Tyler Starr: 11/15 am, University of Puget Sound's Quad

Tyler Starr

15 November 2008 from 1130-1145

Location: The main Quad of the University of Puget Sound

Weather: Sunny, no wind, 55 ̊ F

General: It is very interesting to do nature observations of another campus and compare the natural setting to that of Willamette. UPS’s campus, to me, seems much more rustic than Willamette’s. While both have extensive landscaping and gardening, UPS’s campus resembles a forest much more than Willamette’s campus. One place where this is evident is the Quad, where I chose to do my first nature observation. While Willamette’s main Quadrangle is a large, open, grassy lawn, UPS’s has a great number of very tall coniferous trees scattered about (see picture). This gives it a much more natural feel than a large area free of life forms above three inches off the ground. At the same time, I feel like this makes the Quad of UPS less of a gathering point than that of Willamette. Obviously, one doesn’t see many Frisbees or footballs being thrown around. However, the large trees make the Quad an impressive sight. There were many small birds flitting about through the trees, including several chickadees, which are also prevalent on Willamette’s campus. I also saw 4 crows. There is a small garden next to the bench I am sitting on. Purple flowers surround small bushes with white flowers.