claudiapritchyk's Journal

I decided to go for a nature walk when I was home for Thanksgiving break. I thought it would be a good way to re-familiarize myself with the natural environment in my area. As opposed to some of my nature walks earlier in the semester, I had a much different experience this time. I noticed that, at this point in the year, practically all the leaves have fallen off the trees and many of the insects and plants I would have encountered previously were not evident on my walk. This made it difficult to find insect species, which I was primarily searching for. Luckily, on my walk, I encountered pleasant weather. Even though it is rather late in the year, the temperature was so warm that I didn't need to wear a jacket. It was sunny and slightly windy. As I began searching for insects, I realized it would be much more difficult than I realized. I ended up searching for much longer than I thought it would take. However, I eventually found what I was looking for. After rolling over logs, flipping large rocks, and looking behind loose tree bark, I found spiders, worms, and caterpillars. To my surprise, I also encountered a frog in the middle of the road, as well as a rabbit. Despite my initial difficulties in finding these animals, the experience was fun and fulfilling.

During the afternoon today I decided to go for a walk to Houghton Garden. It was the perfect time to go for a walk because the weather was rather warm for a fall day. It was slightly windy but not too chilly. I noticed that from the last time I went there, many more leaves had fallen onto the ground. The trail running throughout the garden was practically covered in leaves and branches. Leaves of all different colors were floating on top of the creek and the lagoon. Multiple people were walking around with their dogs at this time of day. As I began walking around, I tried to look for ferns, evergreen trees, flowering plants, and mosses. I found almost everything relatively quickly except the flowering plants. The moss and evergreen trees were the easiest to find, as I saw many pines, spruces, and a variety of mosses throughout the duration of my walk. I assume that due to the time of year and the amount of leaves covering the garden floor, this was the reason I didn't spot many flowers. However, on my walk back to campus, I happened to find a little cluster of flowers along the base of a tree. This was the perfect observation to end with before heading back. Overall, I had a wonderful time experiencing the beautiful garden in the fall weather and appreciate the many different species of plants I was able to find.

In between classes today, I decided to join a group of fellow classmates to walk near campus and look for fungi. We left campus and headed toward Houghton Garden, which is right off Hammond Street. It was lightly raining as we were walking through the garden. However, the rain made the walk that much more beautiful. Additionally, the weather was the perfect temperature, not too hot or too cold. I never knew this small garden existed and was very impressed by the beauty of it, especially during this time of year when the leaves are changing. Once I entered the gated area, I started walking along a little trail that loops around the trees. I reached the middle of the garden and noticed a small stream running through the center. The raindrops and colorful leaves were falling graciously into the water. Due to the rain, I didn't see many squirrels or chipmunks, who I assume were taking shelter from the weather. However, I observed many different species of trees, leaves, weeds, and, most importantly, fungi. Initially it was difficult to spot the fungi, but once I found one mushroom, it seemed as though there was fungi everywhere. I'm sure this patch of greenery and wildlife is the perfect environment for fungi to grow; the ground was mostly damp and full of soil and plant debris. I observed fungi of all different sizes, shapes, and colors. Some fungi stood alone, and others grew in colonies. I discovered some in the grass and others on trees. Overall, I was shocked by the amount of fungi I found. I loved exploring the garden as well as searching for different kinds of fungi. It was an amazing experience and I hope to go back in the near future.

On a brisk fall afternoon, I decided to go for a walk through the Pine Tree Preserve, which is right off campus. The weather was sunny, chilly, and slightly windy. It was the perfect day to walk through this small patch of trees and observe the greenery and wildlife. I noticed that the trees started to transform. They were now filled with a vast array of oranges, yellows, reds, and browns. As I noticed some of the leaves that had already fallen, I also noticed all the other organisms on the ground of the trees. I was fascinated by the wild berries, the moss spread across the grass, the many weeds, insects, rabbits, and birds that I found. I continued to walk around for about 15 minutes before I decided to walk around the reservoir. On my way back to campus I walked through the preserve for about another 15 minutes. This time I found even more beautiful plants and leaves. I thought the Tree-of-Heaven was particularly beautiful. It was overall a fulfilling experience and a great opportunity to appreciate the nature so close to where I live.