June 15th 2023: Nature Walk, Plant Theme

Similar to last week, I decided to meet up with a friend and observe species surrounding the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. This area is most certainly a biodiverse one and I even observed new species that I had not seen last week. I walked around for about 45-1hr minutes and observed both plant species, which is the them of this week, and even different species of bird like a Swan and a Heron. The weather was quite warm and sunny and the temperature was in the low 80s, but because of the water, there was still a nice breeze. On the other hand, some plant species I observed were (I think): horse-weeds, buckthorns, sagebrushes,and mountain laurels. One of the features I like about iNaturalist is that other people on the app correct me if I label the wrong species. I also noticed some geese chomping on some grass by the reservoir and it reminded me how important something as simple as grass is for maintaining a healthy ecosystem. This week’s theme on plants is definitely relevant to our past Perusall assignment, as it discusses key adaptations that allow plants to live on land, such as the stomata (pores that control gas exchange and important for photosynthesis). Overall, I enjoyed this walk much more! Looking for plants and flowers was much much more interesting and exciting than looking for fungi and it allowed me to really connect with nature after my long shift indoors.

Publicado el 16 de junio de 2023 por clarissahoward