Tyler Starr
25 October 2008 from 1145-1200
Location: The Martha Springer Botanical Gardens, on a retaining wall in the small woods off the northeast corner of Sparks
Weather: 55 ̊ F, 5-10 mph winds, clear skies
25 October 2008
Tyler Starr: 10/25 am, Botanical Gardens
Tyler Starr: 10/25 am, Botanical Gardens
Tyler Starr
25 October 2008 from 1145-1200
Location: The Martha Springer Botanical Gardens, on a retaining wall in the small woods off the northeast corner of Sparks
Weather: 55 ̊ F, 5-10 mph winds, clear skies
silver falls
24 October 2008
Silver Falls, Oregon
2:00
For the first time today I went to Silver Falls with a group of my friends. A couple of them had been there before, but they were eager to go again to see the beautiful landscape. As soon as we got there we walked up to the map to find a good trail to hike, we decided on the maple trail. We walked through the park on a brick path to the first sight. We stopped by a brick wall to look at the falls and I was amazed to see that we were on the same level as the initial dropping point. The water cascaded down, plummeting to a small pool where leaves laid scattered, fallen from the trees that grow high above. When I looked out across the way, I could see pine trees standing as a backdrop, they seemed to grow in a curved shape. In the foreground were maples with bright yellow leaves growing within a few intermingled pines. We began our hike and at one point were directly behind the falls, where we could sit back in a little cave and just admire the wall of water falling, ever constantly down. We kept walking for a while and eventually we were down on the level with the pond and the reflections were so clear the water could have been a mirror. We came upon a tree and immediately my friend Laurel identified the tree in a singsong voice as redwood because of its “groooovey bark.” Every now and then we would walk of the trail and explore around and a one point Laurel came running out of the trees and kept running on down the path yelling and jumping around. We found out that while she had been investigating an enormous mushroom she had mistakenly stepped on a bee hive. About ten minutes later we heard the same cries of pain, but this time it was Austin who had been stung.
24 October 2008
Silver Falls, Oregon
6:30
As we drove home several hours later from Silver Falls we stopped a view point where we could watch the sun set. The colors were unbelievable and it was amazing to watch the cars in the distance creating little belts of flashing lights, making a pattern that criss-crossed the landscape. The mountains in the background created a jagged outline where the sun slid out of view. Once the sun had finally dropped out of sight the colors were still beautiful, I can only think to describe the scene as a painting. The colors faded from one to another so effortlessly, from deep rich blue, to a lighter velvety blue to fiery orange, and finally to a deep red. We tore our eyes away from the scene to get back in the car, and as we continued home the colors where still bright on the horizon and every seemed to sit, admiring the beauty. No words needed to be spoken, everyone just sat, watching the last few rays of light disappear.
24 October 2008
Ring around the rosy
Date: 10-24
Location: Rose Garden south of the Capital
Time: 0803-0820
Weather: 41˚F, foggy
Similar to the Botanical Gardens, the rose garden had its own appeal to me this day. The fragrant clusters of blossoms opening up in the shrouding fog reminded me of the interesting combination of thorns and beauty of the rose. Everywhere I
looked, more than half of the roses were blooming or at least had the blossoms forming. The colors ranged from peaches and mauves to yellows and oranges. A variety of vines and shrubs decorated the square expanse, every one a hybrid of the rose with the telltale thorns, fresh petals, and signs to assist in identification. All added to the eloquent smell and texture within the white curtain of fog. Several benches were arranged along the path for visitors’ leisure and any persons that would stroll by on their way to work. It was eerily silent for a moment without any audible birdsongs, before a wave of automobiles rushed by to add a hint of burning gasoline to the perfume. I considered the location once more, thinking it beneficial for the public walkers as an elegant sight, but less so for relaxing due to the noise and sometimes overpowering gasoline odor. I did not see any honeybees at the time, but I realized that the pollution in the air could lessen the chances that the bees would visit, as they might be unable to catch the scent or see the blossoms.
23 October 2008
Trimming
Date: 10-23
Location: Smullin Entrance
Time: 1004-1020
Weather: 50˚F; wearing-gloves-cold; foggyish, may lift soon
Small birds chirped underneath the tall 4-foot crimson spikes of snapdragons. Either chickadees or finches, I only saw the shadows beneath the bushes as I walked up the stairs from the basement. They were round, short of neck, 3 inches to 5 inches at the most in length. I heard short, high-pitched chirps as they rummaged through the ground looking for insects. Workers pruned a young horse chestnut of its lower branches and straggling tips. Another used a hedge trimmer to cut the grass and remove the buildup from the circle of bark chip around another tree in front of Roger’s Music Center. It was interesting to note that the workers were equally conscientious about their work and the people passing by along the walkway. They would stop their work to avoid splattering grass cuttings on others.’ At the same time, they seemed to respect the organisms they were working on, as if grooming them. They would carefully inspect which branch was best to remove to optimize the growth the tree and its overall beauty. Even though the trees were invasive species and could potential reduce the land of diverse plants, the workers’ labor was that form of respect that I thought we could all learn from. Tending the land as if it were an equal part of ourselves and an extension of our lives, is exactly what our earth needs in order to heal quicker from the misdemeanors of the past.
