avasantamaria's Journal

This afternoon (Tuesday, October 18th) I took a nature walk along the Chestnut Hill Reservoir path around 4pm. The sun was shining, and it was a crisp fall day with a temperature of about 60 degrees. As this week's theme was plants, throughout my nature walk I kept an eye out for examples of all four of the main groups of plants. In the woods abutting the reservoir as well as along the reservoir path, I was successful in doing so! For Bryophyta or nonvascular plants, I found a strip of moss on the trunk of a tree. For Polypodiopsia (seedless vascular plants), I found some ferns growing in the woods. A Gymnosperm, (non-flowering seed plant) was found in the woods, as I located a pine tree. Lastly, an Angiosperm was located along the reservoir pathway, as I recorded white flowering plants otherwise known as American Asters. I also recorded some other organisms throughout my nature walk that I found to be unique! Overall, I really enjoyed my nature walk this afternoon and expanded my knowledge upon the four main groups of plants and specific examples of each!

This past Sunday, I exited my dorm and walked down the street towards the Reservoir, entering the woods that abut Chestnut Hill Driveway. It was a cloudy and chillier afternoon, about 54 degrees, and the air was crisp. Throughout my walk, I saw many different plant species as well as wild flowers that I took pictures of. Given the fact that this week was Fungi themed, I additionally found many different types of fungi, although difficult to locate at first. The fungi I found were in different forms, some being the traditional mushroom shape and some growing on tree stumps or the sides of branches. I thought that it was interesting to observe all of the potential different kinds of fungi, as I didn't realize how many possibilities there were! Some fungi were notably darker-colored, (indicating that they had rotted), and some had small holes inn them, (indicating that an animal had ate them.) Comparing my findings to class material, I wondered if certain mushrooms that survived longer possessed specific traits that increased their fitness compared to the rest of the population, promoting a longer-lasting life. An example of these traits could be if a mushroom was considered poisonous compared to other non-poisonous mushrooms, they would survive longer due to animals avoiding eating them compared to the non-poisonous mushrooms. Overall, I really enjoyed my nature walk and exploring the different wildlife areas of BC!

Last Saturday, I walked for about 40 minutes along Hammond Pond and in the woods close by. It was a beautiful, sunny fall day with a temperature of 70 degrees. During my walk, I didn't see that many insects or animals other than one beetle that was on a rock. I did however see many different leaves and plants dispersed throughout the small woods, some alive and some dead. I did notice that the observably dead plants (appeared brown colored and distorted) were in locations that were hidden from the sun compared to living plants that were more exposed to the sun. Connecting this idea to class, I drew the conclusion that a plant's location in terms of exposure to sunlight can be a trait that proves greater fitness, promoting a longer life for plants exposed to mores sunlight. Some of the organisms I took pictures of (mostly the plants) had some phenotypic similarities, potentially alluding to a shared common ancestor between the two. Specifically, the Southern Lady Fern and the Oaks shared some similarities, but also differed in their leaf size. There were different trails we could walk along (without getting lost) and I saw many other people walking the throughout the woods as well! Overall, I really enjoyed my walk and exploring / taking pictures of different kinds of organisms! :)