Date: 11/02/2019
Start time= 5:16 pm
End time= 6:06 pm
Temperature= 57 F
Today, my blog spot looked completely different. I just had an intercultural reception before coming to my blog spot, which ensured a full tummy before coming into one of the most beautiful places on campus. My blog spot looked absolutely beautiful. As I approached my blog spot, it felt like I was entering a scene from a movie. There were leaves of different colors everywhere. Leaves from individual trees came together to show an amalgam of the natural beauty of fall. The trees were rustling and with every rustling, at least a leaf would fall, some into the water, some on top of each other and some to cover more space in the ground. My eyes were first greeted by three squirrels that were fighting on one of the tallest trees there. Two of them were fighting whereas the other one kept following them. But there was an unexpected silence when I walked in. I think I am too used to the insects that make noise as I enter but today there weren’t any insects around me to do that, which made me miss them more. It could have been because of the changing temperature that their presence today was very scarce.
The first thing I did after my 15 minutes was looking at the three objects of focus. I have definitely started having a deep interest in my objects. I always end up going to the first:
- Winterberry Cherries: The cherries are very dead at this point. Some of the stems that I thought were growing new berries died instead. However, one of the most interesting things I saw today was on this plant. I saw a small white house-like object on the tree that had black and white stripes on them. I went closer to check out what they were, and there were tons of big black ants walking through them. It looked like some kind of feather material but it was definitely something that didn’t fall on it but was rather made. It was very strongly attached to the plant.
- The Water Strider: Interestingly enough, the stream is filled with water now. The rainy days definitely helped, but at the same time, the controlled temperature does not allow heavy evaporation. I had expected to see a lot of water striders today but I ended up seeing only 3-4 that were struggling to stay in the stream. I kept thinking where the striders might have gone? Did the flowing water take them away or are they hidden away from the flow of water and temperature?
- The fallen piece of branch: A few nights ago, the weather was very windy, which made me expect that there were a lot of fallen branches in my blog spot. I was correct, there were definitely some branches on the ground. Although my branch of interest is no longer there, there were some new ones that made up for that particular one. Some of them looked fresh whereas others looked buried in the leaves. I hope this one serves as a home of some organism just like how the other one did!
The breeze and the soft rustle of leaves wanted me to take as much as I could of the moment. So for a few minutes, I decided to close my eyes and sit in my spot taking in everything that the moment wanted me to. I heard the soft rustle of the trees that made every leaf fall. I heard leaves crunch as if someone were walking on them (which I am pretty sure someone was). The small waterfall by the stream was gargling out water which made one of the calmest sounds that made me even more calmer. In a distance, I could hear some birds chirping and flying from one tree to the other. I wished to be able to see like a bird would. Within seconds I felt like I connected to them. I was suddenly now looking at the blog spot from their view, and I saw myself feeling so calm in the middle of all of the stories that had engulfed the Beale garden.
There were so many things going on around me but at the same time, it felt so empty. I tried focusing on something for the next few minutes so that I could get my thoughts together. I tried hard but I couldn’t find anything very different from what I had already seen in the spot. But with a few more minutes of struggle, I saw something that I never thought I would have; a cacoon. Although I had to stretch a little, this view was worth it! In a small plant near me, I saw a cocoon dangling on the edge of one of the leaves. These leaves were needle-like, long and thin. The cocoon was dark brown in color with a golden line of dots on one side of it. When I tried looking closely at it, there was a shape visible in the outside. It looked like there were eyes and wings being formed. Since there wasn’t a lot to look at in the cocoon, I tried studying what and how it looked like instead. It was dangling in a thin petiole like a thing of its own. I had a lot of questions in my mind. Why did the cocoon have the golden, shiny dots? Was it to scare away predators since the cocoon would remain stationary for some time, and are prone to be attacked? But wouldn’t the shine invite more predators towards it? Or was it trying to mimic something from another plant to save itself? My mind kept going back to what we studied in class.
In the past couple of weeks, I have grown with my blog spot around me. There have been stories that we have shared. I must be one of those hundreds of people that the trees encounter in their lifetime but being a part of their long story is a blessing itself. Comparing how the garden has changed in the past few weeks, I feel a lot of emotional changes. The area is filled with fallen leaves. Some of those leaves are either yellow, red or orange. Some of them, however, are still on the trees and make the trees look like a piece of the sun came to the earth. They are bright yellow, making those trees stand out. The noise of insects has decreased massively in the past few weeks, which also means a lot fewer bugs that bite me which is nice. They must have gone to hibernation because of the changing seasons. The stream that was so dry is now filled with water, and is boasting tons of animals and leaves on it, is a house not just for organisms but also for decomposing leaves.
I saw a big leap in the way my blog spot used to look like. Today I understood a lot about how our environment around us gives a lot of lessons that are applicable in real life. Change is inevitable and is a part of us. We are all a big part of nature but at the same time, nature is that one thing that makes everything worth it for us! Imagine a world without the changing leaves, or the chirping of birds, their presence makes days easier and beautiful.
What a complete sit-spot experience! I really like the photos you’ve included- there seems to have been notable development at your spot. I’m particularly fascinated by the white ant-covered growth- I wonder if it isn’t a fungus of some sort? It could be fun to follow if there is an impact on the branch itself.
I’m also intrigued by the cocoon– it seems rather late and cold for a cocoon to hatch now. I’m no entomologist, of course, but a cursory internet search identifies that cocoon as looking rather close to a monarch cocoon, which is unseasonal given they migrated closer to the beginning of the semester, right? Based on the coloring, the internet also suggests the cocoon could be diseased, some kind of virus. It’s a neat find!
K
Udi! I always love reading your posts because of how through you are with your descriptions and thoughts. I related to when you said “There were so many things going on around me yet I felt so empty.” It’s funny how that works isn’t it? Great blog.
I so appreciate the detail and engagement you bring to your blog and to your space. I love what you have discovered and I am interested to see what unfolds in your space as the term draws to a close and winter settles in. Well done!