Tyler Starr: 10/23, Outside of Belknap
Tyler Starr
23 October 2008 from 1045-1100
Location: Outside Belknap in front of the Office of International Education
Weather: 50 ̊ F, no wind, clear skies
General: I noticed a bird hopping on the tree just outside my second-story window as I sat at my desk. I got an extended close up view of it. I believe it was a female house sparrow. It was a whitish-tan color with streaks on the belly, brown wings with white streaks, and a light brown crown. It was hopping from branch to branch, and it looked like it was picking insects off the branches. At one point if flew right up to my window and perched on this strange cord thing that sort of hangs down in front of my window. I could not see it very well at this point since my blinds were in the way. When I tried to part them, the bird flew back to the tree. There is a spider web with a small spider that is usually up where the bird was, so perhaps it eats spiders. I was reading the Field Guide, and it appears that the house sparrow is an introduced, possibly invasive species. It says that it “takes bulk of seed at most feeders; kills nestlings, removes eggs of other birds from birdhouses.” Sounds pretty brutal…
22 October 2008
Fusion
Date: 10-22
Location: North end of campus, south of the tall shiny statue
Time: 1615-1631
Weather: 66˚F, sunny but still chilly
I remembered seeing combination trees at the capital grounds, a mixture of an umbrella like plant with a tree trunk. I found another one, but this one was on Willamette’s campus. A strange fusion of what appeared to be a chestnut tree and an oak. The roots from the oat trunk formed intricate veins of roots along the ground. Along the fusion line, approximately 3 feet from the ground, a few horse chestnuts sprigs started to form. At the branching of the horse chestnut, holes were visible within the trunk, a small cove for insects and such to inhabit. The oak portion was covered with fine white flakes growing on it, perhaps a form of fungus. On closer inspection, the horse chestnut also had a small amount covering it. The oak had peeling bark concavely away from its natural curvature (almost hyperbolic if you really want to get technical with it). A few nuts were scattered on the ground along with many dead leaves. Just looking at the two halves made me wonder as to whether the fusion was intentional or accidental. Did someone chop down the oak that was growing too large for the area? Was a horse chestnut added in as an afterthought? The strange specimen before me exhibited the contrasting horizontal bark of the upper section and the vertical furrows of the oak trunk. There was no unsightly bump as of yet, so perhaps they were well adjusted to the new conditions. Or perhaps it was fairly recently grafted.
Better Late Than Never
Time: 1520 Hours
Weather: Sunny, partly cloudy, warm in sun, cool in shade
Location: Tree stump (disturbingly) at Mill Stream (south bank) by bridge and Marth Springer Garden
Perfect day for a nature observation!
I am here at the Mill Stream with no one to keep me company except for the bees that are harvesting the flowers behind me. In the shadows on the ground, their bodies dance around from flower top to flower top and I turn behind me to see that there is a large number of dainty, purple flowers that a group of bees are moving about. With the sun warming my back, I face the Mill Stream again. Directly in front of me, the bank slopes fairly steeply into the Mill Stream. Looking across, it seems to do the same thing. Of all places I have observed so far along the Mill Stream, this would appear to me as the one spot least affected by man—even though human influences are certainly present. Across from me, onto the north end of the stream, a wooden plank juts out from the bank. Camouflaged by moss, it would be easy to pass over but it would probably be best to remove. Below that and actually in the stream is another wooden plank. Again, it is doing little harm, but it would be best if it were gone—in my opinion. A male Mallard is up-stream, to my east, and I’m sure he’s not alone. What would it take, I wonder, to get fish to come through our Mill Stream? Looking again to the Mallard, I notice now a female and another male. At the bottom of the bank are two stems with purple flowers on the top like those behind me. It would be neat to see them extend all the way down the bank instead of just stopping like they do behind me. Perhaps level the bank out a little to accomplish this? Also, there are 3 large tree trunks here. I am grateful that they’re here because I now have a table and a seat, but I question why they were brought down. I do not understand, but I suppose there are things that I will never understand.
(http://www.jasonhahn.com/gallery/albums/jul2007/mallard_duck_lol_042307_014_copy.jpg)
Date: 14 October 2008
Time: 1525 Hours
Weather: Sunny, partly cloudy, fairly cool in the shade which is where I am located.
Location: West end of the Mill Stream, south bank behind Goudy
A dip in the Mill Stream?
My shoes sit next to me as I dangle my feet over the rocky wall that is on the south end of the Mill Stream. My socks must be kept dry and so they hang about 6 inches above the water. For such a shallow and small stream, the water seems to move pretty quickly. I wonder if it would be possible to place some larger rocks in the middle of the stream to slow it down. This way, it could be a more desirable location for ducks and other animals to visit. It could also be beneficial to animals if more native plants were introduced to hang over the edges of the wall, especially if the flow of the water were slowed.
A leaf floats past me in the stream and I wonder about all of the physics involved in keeping the leaf moving, submerged at that particular level.
Date: 15 October 2008
Time: 1550 hours
Weather: Partly cloudy, fair temperatures, warmest in the sun
Location: North bank of the Mill Stream behind Goudy dining room area, under a large oak tree.
Always Welcome Visitors
I am sitting in a warm patch of sun, while Jane is not far from me, on a bench directly under a spreading Oak tree. Looking downstream, I notice 6 ducks. There are 3 males and 3 females, mating pairs? Perhaps. They stick to the sides of the stream where it is not so deep and swift as in the middle. Here, on the stream’s banks, is where the ducks find their food. I think back to where I found the small snails on the sides of the rocks and wonder if they are still down there, even though it is slightly colder now. Looking on the ground around me, I notice that the roots from the Oak tree have spread far from the trunk and I can see parts of one where the bank slopes down.
Just to my right now, to the west, I notice that the ducks have moved upstream and onto the north side of the bank. They search in the sticks that trap the fallen leaves for food. The beads of water roll off of their heads as they dip under and come back up. I wonder what they could possibly be finding to eat as they clumsily hop up the banks. My answer crawls in front of me (maybe it’s their food?) in the form of . . . moving grass? No, it is an ant moving grass on its back. As the 6 ducks find delightful meals in the rocks, dirt and grass around me, 2 more join the date, a male and female. This makes it 4 pairs in all. One brave female moves directly in front of me now, stops and takes a good look at me—her conclusion must be that I’m terrifying because she quickly turns and paddles back to her comrades.
Date: 18 October 2008
Time: 1610 Hours
Weather: Sunny, very pleasant ☺
Location: South bank of the Mill Stream in front of the UC
There are fish in the Mill Stream!
My two friends, Susie and Nicole, and myself were sitting on the south end of the Mill Stream today, just enjoying the fall weather and waiting for Goudy to open. Because the water was so low, I sat there with my feet dangling over the sides and could still not touch the water without pointing my toe downwards. The grass that we were sitting on was slightly wet and it was not the most pleasant feeling, but oh well. The bed of the stream was covered in dirt that then partly covered rocks and some sort of plant. There were also some small, round shells that were bedded down by the sand.
