Dandy Lions?

Spring is raining down on my lovely phenology site lately! With these showers comes growth of bright green grasses and new budding flowers. However, it also brings "a lawn's worst nightmare": dandelions. My phenology spot is no exception to this and has a bunch of yellow spots covering the sides of the creek. While most households find these annoying and attempt to spray them away with pesticides, they are actually fairly beneficial to the environment at Pioneer Park.

They help attract insects that pollinate not only their plants but other plants as well. Bees tend to enjoy the nectar from dandelions and since dandelions are usually seen in large groups, this proves to be a primary source for bees. According to countryfarm-lifestyles.com, dandelions are great for having in your garden in general. They have long roots that grow deep in the soil and add enriching nutrients in the ground that is beneficial for growth for all plants. They also naturally produce a gas that helps neighboring fruit to ripen! Although they aren't the most sightly flowering plant, they are very helpful for the dirt and animals alike.

So next time you go make a wish while blowing dandelion seeds, remember that you are actually helping the environment around you!

Relaxation and Friendly Conversation

On April 23rd, I really enjoyed my time spent outside for phenology. First of all, the weather was absolutely gorgeous! It was almost too hot for me! After I sat down at my phenology spot, I took a moment to soak in all of the changes. I checked out the leaves on my tree and was amazed by how much they had grown since I last saw them. I was happy to find a little lady bug resting on one of the fragile leaves. Everything around me looked so green and full of life. People walking through the park had smiles spread on their faces and were engaged in friendly conversation.

While observing the life around me, I noticed an older man walking along the creek with his little grand-daughter and her friend. We got talking, and he told me that he used to be a sheep herder. How neat! He was interested in what our class was doing outside and I explained. The little girls, with such cheerful spirits, seemed to be so excited about the nice weather. We watched them play along the creek and dip their feet in the water, as we talked some more. Time flew by and when it was time to go back inside the school, I wished I could have stayed out in the park for hours.

The Hot Days

      It is sure a warm day outside.  The grass looks really green, as I see blossoms growing on some tress, and still there are trees that are still leave less.  I can spot dandelions growing by the creek, as I see two ducks walking along the creek.  I also saw the teacher look for a muskrat family.  It is sure sunny outside with little bit of a breeze.  Compared to last week it is really warm outside the air temp was 25 degrees Celsius, water temp was 14 degrees Celsius.  It was very hot day well at least were not used to this warm weather.  The sunrise was 6:13 am. and sunset was 8:12 pm.  The days have been shorter and its really been warm and it's only April.  We are experiencing June weather and there are so many bugs outside.  Well it looks like people are back from wearing jeans to now wearing shorts.  Who knows I remember May being December weather.

My tall, beautiful tree.

My tree has changed so much since the last time I saw it. The entire tree is filled with dark, green leaves. The bark on my tree has changed color and looks thicker and healthier. There are dandelions surrounding my tree,because the wind has been blowing little seeds have planted themselves by my tree. The grass around my tree is bright green and growing a lot. I also noticed how tall the grass has grown from looking at the edges of the stream. Also, There are very few dead leaves on the ground since the wind is taking them elsewhere. The sun is shining and there are few clouds covering the bright, blue sky. There was also lots of bird activity.My site has changed so much in each season. Just another beautiful day outside.Because trees are so prudent to the environment as a primary consumer I wanted to share some facts I found on the web. 1)A single tree produces approximately 260 pounds of oxygen per year. That means two mature trees can supply enough oxygen annually to support a family of four! 2)The shade and wind buffering provided by trees reduces annual heating and cooling costs by 2.1 billion dollars. 3)Trees properly placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning needs by 30% A single tree produces approximately 260 pounds of oxygen per year. That means two mature trees can supply enough oxygen annually to support a family of four! 4)An average American uses about 750 pounds of paper every year, and 95% of homes are built using wood. That means each person uses the equivalent of one 100 foot tall, 16 inch diameter, tree every year for their paper and wood product needs. 5)The average tree in an urban/city area has a life expectancy of only 8 years. 6)The tallest tree in the country is a Coast Redwood growing in northern California's Redwood National Park. It is 369 feet tall and over 2000 years old!

