juliafratamico's Journal

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.