As I am looking down into the stream, along the very edge of it, I notice something different there. It is a thin earthworm, probably about 5 inches long. Its pink, fleshy body was moving towards me and I was excited to see any form of life. As I exclaim and point out the worm to Susie and Nicole, I am entirely shocked and ecstatic to see a fish eat it! This worm is simply cruising along on its own, pleasant way, when a rather ugly fish snatches it up! I could not believe it. I never would have thought that fish would choose to live here. This particular fish was very small. It had to be because it had come out of the crack in the rocks that line the bank of the Mill Stream. The body of the fish was short, probably the same length as the worm that it just consumed. A dark brown color, it blended in well with its surroundings, especially inside the cracks of the bank. This is where it took the worm back to eat it and left me to sit and wonder about what sorts of creatures might be dwelling along the wall of the Mill Stream.
(Addition! After looking for what kind of fish it might be that was in the stream, I found that it must have been a Prickly Sculpin which likes quiet waters and could explain why it chose the Mill Stream as its habitat) (http://www.arsconsulting.org/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/pricklysculpinelkcrk.jpg)
Date: 19 October 2008
Time: 1630 Hours
Weather: Partly cloudy, in the 50’s? It’s nice ☺
Location: South end of the Mill Stream in the most obvious spot, in the bend of the “W”.
Bring Back the Nature
So I know that the Mill Stream is man-made, but this is the most obvious section. The banks end abruptly and to my east, a cement barrier identifies the end of the bank. I know that it has to be this way, but I still wish that more nature could be brought in. What if Smith were gone? It would be more open to the Quad, which could be nice. I think more native trees should be introduced along the south side of the creek here. Other than that, I don’t know what I would do because I enjoy it the way it is.
(http://www.willamette.edu/about/index.html)
Geese in a V
H.Waller
Date: 22 October, 2008
Time: 1746
Weather: Very nice, 66 degrees, sunny
Location: Just outside Kaneko, before the sky bridge
As I stepped outside the doors of Kaneko Commons this evening to walk to dinner at Goudy, my senses were delighted in many ways. First, it was unusually warmer than normal at this hour, and the sun was shining down warming my skin and bouncing off of my hair. Second, my nose was filled with the aroma of freshly cut grass. This brought me right back to summer time and put me in high spirits. Then as I was walking toward the bridge, I heard a familiar honking being repeated over and over by several voices. I looked up to see an enormous V shaped formation of geese flying over me talking loudly to each other as they flew in their line ups. There were probably around 40-50 birds in the V, and a few others trailing behind in pairs or threes. Stopping to watch them, I was reminded of crew. The way they were all lined up one behind the other with a "leader" in front, and appearing to all be "stroking" somewhat together made them look just like a rowing team in a different formation. I would like to know if the position of the birds within the formation has any significance within the flock.
21 October 2008
Cotton Candy Clouds
Date: 21 October, 2008
Time: 1830
Weather: 52 degrees, chilly, party cloudy
Location: Brown field
After crew practice today, I had to rush straight from the Sparks parking lot to Olin science building because class started for me in 3 minutes. Although I was rushing through Brown field, my attention was caught by the brilliant sky, especially its clouds, above me. This scene caught my busy eyes because of the unusual color combination. The sky was still blue, but it was a deeper, more purply blue as evening set upon the campus. The clouds were a beautiful shade of pink. The two colors together reminded me of cotton candy one might find at the fair. I would like to find out what is responsible for the coloration of clouds in this way. Why are clouds colored brightly some evenings, and other evenings not at all? What is it in the air that gives them their color?
My, my, how you have changed
1326-1354
Springer's Botanical Gardens
I haven't been back in a while, but my first glimpse of it today was distinctly different than what I had seen only a few weeks ago. Autumn took its toll on the pla
nts, unclothing the flowers of leaves and vivid colors. The tomatoes were green and unripe, most of the better ones already picked by students. I doubted these would ripen anytime soon before the heavier frost settled in. The black-eyed daisies were fading, the upper leaves, cast off by the wind. However, the ferns were still green and showed no signs of yellowing. A flock of cedar waxwings that I saw yesterday soared through the skies in a crowd. A yellow bird (see picture) skipped on a tree with pinnate leaves, most of which had fallen off. The bird had a pale belly, dark short beak, white eye ring, and gave short, throaty calls. It may have been a female or juvenile goldfinch. Dark eyed juncos were also sharing the tree. I heard a bird call that sounded like a crosswalk signal, kind of high and drops tone smoothly. It's hard to discern the birds from the falling yellow leaves and as the wind blows through, in my eyes, the leaves morph into birds. A junco chased off an invading chickadee. It had small black marks on ea
ch side of its eyes. Maybe it was an immature chick, or perhaps a wren. The juncos were feeding at the base of ivy shrub with three leaves, similar to a maple. A black-capped chickadee fed off the insects of a red elderberry and was later chased off again by the crowd of juncos. A lone white domestic duck flew Northwest slowly (in comparison to smaller birds, such as waxwings). On a hawthorn tree, more than 30 feet high, a hummingbird alighted on a branch within the slender vines. It seemed to have a bejeweled violet-pink head and was perched for a minute or more before moving. It was remarkably different than the hummers I had seen before that would flit from flower to flower inexhaustibly. It was an Anna's hummingbird, as I looked up the picture and call song. I looked around to discover what it was after, when I noticed a red dish, an empty hummingbird feeder. Was it looking for more food or was it satiated and wanted a mate like the rest of the hummingbirds on campus? One can only guess at the possibilities.
20 October 2008
Trees
Date: 20 October, 2008
Time: 1730
Weather: partly cloudy, still, 57 degrees
Location: The Willamette River
While we were rowing today at crew practice, we were warming up and doing drills. When the bow four got to take a break, I had a chance to look around and observe a bit as the crisp autumn wind rushed through my hair and tickled my face. I was looking at the bank to the east and observing the many colors of fall that had been produced there. There was a plethora of brown, yellow, and dark orange. I then noticed that most of the trees on this bank have already lost the majority of their leaves and are now merely dead, gray branches standing tall and skinny. However, on campus most of the trees have only just begun to change and still have the majority of their leaves, though they are losing more and more each day. I wonder why the trees over here are still more full, while the trees 2 miles away are more dead looking already?