My tree in Pioneer Park

Fungus

I went out to Pioneer on Saturday to photograph the fungus growing on the stumps in my site. I had earlier noticed how wonderfully fungal they'd been looking, and I was excited to visually record something so spectacular! With my camera itching to capture this humble bit of nature, I headed out!

Upon my arrival, I noticed the destruction of a whole group of a fungus type on the west side of my first stump! Who does that?! On Earth Day weekend! After shedding a few tears for this terrible loss, I regrouped myself and was able to capture the remainging groups of fungus. And, because I quickly became quite snap-happy in my lovely site, I photographed some of the moss around my stumps as well.

This is what I call "burnt-ornage bubble" fungus!

I think this one is upside down...

A magical little nook above the stream, on the east side of the first stump.

Another view of the nook pictured above. Notice the green moss and more "burnt-orange bubbles!"

weeping tree

This is my second blog post with pictures of the weeping tree. These are pictures of the tree two weeks ago. It was a sunny day out and it had not rained in a couple weeks, and as you can tell the tree is clearly wet. I still am having a hard time understanding what makes it wet on dry days.

I can't think of a title...

The birds were out and the grass getting greener, I couldn't help but be a dreamer.Until I saw some Arby's wrappers in the creek I started to get arrogant. Then I realized that the ducks are back and ready to give us some quack! So I figured that it's spring time and the birds are sounding fine. I notice that the moss is starting to grow after I hear the crows. I start to leave only to find out that the ground is wet even though we haven't had any precipitation. After I'm gone I have a craven for Arby's.

Oh my, I need sleep.

Former buds, now a preview of summer, leaves are making themselves known throughout the park. Although oddly, the majority of leaf growth on trees occurs more exclusively near the creek. It can be noticed even by a simple drive on Parkhill/Virginia Ln. It is these odd observations that we normally overlook when using the park for recreational reasons.

Mallard ducks are everywhere, I am beginning to convince myself that they are planning something big ;). Two male ducks waddled past me as if I was nothing but a grain of sand. How rude. It makes me ponder what I truly am to them. In the process of pondering I begin to feel the dampness of the earth I sit on. Simply evidence of the previous spring shower.

The ash tree's newly grown twigs are quite yellow. I think it is unique and separates the ash from many other trees surrounding it in the park.

I hope to get this video blog thing into gear by next post.

Ponderings...

I shared our blog with several of my BSHS colleagues today during our PIR in-service and they were amazed by the work being produced here... your artful, thoughtful reflections; your humor and candor; your musings and observations.

One colleague commented on the connections this blog could provide between our class and our greater community, and I began wondering just how vast our audience might really be. I knew that a few teachers, administrators, and parents had checked our blog, but beyond that I assumed our readership was pretty limited.

So, imagine my surprise when (for the very first time!) I checked out our blog "statistics" and discovered that we have had almost 1000 views -- mostly from the US, but also from readers in Russia, Germany, France, Brazil, and Malaysia!!!! This discovery made me think of Arlo (our friend and former classmate) and his relocation to Australia... Maybe we should send him an invite to join our blog and post about the phenology of his new area?

Anyhow, I am humbled, and impressed, and very proud of the work you all are doing!  Keep it up!

Little Pieces Of Life

This weather has got me so frustrated! My mood has been changing constantly due to these crazy changes in the weather. One minute I'll be laying in the beautiful, green grass... enjoying the sunshine dance on my skin and the next minute I'll be watching snow fall from outside my window. I hope the sun will eventually decide to stay for awhile. That would make me happy.

However, I'm sure the environment around my phenology sight is loving all of this moisture! The grass and the plants are looking SO green! And I'm surprised with how quickly the buds on my tree are growing. The drawings in my journal haven't done much justice for showing how neat the changes on my tree have been, but these changes fascinate me. I find it interesting how each little bud that is growing holds such purpose and signifance to the tree itself. I remember when I was a child, I'd pick the buds off of trees for no apparent reason, and wouldn't give it another thought. Now, I wish I could go back and tell my young self that those buds are alive and I should admire them on the tree... not on the ground. Crazy to think how many living things surround us every day, but we have no appreciation towards them.

