Diario de skysaf

I spent some time in the pine tree preserve for the first time this semester, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself there. It was windy and chilly but the sun was shining and made the environment look beautiful. It was an incredibly rich environment in terms of how many different species of plants there were. I located all four groups of plants in various parts of the preserve as well as lichens and mushrooms. Being surrounded by such tall trees made me stop and think about how there was once a time in which plants couldn't even support themselves without floating in water, and now we have incredibly massive and solid trees that can grow hundreds of feet in the air thanks to evolution. I found it incredible. Great nature walk.

Saw lots of fungi while out in the park last night! It was slightly drizzly but cool and peaceful, and a nice break from my back to back exams. I was impressed with the variety of fungal life I saw, and especially impressed with their ability to grow so far high up in the trees. I find the growth patterns of fungal colonies really interesting, with the way that they radiate outwards and expand in every direction to grow. It reminds me of the images of colonies that we looked at in class.

Kicking off my first nature walk! I was excited to get out and do this project. The weather was chilly but mostly sunny, and a brisk wind was giving the leaves on the trees a hard time staying on. I chose to focus on the area around BC to find wild growths that either made me ask questions or I saw were growing against the manicured background of campus and chestnut hill to give attention to the weeds that we try to kill in the name of "groundskeeping." When I think of flowering weeds, I often think of how the main response to their existence is usually "let's kill them" instead of admiring how much beauty they add to the environment. I'm reminded of the cultural ecosystem service and how organisms in an ecosystem can bring aesthetic benefits to humans within them, which is what I believe happens when flowering weeds break up the mundane landscaping of the suburban environment.