Week 1, April 7 2015

Ravenna Park Observations

Tuesday April 7

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Cloudy

Growing up in China, one of the best memories for me as a kid to escape from the busy schoolwork and have some fresh air was to go on hikes with my family. I have always loved going out into the nature, and getting touch with animals that we were not able to see in the city. I remembered one of my favorite mountains we often went on hikes was called Tianlong Mountain. I liked it because it is not only a site for experiencing the natural environment, but also a historical site for grottoes that can date back to 1500 years ago.

I have been on several road trips in the US for the last couple of years.  They brought me a more dynamic understanding of what is the nature, what is the relationship between nature and human, and why do we even go on trips to explore the nature. The nature should not be just the peaceful scenery, we should also appreciate the dangerous and unpredictable part of the nature. I have been to Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Grand Canyon, and Yosemite National Park. The variety of animals and plants impressed me the most. We saw elks, bisons, eagles, and even three bears walked by us. For me, being able to see the nature in these national parks give me the reasons to protect the natural environment, and realize that we are just one part of the nature because everything is so subtle and unimportant comparing to the massive nature. While I was standing on the one side of Grand Canyon, I kept thinking what kind of intense geological movement made it into today’s topography, and then all of the anxieties that from the city were not existed anymore, only amazed by the nature.

In terms of the class, I am looking forward to identifying more species at the end of this class, going on the field trips, getting to know more peers during the trips, as well as knowing more about the formation of different types of geography.

My observation spot was in Ravenna Park. It is a ravine that possessed old-growth timber.  Ravenna Creek locates at the west side of the ravine alone Brooklyn Avenue NE. The Cowen Park Bridge crosses the park from north to south on 15^th Avenue. I observed an area that was between the stream and a trail, under the bridge. The image below is of the larger landscape of the spot:

On the ground, there is grass, ivy, and maple within the 5 square meter scale. Some plants that I am able to identify are Vine Maple in the Maple Family and Scouring Rush. It seems like all the trees and shrubs were just sprouting new leaves in terms of the color of the plants. Vine Maple is shown below:

Another interesting plant that I found of a 5 square meter scale, and also all over the ground in the park was Scouring Rush in the Horsetail Family:

Some of the species that I couldn’t identify within the 5 square meters are:

I have such limited knowledge of identifying trees, here is the picture I took around the 50 square meter area:

An interesting finding on a lot of the trees. I am not sure about what is it, but I am guessing that is the fungus: 

I could hear that there were many birds singing in the trees, but I did not see one. The only animal I observed was a squirrel. I am sure there are many other insects on the ground too.