Flocking the Laurel
Date: 10-20
Location: West of Putnam Center
Time: 1458-1525
Weather: 58˚F
Cedar waxwings glided swift as ninjas from tree to tree on each
of the four sequoias along the south side of Smith's Auditorium. They flew to the adjacent birch tree and then a few decided to perch onto the Portuguese laurel tree. I followed their path to find that a large quantity of round, dark blue-purple berries had fallen onto the bark chip. The birds began circling above campus, mating perhaps. Some performed aerials above the water and looped back to the tree they originally perched on. They visited the stream to take a quick drink or bath along the rock-lined shore. The messengers from the laurel returned to the flock causing a sudden large mass of birds to
fill the air. They swarmed over the laurel tree, picked and swallowed the berries. The fruit must have ripened due to the cold air, but no birds seem intoxicated so far. The berries easily dropped on the ground due to carelessness or poor grip by the birds, who yanked the berries free; the force must have caused them to drop it. The birds then left a few remaining on the tree; after 10 minutes passed by, they came back. Smart; they left the tree to feed because other birds in the flock needed space to land and eat. The sense of community in the flock is as strong as the community in this neighborhood.
Wine...
19 October 2008
1300-1430
Around the Dallas and Salem area.
My parents dragged me wine tasting today. We were driving about for quite some time and there was a lot of nature around because wineries are apparently in the boondocks. So it was interesting to see the contrast of the landscapes between the forest I saw yesterday and the flatness of where I went today. There were also three deer, they were in the road apparently they are not that smart. But it was odd the see the landscapedness of the wineries. I don’t think I like it as much as real nature. But it is still nice, this landscape that I have been seeing all day reminds me of the landscape Sharon Rose talks about in the minto brown park. Like there appear to be many marshy like areas.
Family hike at silver falls!
18 October 2008
1400-1530
Around silver falls park.
Today I went on the nature hike with my parents. This was most definitely the peak if my parent weekend activities, I really enjoyed getting out and seeing the scenery. We went to Silver Falls state park. The waterfalls were so beautiful and immense. There was one super big one that was so tall and another that was much wider and another that was really thick. However my favorite part of the scenery there was the leaves that were changing color in contrast with the contrast of the evergreen trees. It was so neat because the evergreen trees were much taller than the deciduous trees so there were different levels of tree and color going on I completely enjoyed it. However I must admit I did not engage myself since I was having a nice visit with my parents and was quite engaged in talking with my parents, they are beautiful people. So it was a really happy experience plus I love hiking. You just get to be meandering about in nature. And experiencing the prettiness with others!
Deepwood!
17 October 2008
1300-1340
Deepwood estate in Salem Oregon
Today for colloquium class we went to Deepwood estate, which has land surrounding this old house. This land is most likely what the land our campus was build upon looked like before the school was built. This was nice to see and the landscape was really pretty. The estate also had some very nice gardens that had more maintained and nonnative plants. There was a green house like area for plants that could never thrive in this climate that area reminded me of where I am from in California.
Pollution=Badness
16 October 2008
1600-1630
Bush Pasture Park
Bush Pasture Park along where Pringle creek runs. I went here because I pretty much felt the urge to have nature time today and Bush Park is most convient for this. So as I was walking along the park was making me happy as it usually does, but then I looked down and there was a shiny wrapper that I noticed upon the forest bed. When I saw this piece of plastic that appeared to have been to this spot for the past few months. It pissed me the hell of. What are people thinking?! ‘This forest looks like nice trash can, and I can’t hold the tiny wrapper in my pocket for ten minutes!’ Why are people so dumb sometimes? Then once I noticed this wrapper trash and pollution there are cups and wrappers everywhere and even water bottles in pringle creek! I was livid one I found all this! Although I was only able to pickup as much garbage as I could carry I really want to go back and bring a large bag and perhaps some friends and do a but to clean up this area of Bush Park.
Migrating Birds
12 October 2008
1520-1600
Rowing on the Willamette river about 2 miles from campus.
Today while rowing I notice that on the river there were as we say in
northern California ‘hella’ birds. To begin with there are more ducks than
I have ever seen along the banks and shallows of the river. These ducks
are all in groups of about three to seven. But not only that, there are
flocks and flocks of what I assume are ducks flying overhead. I seems like
every time I look up there is an obscure ‘v’ or ‘m’ shape flying above me.
As I am slowly learning my self it turns out Oregon is a cold state, so I
pretty sure the ducks are getting the heck out of here and going somewhere
warm and happy like Mexico. However because of global warming, who know
the ducks may be staying next year. Other than the ducks I saw about six
great blue herons. They seem to be much more active today than usual. To
be honest I do not really find these birds as exciting as before they have
become pretty common now for me to see, but I still really like them. The
last bird like thing that I saw was there a TON of swallow nests under the
highway 22 bridge. We were rowing under there and I happened to look up,
and they are everywhere! So that was my bird day upon the Willamette.
American Crow
H.R. Waller
Date: 19 October, 2008
TIme: 1638
Weather: slightly cloudy, 58 degrees
Location: The Kaneko parking lot
As I was sitting here at my computer, I heard the familiar, scratchy "CAW CAW" of a blackbird. When I looked down out of my balcony on 3 east overlooking the kaneko parking lot, I saw a sleek, pitch black scavenger with what looked like a piece of garbage in his mouth. I tried to remember back to biology sophomore year when we did our bird unit to decide if it was a crow or a raven. Then I noticed the square shaped tail and remembered the "square crow" memory trick my teacher had taught us. To confirm that I was correct, I consulted Audubon and found that indeed, this bird with all over glossy black coloring and "heavy bill" was a crow and not a raven. Who knew sophomore bio would pay off one day??
19 October 2008
10/19/08
Time: 1700 hours
Location: Sparks
Weather: Sunny and warm
I was walking past Sparks to take a scenic route to Goudy and I heard a very familiar noise. I couldn't quite tell what it was. It was almost like a raven cry but much lighter and lasted much longer. It came in bursts and was responded to by the same cry from another direction. I looked all around trying to discern where it was that the noise was coming from and discovered the culprit. There was a squirrel hugging a branch and his body would convulse and I would here the same cry come from his direction. He honestly looked like he was in no mood for pleasantries I can tell you that much. So, I left him alone and went on my way.
