My sketch of my sit-spot

The photograph of my sit-spot view

I decided to pick a sit-spot near the pond because it is close to the Randolph residence hall and has good shade to sit under for observations. I knew the pond was filled with life, and I wanted to watch both land and aquatic species share the space. I was tempted to pick an area on one of the hills, but I did not want to sit out in the sun, and I knew that there would not be as many plants to observe in the open.  This area is close to the road but feels secluded due to the large trees and lack of foot traffic. My sit spot is located right under a large tree where I am facing the pond and tennis courts, which is mostly out of view, making it a peaceful area to sit in, despite being a home to all sorts of insects that wanted to get onto my blanket and me. I figured being by the trees as the seasons change would provide a lot to observe and watch as time goes on. I also wanted to see if the pond would become cleaner over time as the surface “gunk” travels out of the pond and into the creek. The area also provides a beautiful view of the mountains in the far distance, as well as some beautiful willow trees nearby. There were also tons of fallen leaves surrounding my sit-spot, which I knew would make it an interesting place to observe.

The tree I will be observing and using for shade

 

The area I chose to sit was quite bumpy, though the feeling of being in nature allowed me to ignore it (for the most part anyways.) As I was walking to my spot I almost walked right into a large spider’s web, which made me a lot more cautious as I traversed through the trees near the athletic building. I knew that the sound of the cicadas would be the strongest sound while I observed everything, especially since I sat right under a tree where some were perched and calling out. The calls from the cicadas lasted through my entire session of observation from all directions, as they occasionally got louder and quieter.  Due to the placement of the pond, I could hear cars, golf carts, lawn mowers, and trailers as they went past on the road nearby, though their sounds were nothing compared to the cicadas. When I sat down, I noticed several insects flying around me and many more trying to run across my blanket while I silently watched them. A few butterflies came by, but I was mostly surrounded by what appeared to be wasp-like insects weaving in through the grass and some very curious spiders.

The green algae gunk I will be observing

The clouds above me seemed to be ready to drop rain down on me, so the wind began blowing and dropping leaves on me from the tree above, though the birds seemed unphased by the strong winds as they called out for each other. While watching forward, I happened to notice a few aquatic species making their appearance briefly, as they did not realize I was there. I got the chance to watch two different species of turtle poke their head out of the water, though I was unable to get a picture fast enough, as they immediately spotted me. I did, however, get the chance to watch a school of beautiful fish with light blue tails swim past right in front of me after I spotted a huge fish with an orange tail that seemed to be as long as my forearm. Earlier on in my observations, there were ripples and bubbles in the water, which I am sure was from the schooling fish and the turtles swimming just below the surface.

 

Overall, I was initially excited to do this assignment, as it gives me an excuse to sit outside without my other schoolwork. I made the mistake of not doing it earlier on due to being forgetful, so it was stressful to find a spot in my day where I had the time to go sit and observe without interruption, but once I was outside, I felt much better and less stressed. While sitting by the pond, seeing the various animals make appearances got me rather excited, even though I was unable to catch all of them on a photo. In the future, I will likely try to do my sit-spots on weekends or days that I don’t have a full schedule, as I had to skip lunch today to be able to have the hour outside for observation before I went to my equestrian lesson.  It was also interesting to note how many different plants there were, many of which I was unable to identify, but I recognized many of them from back home in Virginia Beach.

A large branch I will be observing

 

For my three things, I decided to monitor 1) the tree I was sitting under, as the leaves are already turning brown and falling to the ground, 2) a nearby fallen branch, and 3) the green gunk in the pond, which covers at least half of the water’s surface and likely creates the smell I was able to pick up on. I feel that watching the natural items change through the seasons will provide an interesting experience for me, as I am not used to having many trees that change color since my backyard has one very large oak tree and some pine trees.