Considering, the weather has been rather gloomy the past couple times I've gone out, I hope the sun will be shining the next time I go out for phenology. I'm excited to see more plant growth and more green in my phenology sight.

Rainy Days of Spring

     As I wake up this morning it was raining outside.  When I was eating breakfast I look outside the windows in the clear view of our backyard and I am surprised how green it looks.   I know today is going to be sort of a cloudy, chilly and rainy day.  On Thursday I went out for phenology and it was cloudy outside.  I noticed that we had had some rain and precipitation since the last time we were out for phenology.  The grass outside was really green and the leaves were ready. I could here the wind blow and since it was rainy and cold out there was not a lot of animal activity.    I heard some birds singing and saw a crow migrating it was sort of a silent morning.  The creek was 5cm deep which is recorded.  This day was a cloudy, windy, and rainy day the sun came out latter in the afternoon.  For the past three days its been chilly, a little bit rainy and really cloudy.  The sun would come out every once in awhile but then the clouds would come in with the wind chill.  This means that we are getting some moisture which is really good because we need it.

The Hole In My Bank!

I went out for phenology on April 12,2012.  It was a dreary day, the temperature was 48 degrees Fahrenheit and it was overcast and raining.  The grass was very moist and green.  Our water level has dropped to 5 cm deep! It's amazing how much it has dropped over the year.  There was a piece of rope in the water which you can see in the right picture.  There was also a hole in the side of my bank which you can also see in my right picture.  It makes me wonder what could have caused this hole to form.  Was it man made?  Did an animal dig it out?  Did the water and snow cause it to erode?  My answer is simply this, it could have been all of them!  I may never know the answer to the hole in the bank.    

Rain, and Greenery, and Buds, Oh My!

 Date- 4-12-12

Weather- The weather is really gray today, there is cloud cover and a breeze coming in from the west. Oh, wait, the breeze is now coming in from the south, oh wait the west again. I guess that the wind is fighting with itself which is explaining why it is starting to rain!

Observations- The willows along the shore line of the creek are in full bloom in relation to their buds that is. The coloring is like a bright, almost neon yellow-green. The buds on my own tree on my site have grown significantly as well and are about to break open to leaves.

The first thing that I noticed when I went out today was that the ground was littered with seeds that resemble large fuzzy caterpillars. Almost all of the grass is now turning green and I am sure that the rain and cloudy weather will help Spring.... spring.

Sound Tapestry- The park was quiet today, as usual. there were not any kids on the playground on account of the rain and the only noises heard where the usual cars and the wind though the willow trees. Surprisingly I didn't hear any birds, but they are probably picking up worms that are coming up from the rain.

Summer just around the corner but what about the trash!

There are so many bunnies in the park now as well as ducks, dogs, birds, and squirrels!  Its great to see everything come to life again.  There has been a re multitude of trash in the park lately most likely from the beautiful weather we've been having lately.  It is quite obvious that students from yes Senior High have been littering like crazy people.  But on a positive note people seem to be interested in what we are doing, they always ask what were doing and its really cool when they know what we are talking about.  I think it really encourages the older generations to see us interested in our natural surroundings.  I have never seen a negative response and hope we never get one.  Back to the trash, I hope next time there will be less!

On A Dark Spring Day

        On April 12th, 2012 I went out for phenology. It was dark, cloudy, chilly, and windy. There was a duck in the creek, which was four centimeters lower than it was the last time that I had taken phenology.The duck was a male mallard duck, and flew away from me when I got near it and looked at it. The duck flew further upstream, sort of near the bridge. It was just swimming around, maybe looking for food or just lounging around.
        The willow tree right next to my spot had leaves that were bloomed, they weren't fully grown though, but it was a large difference between now and when I last took phenology. The leaves were a good green colour and so were some of it's branches from where the leaves were coming out of. The grass also was a rather green colour. It especially was green across the creek, sort of like a golf course. The creek was also narrower, which I think is because there were a bunch of twigs and branches up the creek further.
        When I did the sound tapestry I didn't hear as many sounds as I did last time I did phenology. I think that there wasn't as many animal sounds because it was dark and rainy outside. I only heard a bird, a duck, and the water, which is a very low amount of things. I'm really looking towards to see how many I will hear next time.

