daabj's Journal

This week I went on a hunt for invertebrates. My hunt proved to be somewhat difficult as I ventured out into the sprinkling rain after my 10am class. As I walked by to upper campus I kept my eyes peeled for anything I could find, but with the rain and cooling weather, most insects were tucked away. In order to find any organisms I had to really search. As I continued my walk up I made multiple stops to get down closer to the ground and see if there was anything around. I found myself moving some leaves and sticks around as all of the fall foliage is beginning to fall from the trees, and was able to find some organisms hiding, attempting to stay dry. Many of the organisms were very small and blended in with the foliage, and trying to get pictures was a little difficult as they continued to move/jump around from leaf to leaf. But eventually I was able to get good enough photos. I also was surprised to find a yellowjacket under an acorn. When I flipped over the acorn the yellowjacket was on its back, and I wasn't sure if it was injured or even alive! But luckily once I flipped him over he started to crawl away, so I'm sure he's okay now as long as he can stay dry.

This week while at home for fall break I was able to take advantage of a gorgeous fall day and go to a reservation near my house. With fall weather becoming more prominent it was a little chilly walking through the trails in the more woodsy areas of the reservation, but when the sun hit it was a perfect temperature. There weren't a lot of other people when I went out in the morning, but I saw one family on another trail enjoying their time outside the same way I was. On my walk I was able to see tons of different organisms in the densely populated woods.With the coming of colder weather there are a lot of changing leaves, but there are also tons of leaves that haven't changed from their bright green color. I also didn't see very many animals or insects on the nature walk, which I was a little surprised about. I could hear birds in the trees around me, but didn't see anything except for one spider, some ants eating a berry, and a small chipmunk. Overall the experience was very enjoyable and once again relaxing as I just got to spend some time outside on a beautiful day.

Today I went on a walk around the neighborhoods behind upper campus. It was another lovely day outside. It was a little warm, but partly cloudy and with so many tall trees it was a super nice temperature in the shade. Though there are a lot of organisms that aren't wild, I was able to look closely at my surroundings and find a couple cool naturally occurring organisms living all around the more developed area. It was very relaxing to be outside on such a beautiful day, and I would definitely recommend going around these neighborhoods as a challenge- it's definitely a little harder to find non-captive organisms, but it was a fun way to appreciate all of the organisms we may pass by each day without even knowing.

Today I went on a walk around the reservoir right by campus. It was a gorgeous day outside, right around 70 degrees with a little breeze. There was a lot of different people outside, running, walking, chatting, etc. In terms of my observations, I was surprised to find so many different types of berries while on my walk. Just while walking in that small area I was able to find three that looked completely different. There were also many different types of bushes and trees along the side of the path, as well as tons of different smaller grasses and plants along the waterline. I also saw some chipmunks, swans and other birds, but many were too quick for me to take a photo. It was very relaxing and enjoyable to get outside on such a nice day and take a break from working.