has never been the same ever time I have come to observe my area. The water level, amount of dead leaves, and water flow are just a few characteristics that have changed. Sometimes I wonder how different my experience would be if I had chosen the creek as one of my objects that I specifically watched. The trees around me also are changing with their leaves and animals that use the trees for their homes. The tree that is directly in front of where I sit has completely changed its colors since last week. The once green leaves are now a bright yellow. The picture on the left is the tree from this week and the right is the tree from last week.

Decomposition and competition play a huge role in my sit spot space. Decomposition is crucial to any environment for life to survive. The decomposers have a lot of work to do with the dead leaves, branches, and other organic material. The nutrients that go back to the soil from these dead organisms are critical for plants to grow and give energy to other organisms like the birds and squirrels. Competition is everywhere in my sit spot. The plants fighting for the nutrients from decomposition is a great example. I have also been surprised by how much squirrels and birds attack each other.

I will leave with you the identity of the tree that sits right in front of me. I was able to use inaturalist to find out that it is an American Elm tree. Being able to have names for the organisms around me has helped me appreciate them more, especially the insects. I have grown to love my sit spot. I never thought that I would actually like being there, but I do.