17 October 2008
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.

Observer: Eloise Bacher
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.

Observer: Eloise Bacher
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.

Observer: Eloise Bacher

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

Observer: Eloise Bacher

Date: 17 October, 2008

Time: 1255-1330

Location: Deepwood Estate

Weather: Sunny, warm, few clouds.

There is a faint raccoon track in the drying mud by some kind of court...basketball? Tennis? It's covered in leaves. I can see four toes, a possibly a fifth, and the faint outline of the heel pad. It's a fore foot. There is no trail visible, although it has to be here somewhere. I look, but can't see any more definite tracks. There is what might be one more to the right and behind it, but it's difficult to tell.

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

C.Jones
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/USERIMAGES/autumnfalllow.jpg

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/.../ottawa_fall/rideau/leaves.jpg

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/qwpix/recentpix/RainDrops.jpg

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.

H.R. Waller
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. 

Waterfalls 10-18-08

Time: 1730-1840

Date: 18 October 2008

Climate: Chilly, about 54 degrees slightly windy

Location: going west on route 30, Horsetail Falls, Multnomah Falls

I went to Mount Hood today and then I went to go see the waterfalls.  I never expected them to be so huge! The first waterfall I saw was Horsetail Falls.  It was 176 feet and actually looked like a horsetail.  It was the perfect shape, I was shocked.  It was so cool to watch the water just shooting off the edge of the rocks and making this waterfall.  As we kept going we stopped at Multnomah Falls, which is so big and there are 2 parts to it.  There are also 3 different kinds of volcanic rock that makes up the fall.  It is about 620 feet, which is unbelievable.  Being there I learned that it is the second largest year round waterfall in the United States.  It is also fed by underground springs from Larch Mountain.  There is a bridge that you can hike up to and get a closer look at the waterfall and that was so cool.  The water was falling to fast and it looked so light but I know if I were to stand under it I would probably get hurt and it wouldn’t be a good idea.  I read something funny while I was there.  A rock that weighed the same as a school bus filled with cement fell all the way down the waterfall in 2005 and drenched an entire wedding party.  That was a bit unfortunate for the wedding party however they were extremely lucky that all they had to deal with was being wet.  That could have been even more of a disaster. 

 

Lewis & Clark 10-18-08

Time: 1215-1245

Date: 18 October 2008

Climate: chilly, about 55 degrees, cloudy, windy

Location: Lewis and Clark Campus

I am walking around the Lewis and Clark campus in Portland, Oregon.  This school is so pretty because there is so much nature surrounding you.  There are little paths that are filled with different species of plants and they look so real and not artificial.  Like they weren’t planted there on purpose.  I like the feel I get from here because it feels very secluded and peaceful.  As I walk along this little path I notice some mushrooms.  I haven’t noticed any mushrooms on Willamette’s campus yet, there may be some but I have not personally noticed any.  I have seen some across the street in a little park but none yet on campus.  These mushrooms are not like any that I have seen before; they may only be native to the west.  There were two types of mushrooms, or so I thought.  After being able to identify them as Shaggy Mane mushrooms, I discovered that they curl up and become what I thought was a completely different mushroom.  I was very interested by this because I thought they were 2 completely different types of mushrooms, but they were in fact, the same.  As I look around some more I am reminded of parts of a forest I used to hike in back home.  There are no blackberries in this path that I can see and that is surprising because they are so invasive that usually whenever I am walking around in wooded areas, I see them.