juliafratamico's Journal

On November 22, 2022, I walked around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir by myself. The weather was cold and my hands were numb by the end of the 35-minute walk. The landscape was very different from when I walked the reservoir at the beginning of the semester. It was very hard for me to find animals, especially insects. I tried to look in the dirt near the plants and at the bottom of the trees. I anticipated that I would be able to get a bunch of pictures of them; however, that was not the case. Throughout my walk, I saw many birds, a few worms, and squirrels. I was unable to capture a picture of the birds; however, I saw many of them flying in flocks, which relates back to the material we learned in class. In the last unit, we talked about birds migrating together in groups, and moving down south for warm temperatures. In class, we also learned about insects that belong to the group Arthropoda, which are protosomes. Insects have jointed appendages, they are segmented, and have an exoskeleton. They are extremely diverse and have different metamorphoses. Overall, I enjoyed my last nature walk. I found it very interesting to see a variety of animals and insects throughout my walk.

My friend and I walked behind and around the Chestnut Reservoir on October 19 for around 35 minutes. The weather was beautiful since the sun was out and there were no clouds in the sky. The wind was a little strong towards the end of the walk, but it felt nice to walk around the reservoir. While on our nature walk, we looked for a variety of plants that we learned about in class: vascular, non-vascular, and angiosperms. It was hard to find different plants since many of them were wilting. However, we found a few flowering plants and tall trees with different color leaves. The colors of the trees started to change color compared to the last walk, which was really interesting to see. The walk helped us visualize the types of plants we are learning about in class and their different characteristics, such as where they are found and what they include (roots, stems, and leaves). Overall, I enjoyed my walk around the reservoir.

My friend and I walked through the Houghton Garden for around 50 minutes. The weather was really cold and it started to rain by the end. The ground was wet and muddy, so we had to stay on the path for the majority of the time. Throughout our walk, we saw a wide range of plants and animals. There was a lot of greenery, but compared to last time, there were more vibrant colors, such as red, orange, and yellow. Since this week's theme is fungi, we tried to look for different mushrooms along the path. We saw mushrooms in different colors, shapes, and forms, which are seen in the pictures attached. Some of the mushrooms were in groups while others were alone. The wide range of differences shows the different species of mushrooms that exist. They are visually very different from one another, which is related to morphological species. My friend and I were able to tell Overall, I really enjoyed walking through the garden and exploring new places that showcase biodiversity.

My friend and I walked for an hour around the Chesnut Hill Reservoir on a nice, sunny Wednesday afternoon. The sun was shining on my skin and I could feel the sweat forming on my forehead. There was a bit of wind, but by the end of the walk, it died down. In the past, I have run around the reservoir; however, I never took the time to observe the biodiversity in my community. I was fascinated to see the variety of flowers and shrubs that covered the ground. My friend and I followed the path around the reservoir and spent time looking at different plants and animals. Firstly, I noticed a group of geese and swans paddling in the reservoir. They were towards the middle of the water, so it was hard to get a good look at them. Moreover, I saw a few squirrels climbing up the trees and a lot of bees flying near bright, colored flowers. Throughout the walk, I noticed a lot of greenery. There were a few other colors, such as yellow and purple; however, the colors will begin to change as we move into fall. I really enjoyed my walk around the reservoir because I do not always get the chance to notice the biodiversity right near campus. In the past few weeks, we have talked a lot about different species. Based on morphological traits, one can decipher whether individuals belong to the same species. While on my walk, I saw a lot of plants and animals from a range of species. There were clear differences in their features that allowed me to conclude that they belonged to different groups. It was very cool to see the connection between class material and the real world.