10/18/08
Time: 1430-1500 hours
Location: my dorm room
Weather: sunny
I was sitting in my room enjoying a cup of tea with a friend when I happened to look out the window through the one blind that is missing. I noticed a little dark dot making its way across the glass and was instantly halted in my conversation. I jumped up, quickly moved across the room, and seized said dark spot. It was a very large, orange ladybug. I was rather surprised to see this bug out and about this time of year and continued to examine the little bugger. It had white spots on the sides of its thorax and twelve black spots on its abdomnen. It had scrunched itself as tightly as it could into a ball. I assume it was a defense mechanism. As I went to place it out my window, the instant the sunlight hit it, it opened up, ran to the end of my finger, and flew off. I was kind of surprised that it did exactly what I wanted it to.
10/17/08
Time: 1250-1340 hours
Location: Deepwood Park
Weather: Warm
So, we went on an adventure today to Deepwood Park. Honestly the house was absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, I was wearing dress clothes to advertise my concert that night and was toting about a 45lbs laptop bag so I got *really* hot. After walking for a ways we arrived and to my pleasure we were deeply shaded. We started to walk and Dave brought us to the shady spot in which we went on our very first nature walk to discuss our first natural observations. It was very nostalgic in way even considering the fact that we've only been here for half a semester. I did some climbing about and discovered that gravity does still work on cellphones. Also, I jumped down into some muck to look for salamanders to no avail. All I found were bugs and worms.
10/16/08
Time: 800 hours
Location: Bridge by the Botanical Gardens
Weather: Cold
I felt like I should finally find myself a nutria so I went on a hunt before my first class. I went down to the mill stream because that's where everyone says they are but honestly I couldn't find anything. I don't even know what a nutria looks like. I want to see one in person before going and looking one up though. Rose said she thought that one was a cat so I'm pretty sure as to what size they are, and Dave mentioned that they have bright orange teeth. I'm not sure that I'll ever see one.
10/15/08
Time: 1410 hours
Location: Goudy
Weather: 60 degrees
There are so many spiders here! I looked out the window and right on the edge outside the window I counted seven spiders; and they were huge! It's no wonder I don't really see any bugs flying around. I'm getting kind of anxious cause it's eventually going to get cold out during the day and they're going to want to come inside where it's warm. I don't want to get bitten again! It hurts....
Redwood
18 October 2008
Location: star trees
Climate 62 Degrees
Time: 3:00-3:30
Toady my parents came over to visit me and see how I was doing and to make sure I was in college. As I was giving them a tour of campus, I took them to the star trees and notice that new they were redwoods and mad a quick observations. They seem to grow very tall in high and also seem to have there own little world at the top of the tree where other trees grow. The outer texture seems to me that many thin trees form it, with cuts along side of the trunk. They also seem to live for a long time the older it is the more it seems to split into sections at the top. I once read that in an article that in one redwood these researchers found some salamander at the top with some berry bushes.
The Raccoon
Leo Castillo
17 October 2008
Location: Mill Stream
Climate 58 Degrees.
Time 9:00pm-9:30pm
Walking back from watching a movie at my friends, as I went by the bridge I heard an unfamiliar sound. As I stood by to see what is was, I keep looking into the pitch-dark area and see some eyes the shine in the dark and at first glance I think it’s a cat. I waited for a few minutes and it slowly reveled it’s self and it was a raccoon that rose from the mill. I kept following it and it end up on the dumpster of Goudy. The raccoon was on a search for food and knew where to find it. Some of it’s characteristics where it’s black, white, brown and it’s long tail with strips. At first I though, it could be a skunk but just a raccoon looking for food. The raccoon seems to have a small head and a round big buddy with a long tail. I let it eat and notice that they do some of the something that squirrels do when they eat. They use there two paws and bite on it while holding any thing it s they are holding.
Deepwood Mansion, Salem, OR
1:00
Today our class took a nature walk to Deepwood Mansion. The house is beautiful and although it is stationed right next to a busy intersection, it maintains a natural setting. As you walk up the driveway immediately you are immersed in completely different surroundings. Everywhere you look the ground is covered with trees and bushes, flowers and grasses. The first thing I see as I walk up the driveway is the roof of a small gazebo sticking out from behind the tops of long fence like bushes. The top is arched and quickly cascades into an umbrella like shape. We walk down stone steps to the lawn the steps have moss growing at an outward angle from the inner corner of each step. The moss slowly fades from thick rich dark green to a soft lighter green that begins to spread out more and more as it grows. When we reach the lawn we walk pass an old oak, I look up to the branches but my eyes rest upon a little hollow break. Inside this hole there is a spider web that looks like a tangle of string. Usually it seems as though spider webs have some sort of structure or pattern, but this web is just one string after another stretched from one side to the other, just enough to cover the hole. The sun glints through the leaves and makes the web glow, sparkle like tiny little gems. The string looks just like silk and illuminates the little hole in the tree.
19 October 2008
Capitol Grounds, Salem, OR
2:15
Whenever I’ve gone to the capitol ground it has been for some random mission, feeding squirrels, climbing statues, or just for a late night walk. Today for the first time I had an opportunity to really look at all of the trees there are around these grounds. The main reason for visiting the capitol grounds was to show my mom the statue of animals on parade. After a while I began to look at all of the different types of trees, each and every on of them is so diverse. Some of the trees had odd umbrella shaped quaffs on top of a straight trunk, these we learned are a mix between two trees, other trees had long sweeping branches that seem to look around like rollercoasters. The only other place I have ever seen trees like that is in Maine. The longer I am here the more I realize how similar the two coasts are. Being from the Midwest, it is interesting to see the dynamics of each coast and how they vary compared to each other and to the Midwest. When you walk around my hometown the vast majority of trees are maples or some type of standard evergreen, you would never see trees as diverse as those at the capitol grounds. In my front yard we have a weeping willow that almost covers the entirety of our yard, this tree is probably one of the most unique trees that you will see in Middleton, WI.