The Clash Vol. I

   Just the other day I was driving in my car listening to 103.7, The Hawk, when on the radio came on the song Back in Black by AC/DC. God, what a great song. It was my own Jerry Maguire moment, only heavier metal. I have not found anything, only discovered that listening to heavy metal music while measuring the depth of my creek or observing the dried red algae along the creek's bank adds a sense of urgency to my phenology recording. I must note every minute detail of all of my area before time progresses and things change and it is all  lost. The buds have since burst and there are leaves on my tree. Death or Glory by The Clash comes on and a leaf that fell into the creek has long since floated past out of sight.

Growing Green

Today was a more wet, rainy day outside during phenology. The first thing that i noticed when walking to my area was that all the grass in the park is changing colors quickly to fresh green, spring, grass. It reminds me of when you watch a video that is done in elapsed time so it shows the changing of seasons in a certain area. Just like on the weather channel. The trees have budded and grown greener since the last phenology outing and the water level in the creek was almost a whole inch higher.

Quack.

taking off

ducks in my site

It's spring, the birds are everywhere! The leaves on my tree are turning forest green, the grass is green, and the sun is shining. I spent most of my time watching the birds go about themselves. There was a male and female lingering along the shallow water drinking and eating food. Aside from the birds, the lawn was being mowed which obviously means the grass is growing, which means it's getting closer to summer.The two ducks were wondering up and down the grass nuzzling each other. Meanwhile, this lonely, male duck approaches them and the first male duck becomes very territorial. The first duck attacked the lonely duck and they all three flew away fighting for the female by pecking at her. It was a very eventful day. Most importantly everything is changing in my area. All the colors are turning and the atmosphere has changed significantly.

Muskrat Madness!

Possible Muskrat Lodge by Kaycee Arrowood

Muskrats? As my fellow bloggers have stated before, there has been a sighting of a small fuzzy creature around Pioneer Park. To best of our knowledge, we believe it to be a muskrat. There has been multiple dens spotted, so there is a grand possibility that there might be a family of muskrats running around! Due to my lack of knowledge on this creature, some research has been required to find out what a muskrat even is. According to fcps.edu, they are large rodents with fur-less tails and are very dependent on water. They build "lodges" and like to live in families and they feed off of a huge variety of plants and smaller animals; such as frogs and fish. 

Right across the creek from my location, I found what I believe to be is a muskrat lodge. I can not be for current, but it seems to be accurate for the description of where they normally live. It is very exciting to learn about this creature and hopefully we get a snapshot of when we see it next!

Soil Poem by Kas

Phenology

   My location is unassuming to one passing by. Just beyond the bridge towers a four-trunked tree that shelters my bend of the creek. On the other side of the bank is a small gnarled shrub of a tree, the bark is black and olive-like. The creek runs smoothly along small pebbles and stones from the fall of the dam not but three yards above. It is quiet in its solitude from the rest of the group. When sitting among the trunks of my colossal tree I am hidden and become myself unassuming to anyone just passing by.
   Late fall proved my area a brilliant green. The grass was all uniform in color and size and the ground around the creek was spongy with moisture. The seepage from the creek extended well up near the trail. The water ran swift and unnerving across rocks that grew in familiarity with me. Tall grass grew emerald just along the creekside, the tips of their shoots dipping into the water. Under these tall grasses grew a red algea that was veinous in its spread over the mud of the creek bottom. This red algea spread along my entire site ending eventually at the mouth of the bridge. It would be this red algea that I would pay particular attention to in the passing of time for it was the most noticeable of organisms that showed seasonal change. The red would diminish in brilliance as winter set in and the veins slowly shrivelled on into themselves withering and waiting for spring. The leaves of the four-trunked tree were broad yet did not lose their pointedness. A single branch could hold ten to twenty leaves, evidence of which showed in the canopy of green that roofed this phenology site. This tree is impressive. The bark comes off with a tug in large scabs and the wood beneath is a light, healthy brown. This tree is old and used. Cans of energy drinks or tea or soda would litter the nook formed by the four trunks and tiny branches would be formed into geometric patterns purposefully in the mud. A single piece of red gum was stuck hard to one of the trunks and it remainded there into much of the winter. The knowledge that my spot was active and used was a comfort. I myself could imagine reclining  back in the nook with a beautiful girl on a warm autumn afternoon talking of sweet nothings and reciting recycled poetry into her ear. It could just be my imagination, but along a trunk of this four-trunked beast appears the worn carvings of initials inside of a heart. Lovers who long ago had the same idea I had...

