Zoë J. Blog Post 1  

9-13-20, 11:27 a.m-12:41 p.m. Very cloudy, Temperature was around 81, slightly strong breeze coming in from the northeast 

My sit-spot is in a fenced-in backyard, covered in bright green grass. The grass is patchy, and in these patches lie brown and green moss. Scattered above this layer of mossy grass are broken twigs, fallen dehydrated leaves, acorns, and colonies of ants who call this place home. Directed right in front of my chair stands a large tree, it has thick above-ground roots, a decent height trunk, but it is not very tall. What makes it enormous is its branches (14 to be exact) and twigs that stretch out very far, so its width is large. Growing from this tree are a couple of vines from the trunk and two little pine trees from the roots. Shadowing this tree is another that is much smaller in scale, but has similarities with its long branches. The reason I decided on this sit-stop is due to the location; it gives me the ability to tune into the environment around me to my best potential. There isn’t much noise; I have little to no distractions. It is also fenced in, so I don’t have to worry about a lot of human foot traffic. With that said, this makes for a great sit spot to me.   

With this being my first experience at a sit-spot it started quite challenging. There was a lot of auditory and visual stimulation all at once, which made it hard for me to concentrate on specific things. I knew I needed to focus on my surroundings, so I closed my eyes and tuned into the sounds around me. I could hear the chirping of insects from the west and screeching of crows from the south. I distinctly heard an acorn hitting to the ground to my north and the buzzing of a wasp that was too close for comfort. I felt the dense moisture in the air upon my skin and the fresh smell of rain near making it’s way up my nostrils. I also felt a gentle breeze pushing in from the northeast while finally connecting with the environment around me. Prior to opening my eyes, I counted to ten and focused on the first thing that I saw. It was the tree directly in front of me; the wood is chipped and cracked but formed together like a puzzle piece. It looked to be brittle like it would crumble with just one touch. From its cracks grew deep green colored vines that trickled down the trunk of the tree. At the foot of the tree laid its fallen branches that it could no longer support with the fall approaching soon I’m sure more will soon join them. At the same time, I noticed this tree was supporting life. At the root of the tree were two tiny pine trees that called this tree home. I observed at the top of the trunk, the branches of the tree continued to flourish with leaves, holding on tightly and thick as ever.  I could hear the rustling of critters in them; however, due to there denseness, I couldn’t tell what it was. This tree was a huge apart of my observation and stood out to me.    

My focal objects: I decided one of the tiny pine trees growing on the roots of the big tree would be an excellent focus. I was interested in the pine tree because I want to observe its growth or overall survival with fall and winter vastly approaching. Will it continue to grow with these changing temperatures? or will it die off at the start of its growth? I would also like to figure out how the host tree benefits this pine and what type of relationship they have. Did the wind blow this pine to this tree, or did it produce it? I have a lot of questions that I hope to answer with further observation 

 

My second focal object is an irregular-shaped wooden object that I saw on the ground by the tree. It has holes and cracks on its surface that ants were slipping in and out of. Was it a hive or nest of some sort? I was unsure but intrigued; I want to know if they are inhabiting it, or just using it to gather nutrients and materials. My hope is with more observation I’ll get some clarity on this thing. 

 

My third focal object is a big tree that is rooted directly in front of me. It is a beautiful tree and for some reason, I am drawn to it. I know it must serve as a tremendous factor in the growth, shelter, and survival of a lot of ecological systems in this backyard. I want to learn more about its duties in this environment and how seasonal climate change will affect it.