היומן של victoriamcfadden

I went into the Newton woods to go on my nature walk. It was really nice outside, in the high 60s and I really enjoyed taking this walk because right as I entered I was immersed by green leaves and so many plants. In my hometown I live in an area surrounded by woods, so I constantly saw plants, trees and flowers, it was nothing new. However, today was different, because instead of quickly glancing at the green plants that are so common, I took the time to actively observe them. On my walk, I noticed there was many different plants, I saw trees that were enormous and were competing for the light successfully. I found moss, ferns, flowers such as the Spindles and American Asters, and pines! I was really happy to find moss because after listening to the podcast, it made me genuinely curious to see moss up close. I felt the walk really allowed me to apply what I learned this week to real life, which is why the nature walks are my favorite part of the Eco & Evo weekly modules!

I was in the Newton Woods on a trail very close to my dorm. The woods are very large so it felt so easy to be immersed by the biodiversity and forget why I was there. It was slightly windy and drizzling a little but the weather overall was very enjoyable. I noticed that most of the fungi I found were on trees. Furthermore, I observed that in the area I was in Common Greenshield Lichen was very abundant. I also found a huge growth on the bottom of a tree and I was so interested to find out what it was; according to iNaturalist, it is a huge fungus in the Bracket family. I really enjoyed this nature walk because even though I started at the same place as my last walk, I found so many new organisms and encountered different biodiversity!

I went to a trail nearby my dorm that I normally go to to run, but today was different. I took the time to take everything in and truly absorb what was around me, instead of quickly glancing at nearby places and running off. It was really nice outside, in the low 70s but a little humid, which made me work up quite a sweat. I encountered many interesting plants and even was able to get really close to a few animals. While observing I noticed that two different plants had the same name of Goldenrods even though they looked completely different. Furthermore, I encountered many types of fungi such as Black-staining Polypore, Common Greenshield Lichen, Wrinkled Crust and Fomitopsis. I really enjoyed talking this walk as it felt like a short getaway from the stresses of school and home. The fact all these gems were in a place I go to so frequently made me realize how often I overlook even the simplest beautiful things nature has to offer.