18 October 2008
Saturday Market, Portland, OR
10:30
As you walk amongst the many diverse booths at Saturday Market you see people just as diverse as the booths themselves. Each booth seems to tell a story about the person, whether it be their Somalian made socks, or their hand made spoon clocks, everyone has a different background and these booths help to explain their lives. In a small way it is a little community of its own. I love walking from the busy road above down to the sheltered little market. As soon as you enter the market you are submerged in a completely different world. Every time I come to this market it is a new experience, there are new musicians, new booths, and new people. This particular Saturday it was especially fun because I got the chance to introduce my parents to the market. My favorite part of Saturday market is not only seeing the diversity of the booths, but the diversity of the people behind the booths, each person is talented beyond belief in one way or another. Today we walked past a booth where a woman was selling handmade whistles. Each whistle was carefully constructed into all sorts of shapes. A passerby asked about the whistles and immediately the woman enthusiastically explained how she made them, then she began to play a tune, first she played on a small whistle then transferred to another whistle which plays in a much lower tone. The sound is beautiful, but we continue on to another booth to hear another story.
16 October 2008
The Quad, Willamette University, Salem, OR
8:55
Today as I was walking to class the campus was empty because I had to set off especially early today to make observations on for my bio class on our unknown embryos. I set out and as I reached the quad there was a mass of fog lingering just inches above the ground. The mist transitioned slowly from a solid white mass to a less dense mass as it faded upward. I walked through the mass and found my shoes slowly soaking through with water.
19 October 2008
1:00
Riverfront Park, Salem, OR
As I sat on a bench in Riverfront Park I could see a sliver of the Willamette River between two clusters of trees. As I watched the water the waves would ripple in continuously different patters. At some points the water was shrouded in small slivers of ripples and at other times circular paths would generate as birds would land. The wind would also play a factor in creating these waves, for at times the surface of little ripples would ungulate with greater ripples on top of these creating a symbiosis of waves. Unnatural waves would come by cutting through all of these waves as boats drifted past. As I sat there watching the waves the sun slowly covered my bench and I moved on.
Date: 19 October, 2008
Time: 1620-1635
Location: Willson Park
Weather: Sunny but still a little chilly.
There's a faint smell of smoke in the air as soon as I walk into Willson Park, both wood smoke and cigarette smoke. There aren't any squirrels around, but there are lots of people. Someone is curled up under a gray blanket under one of the trees, a wheelchair beside him. There's a group of people settled under another tree near the gazebo. One of them has an electric guitar and is playing it softly, not any particular song, just background notes. It blends with the sound of the fountain.
Date: 19 October, 2008
Time: 1200-1220
Location: Botanical Garden
Weather: Cloudy, a little foggy/smoggy.
I'm walking out of the Botanical Garden and suddenly over my head sweeps a flock of Bushtits, I think. They're chattering away and settle on the plants on the other side of the bridge and the path from the garden. They fly to and fro, peeping softly. A few land on a rhodi near me. A Chickadee flies in suddenly, and clings to the needles on a coniferous tree that I don't know. That snapshot is reminiscent of Christmas for some reason, although it would need snow to make the image complete. Perhaps because chickadees are the ones that stick around with the juncoes through the winter, and they're the ones that hop through the snow looking for food instead of flying away.
Leo Castillo
16 October 2008
Location: Outside of Goudy.
Climate 50* degrees.
Time 9:00am- 9:30am
Walking around campus and looking at the flowers that once use to stand up and shine with bright colors, now they just hang like dead plants. Besides the fact that some of the plants have changed colors. You will notice that they just hang from the steams and no longer have life and the still have their color but are dead. Everything about the flower or plant is just dead, the reflect smile but upside down. The flowers just hangs down and it wont be soon till they fall off the steam. The flower and the side leafs on the steam are also falling or wrinkled up and dead. Some of the flowers on campus aren’t falling, they are getting picked up or cleaned up.
19 October 2008: West Linn
Rose Dickson
19 October 2008
1000 – 1025 hours
19745 Wildwood Dr. West Linn, OR, USA
43 degrees, overcast
Today I decided to visit my home in West Linn. As I sit on my porch I appreciate the view that I’ve missed so much at Willamette. On my deck I can see the beautiful garden my dad and I have worked together to create over the years. It shows itself like time, soil that has helped bear many different flowers: roses, rhododendrons, geraniums and even been taken by weeds. From the very same spot that I can appreciate my standard home garden, I also am offered a grandiose view of Mt. Hood. Although today it is not as prominent because of the overcast, I can recall times when it looks so crisp you could almost touch it. It amazes me that in this one spot , I can be in the presence of my home garden and the picturesque Mt. Hood. I can see Hood beginning to have snow and I look forward to the coming months of visiting the mountain and making more field journals there!
Spider At Work
Leo Castillo
15 October 2008
Location: By the bridge next to Goudy.
Climate: 60 Degree.
Time 1:00pm-1:30pm
Heading back to my dorm from lunch as I was crossing the bridge I suddenly see this shiny string that catches my attention. It’s a spider web that’s just being itself by the bridge, this spider web is a shiny string that connects one side of the bridge to the other and therefore it shines bright when the sun light hits it. I believe this was a female spider because of it’s mittens and it giant size. The spiders never really move while I was making my observation buts as I got closer to it is started to move, the web was the most interesting part of all, along with the giant size it this spider. As you can see it has little hairs allover there body especially on there back and along there legs too. This spider is at work as you can see, holding the ends of the web and putting them together.
Fall Tree
Leo Castillo
14 October 2008
Location: A tree next to sparks. Salem
Climate: 63*degrees.
Time: 4:00pm-4:30pm
As I was walking back to campus from the mall in this late afternoon I could not help notice that the trees leafs have changed color. They appear to have lost that bright green bushy look that they had over the summer. I remember when the wind hit against the trees and the green leafs would jus shake, now when the wind hits the tree, the leafs just fly off it. Also leafs have changed color, and the tree seems to be more exposed and the branches seen to show up, to me it seems like the cold weather burns the tree and therefore it goes through these changes. Soon there will be no leafs left on the tree and all you will see is the branches and stems of the tree. The sky is more noticeable on the background and the steams are darker and also seen during the day and it’s different view you get by looking at these places. Another thing I notice, is that the fall leafs seem to be more easily broken then the ones in the spring and summer.
