2:15pm October 11
It was 75 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity was around 50%. The air had a musky smell to it, but the smell wasn’t overpowering. In the background there was the soft sound of a bunch or crickets somewhere off in the distance. The sun seemed to be very bright on this day and shined through the trees. When I was walking into my sit spot, I had noticed that the tree right before my sit spot had dropped some more of its fruit than I had remembered. Also, that the sit spot appeared to have more leaves on the ground where I sit. All around me the trees have started to lose leaves and change colors, yet a lot of them still did have their green leaves too. The leaves had fallen in the water, which had started to back up the water some. The areas where water could pass through had big ripples which streaked across the water.
The creek was very beautiful on this day with the sun shining brightly on it and all the ripples in it. The sun really brought out how the water was rippling. The water seemed to be low on this day due to the small drought which helped at getting the leaves stuck on the rocks poking out of the water. The sun was bringing out a bunch of things that one normally can’t see. Some of the things I saw on this day were the spiderwebs glistering in the sunlight and the small bugs that seemed to be dancing above the water. Within the water I would also see a bunch of white shells under the fallen over tree that rests over the creek. The small waterfall near my sit spot had started to clog up due to all the fallen leaves.
There were a lot more bug this time I visited my sit spot compared to last time. I saw two spider webs with the help of the sun, but I never saw any spiders in them. I also saw a ton of gnats dancing over the water. I also saw a water strider sailing across the water. The water strider would rest a little and let itself drift, then the water strider would go back upstream a little. The water strider did this for the entire time I was at my sit spot.
My three items don’t seem to have too much change. The moss on the rock did seem to get darker compared to last time. Even in the bright sunlight it still seemed darker. The roots seem to be the same with a little bit of extra leaf litter covering them. The sycamore tree seems to have more leaves that changed color. It also lost a little more leaves.
At the very end of my sit spot I got a tiny surprise. I looked at my leg and saw a tiny red spider on my right leg. I don’t know what it was exactly though. It was just there hanging from a little bit of web that was connected to my leg. I got excited from it and pulled out my phone a little early.
I’m curious about what happens to the moss as well! I don’t know enough about moss to predict what will become of it as the colder weather approaches. I’m sure there’s some significance to the fact that they are non-vascular but I think this could go either way- I’m leaning towards it being to their benefit because they can leach water very easily (perhaps from the air) and don’t have to photosynthesize as readily since they don’t grow very tall (because they’re nonvascular?). This is all speculation. Do you have any ideas?
Also, have you been able to identify what tree that fruit is coming from? I think your spot is upstream of me and I find those pits in my spot often. They make good snacks, apparently, because my spot is always littered with broken ones.
Nice blog!
That’s interesting on the spider. I also wonder what it is. Maybe the moss will continue on until it begins to snow or frost. Your blog layout is really easy to read.
It’s so interesting to me how different your interactions with the organisms in your environment are from mine, even though they’re in the same climate, and on the same campus! It really makes me wonder about how tiny ecosystems can be, and how drastically different they can be within a short distance from each other. You had some interesting experiences with moss, as well as your tiny red spider! For me, I am not nearby a creek so my interactions with my environment are different from yours. I just thought that was interesting! Love the pictures!