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.