Tyler Starr: 10/19, Mill Stream
Tyler Starr
19 October 2008 from 1415-1430
Location: Along the North bank of the Mill Stream between the library and Rogers
Weather: 55 ̊ F, mostly sunny, no wind
General: I cannot believe that some of the ducks are still here. I felt the water in the Mill Stream, and it is absolutely freezing. The ducks must have very good insulation. I heard the call of a Western Scrub Jay coming from the direction of the Botanical Gardens. I looked in that direction, and saw it flying off toward the North, in between Rogers and Belknap. I wonder if the Western Scrub Jay stays here for the winter or if it migrates somewhere. There is beginning to be more and more coloration changes among the trees on campus. Some have turned completely, and begun shedding their leaves. Right now, I am looking at shrub on the other side of the Mill Stream whose leaves are completely red. Right next to it, however, I see a plant that still retains all of its greenness. It is strange to think about how these two plants respond differently to the same amount of sunlight. For one, there is still plenty of sunlight to capitalize on, while for the other, that same amount of light is not worth trying to absorb, and so it is beginning to shed its leaves for the winter.
Date: 17 October, 2008
Time: 1915-1930
Location: Bridge by the Botanical Garden.
Weather: A few clouds, night has fallen.
The water of the Mill Stream is glittering from the light of the street lamps nearby, but everything else is still. There's no breeze, and I can't hear any noises, even human ones. I wonder if the raccoons are scavenging around the back of the garden and leaving tracks that will be gone soon. I can see a few stars tonight, more than I've seen in a while. No whole constellations yet, but we're getting there. There are a few raindrops falling, but that doesn't really make sense since there aren't clouds to speak of.
Tyler Starr: 10/18, Silver Falls State Park
Tyler Starr
18 October 2008 from 1400 to 1500
Location: The North Loop Trail at Silver Falls State Park
Weather: Cloudy, around 60 ̊ F, no wind
General: The natural setting here is unbelievable. The trail we hiked followed a small river. At one point, the river went over a 136-foot drop. The waterfall was incredible. The water hit the bottom with a huge force, spraying mist into the air. The path wound around and back behind the waterfall in a small cave. The natural vegetation was so dense. Trees that looked to be over 100 feet dominated the upper canopy. There were several types of trees, coniferous and deciduous, that grew very high. The density continued all the way to the ground, where various ferns, shrubs, and grasses cover every open inch to absorb sunlight. Many of the trees have a stringy moss-like plant that completely covers the bark. I wonder whether this is parasitic at all. Many of the fallen trees have various fungi growing on them, decomposing the remains. One of these trees had a few bright orange growths, which I believe were some sort of mold (see picture). There were also very small bugs that were crawling around where this strange orange thing was. Another cool thing I saw was a spider. It was one of the biggest spiders I had ever seen in nature, maybe an inch long. It had very strange markings (see picture), and it was walking very slowly. It looked almost like it was injured. Perhaps it is old and was dying. Another interesting thing I saw was a particular plant that looked like huge clovers. It grew in patches like clovers, and had a similar shape, except it was about 2 inches wide.
18 October 2008: Food Source
Rose Dickson
18 October 2008
1205 – 11229 hours
White garden chair facing the Bistro, next to the mill stream on Willamette University campus, Salem, OR, USA
44 degrees, overcast
This summer I spent a month and a half traveling through SE Asia, with a focus on the village of Nam Neung, Laos. As I watch Willamette University campus this regular Saturday afternoon, I notice how different the two cultures really are. Most students on campus are, as we speak, heading into Goudy Commons with huge smiles on their faces as they await the special ‘parents’ weekend brunch’. However, in Laos, I can clearly imagine the young children in the kitchen with their families cooking rice, cabbage and chicken, which they have raised and grown with throughout their lives. This process seems widely different. In Laos they cultivate their own rice, grow their vegetables and raise their own chicken. I will, in a few minuets or so, follow the heard of people into Goudy to eat some undoubtedly wonderful pumpkin fried ravioli. This meal, however delicious, comes from a pumpkin I never seen or handled in my life. This process seems so unnatural and strange? Is this the kind of ‘hunting’ that we were talking of in class? If I am correct, hunting does seem reasonable to me now. An individual should provide their own food. Every animal on earth provides a sustainable food source of themselves and their family, why do we here at Willamette demand to be different?
Photo 1: Nam Neung
Photo 2: regular dinner in Nam Neung
Photo 3: rice fields in Nam Neung
Photo 4: woman with fresh vegetables she grew
More Raccoon Tracks
17 October 2008: Historic Deepwood Estate
Rose Dickson
17 October 2008
1300 – 1315 hours
Historic Deepwood Estate, Salem, OR, USA
61 degrees, Haze
On a nature walk with my colloquium class we visited the Historic Deepwood Estate in Salem, Oregon. While walking around the grounds, I was in awe at the cultivated charm in this piece of preserved history. However, as we walked a little further I noticed the influence of man became less and less, and soon it was purely a natural landscape. This more earthy scenery, to me, is a different kind of beautiful but definitely equally if not more capable of capturing my eye. As I looked at one of the maple trees I noticed how huge the leaves are. One single leaf could easily be much larger than my own head. Then I imagined how many of these leaves one tree must carry, there are thousands, while I only have 1! As we walk back into the gardened area, my eye is pulled to an extremely beautiful berry. The berries were turquoise, indigo and purple. My three favorite colors, and how beautiful they look together. I wanted so badly to try one of these marvelously colored treats, but I decided otherwise as I remember you can never judge a book by it’s cover!
Photo courtesy of:http://www.historicdeepwoodestate.org/historic/estate/salem_oregon/C4/
Collin's Observations Week 6
13 October 2008
Outside Shepard
1748
It is windy and chilly outside as the many leaves around me rustle and turn. The sky is pale and also light, but I feel as though it's about to rain. Leaves are shaking themselves off of trees and fallings like raindrops of gold and brown. Even the bushes low to the ground shiver their broad green leaves in the wind. I notice a giant hole on one of the big trees 30 yards in front of me, it looks like a branch was cut off. I just saw a lone gray squirrel run along the open grass 20 yards ahead of me, insert itself into its full posture in front of a barren bush, and than skimper out of site. One of the bushes across the street looks particularly bright with its yellowish leaves, they seem to glow. The air around me is moist as I hear a bird call overhead.