Due to some technical failures...

My last video decided that now would be a good time to never work. So, instead of having a super exciting, action-packed, Oscar-winning video, I am going to type a boring analysis of my most recent observations.

It is a no-brainer that spring is becoming more and more visible to the eye. I observed the most obvious transformations such as the grass. Not only in my phenology site, but the park as a whole, the grass is growing green. This green grass is much smoother to touch and softer on the eyes :)! What about the tree? Buds are growing like there is no tomorrow! I can't even reach the lowest branch/twig to give a precise measurement, but I would like to guess over a week's period the buds had grown about 1-2cm.  Phenology days are getting much more exciting because of the wildlife is kicking in gear! I had spotted about 4 Mallard Ducks, 2 males, 2 females....BOWCHICKAWAWA! I did some research on these ducks, and this time of the year they are finding good places to nest. After the females lay their eggs, the male ducks leave. After this period, the male ducks rent mediocre condos and seek jobs to pay the child support..... so maybe that last part isn't accurate.

I hope you all will be able to witness my phenology video redemption.

COMING SOON NEXT MONTH

P.S. I know Ms.Lord has been DYING to know what kind of tree is in my phenology site. It is an ash tree...to the best of my knowledge.

Catkins

We went out for phenology on the last friday in March! What a beautiful day out, almost felt like summer :-) I was surprised to already find leaves forming on my willow and some furry, long things called catkins. Catkins are commonly found on trees which are wind pollinated such as oak, birch, hickory, and willow. A catkin is basically a long, bunch of flowers without petals. Most catkins form prior to the leaves; the catkins on my willow look completely formed, where the few leaves found are only a couple centimeters long. The flowers will form into seeds by the end of the growing season. If a seed(s) is to fall from the catkin, and survives, the growing process of a new tree begins.

Catkins from my peach leaved willow near the creek in Pioneer Park
 

Catkins dangling from the willow tree

A pair of mallards in my site

April Fools Day Weather

  As you can tell it is April Fools and after a warm week it is now cloudy and chilly outside.  So on Friday we went out for phenology and it was really warm that morning.  It was a bit windy outside but the breeze was comfortable.  I observed the grass and it is way greener than I saw it before.  Most of the leaves are gone from the trees, hopefully blossoms will bloom shortly and  Summer seems to be coming shortly.  It is only March and it has been so warm outside this whole week up to seventy degree weather.   Yesterday I got sunburned really bad from playing in my tennis matches.   Wow it was really warm yesterday, compared to last year were having June weather.    Today now I observe from walking to the car I was not wearing a coat, it is so windy and cold outside this afternoon.  Maybe this is some kind of April fools joke or maybe its just the weather pattern.

Phenology Poem

This is also a day late… I suppose it could be considered an April post, or a late March post!

Here is a poetical description of phenology:

Phenology is…

forgetting algebra and embracing Thoreau instincts

poking fungus

feeling the urge to eat organic hummus from Good Earth Market

 exchanging a hardly-wood wooden desk for a stump

centimeters of stream, Celsius-es of air

a brief return to childhood

My Last March Post...

I know this post is one day late, but i still wanted to write my last March phenology observations.  I went out for phenology on March 30th to find three ducks in my site.  They were sitting in the water very peacefully.  The temperature was around 52 degrees at 10:15 on that Friday.  I observed that my site was still filled with a lot of plastic.  I don't understand why people can't recycle there plastic and paper that end up it the creek.  Come on people it's not rocket science.  I really enjoyed my day outside observing nature. I'm so glad spring is finally here and we can enjoy all the wild life and insects.