www.rutlandphoto.com/
C.Jones
14 October 2008
Outside Eaton Hall
1424
The air is very cold outside and the wind greatly emphasizes this fact. I see a gray squirrel running around throuhg the grass, no doubt seeking heat from the sun. Leaves scatter the ground and I see a huge broad shaped tree ahead of me. Many plants in this area are thick and green, providing perfect isolated alcoves for small forms of wildlife. I notice a very strange plant part on the ground. It is smooth at the stalk, than rigid and finally has a plume of white fluff that resembles cotton sprouting from the end. I notice another crushed specimen of the same plant about two feet away. Looking up, I see it grows on the tree above me, and it looks like it may be a sort of fruit.
www.bitstop.ca/.../
C.Jones
15 October 2008
Outside Shepard
1506
The weather has been very cold and windy with the mist shrouding the air earlier this morning. It is still cold, but not as windy and the mist has gone. I observe what I think to be around 30 ants scurrying about along the concrete line, it appears my earlier observation on where their nest lies in the fertile nsoil may be correct. The wall of green plants in front of me are thick as ever as I hear a very soft bird chirp nearby and feel a few raindrops land on my jacket. The soil looks less crusted than before and many of the ants seem to be in the process of scurrying back to their colony. I can hear a crow fly overhead as I catch a glimpse of it against the sky. The plants are moving little today. The raindrops seem to have stopped.
www.quietlywild.com/
C.Jones
16 October 2008
The Millstream
1336
The river is very low. I have been observing a group of five ducks, three mallards and two hens swimming in it. They are actualy walking in the shallows as much as they are swimming, an interesting sight. They are wading their way upstream against the steady current. I noice a group of what seems to be green leaves covered by white fur, giving them a translucent appearance. It reminds me of a layer of frost covering plants in late fall. The ducks are now much further upstream, fighting their way against the current and now a wall of rocks. I note two bees drifting among the different white colored plants, perhaps they have pollen among them. The ducks continue to move upstream.
C.Jones
17 October 2008
The Quad
1141
The sun covers a barren field with morning dew reflecting off the light. The air is cool and crisp and there is hardly any wind blowing. I notice distinct dirt patches in the tide 0f rolling grass and I can hear various birds chirping overhead. I see a bee hovering around the clumps of dirt, seeming to search for something. I notice a few yellow leaves dropping from a tree with wide branches colored both green and yellow, a stange sight. There are two similar trees next to it, though not the same color variation. I think the bird may be in one of those trees.
Furry trees
H.R. Waller
Date: 18 October, 2008
Time: 1445
Weather: Overcast, a bit chilly, 56 degrees
Location: Silver Falls hike
Today I went on a hike with my mom and dad as part of the parents weekend activities. Walking along the trail was like a jungle safari filled with perfectly unruly branches and vines shooting out in every direction. One of the common traits I noticed among many of the trees on the hike was that the trunks all the way up to the end of each branch were covered in a furry looking moss that hung down off of the tree like green satin sleeves that are too loose for the arms. I don't know enough about moss to know if this is a symbiotic relationship, or a parasitic one for the trees. I also have rarely seen moss cover a tree like this so completely. I wonder if it does this so much here because of the increased humidity, both in relation to the rest of Salem, because there are two large waterfalls nearby, and in relation to Montana, where we have little to no humidity most of the year.
Date: 17 October, 2008
Time: 1300
Weather: pleasant, 60 degrees, some sun
Location: Deep wood
Today at 1300 hours, while taking a nature walk with my colloquium class, we went to Deep wood and saw so many different and interesting types of vegetation. It is interesting to me how in the middle of an industrialized city there can be such an escape as this one, full of beautiful and almost exotic looking plants. One of the trees that caught my eye was a tall, leafy tree with a large light brown trunk. It mixed in with all the other trees as far as height and its palmately lobed leaves, but the thing that was different about it was its branches. Rather than the usual thick and sturdy branches that protrude from trunks as thick as this one, this tree's branches were almost as thin as pencils and they didn't start until about 2/3 of the way up the tree. Each skinny little branch springing out in different directions then had a cluster of leaves running up it and on its end. When looking straight up at the tree from below, it appeared normal and fully leafy, but when observing the individual branches they looked scragly and as though they could not amount to a full bunch of leaves that the other trees posessed.
16 October 2008: Squirrel Jump
Rose Dickson
16 October 2008
1615 – 1642 hours
Looking out the window of Matthews 223 on Willamette University campus, Salem, OR, USA
65 degrees, overcast
Staring out the window of my dorm room the strangest sight catches my eye, a flying squirrel. No way- that species isn’t even found in Oregon, are they? I deny this idea when I remember another possibility, just less than a week ago I was holding and playing with naive young squirrels. Could this disaster have been one of them? My heart drops as I refuse to believe that thought. Squirrels would not jump out of a tree, that is what baby birds do right? Why would a squirrel, under any circumstance, plunge to it’s death from a 25 foot tree. I find no logical answer, so I decide to go down to the scene of the accident and take a look myself. With a little hesitation and dreading what I might find, I search the base of the tree. Yes, we’re in luck, no signs of smashed squirrel! I wonder how that squirrel survived, are they like cats? Possessing the ability to always, with the exception of Otis (my cat), land on their feet. I wonder on this thought longer as I decide the mother squirrel needs to keep better care of her children, with or without the nine lives.
15 October 2008: Mating Season?
Rose Dickson
15 October 2008
1605 – 1629 hours
White garden chair facing the Bistro, next to the mill stream on Willamette University campus, Salem, OR, USA
57 degrees, clear
One of my favorite aspects of the Willamette University Campus is the mill stream. It is a great place to relax and spend time in the afternoon. However, it can be really difficult to concentrate on your homework when the beauty of nature is completely surrounding you. As I sit attempting to reread A Sand County Almanac for my colloquium class, I can’t help but direct my wandering attention on a bug with no mercy for my studies. This creepy-crawly has been flying into my arm for the past 2 minuets. I wonder what’s wrong with it? Bugs normally mind their own business, why must this one be so persistent? I take a second glance at my provoker, and I notice it is not just a single bug, there are two! Well, it looks like it must be mating season. Now I can better understand the lack of attention paid to the couple’s direction of movement. Individually, they are about the size of a gnat, with a brownish gray body and small wings. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to get a long enough look at the critters to classify their true identity. Then again, if I do turn out to be right about the bug’s “activities”, it’s a guarantee I’ll be seeing more of these little buggers around campus in the next few weeks.