carolinaibarra's Journal

It was sundown when I did my nature walk around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. The lack of sun made it very cold--it was around 40 F. Also, due to the fall weather, most of the plants were red, brown or yellow--many were scattered on the soil. Surprisingly, I found different large variety of plants with different shapes. Some sprouted from the Res and the rest were on dry land. It is interesting to see how plants manage to survive the harsh weather--especially tonight's cold winds.

By the time I was done with my walk, it was dark out. Therefore, it was difficult to see the different plants. However, I noticed that plants with smaller leaves tended to be more green and have most of their leaves intact, meanwhile, larger leaves would either be brown or on the floor--with some exceptions. This could be due to the plants' tendency to adapt: less surface area means it is easier to handle harsh weather with little rainfall and little sun.

Since it was going to rain in an hour, I decided to go back to the Pine Tree Reservoir right on campus. I walked around 1pm--it was a cloudy afternoon with a temperature of around 50 F. The wind made it colder as I roamed through the little reservoir. Last time I walked through the Pine Reservoir I remember seeing more diversity in fungi. However, this time there was barely any visible--this could be due to the colder weather and maybe fungi have trouble thriving during colder temperatures. Nonetheless, there were still some kinds of fungi present which reminded me of natural selection and how harsh conditions can lead to a reduction of species because they could not adapt. Meanwhile, some species of fungi were able to survive. I saw in various trees, the same fungi work its way up their trunks. Also, I found Lichens spread throughout rocks that were scattered around the little park.

I walked for about 40 minutes around the--quite small--Pine Tree Reservoir. I brought my roommate along so she could help me spot the different species that were roaming around the small patch of contained wilderness. The area was clearly semi-landscaped due to the little pathways and benches that were littered around. However, diversity thrived--although not as evident as in other wild locations--and I was able to make a few observations. We decided to do our nature walk in the afternoon. The weather was nice--just a light breeze and clear blue skies. There were a few rather odd looking insects climbing the trees and rocks--due to their quick escape I was unable to take pictures of them. However, it was interesting to see so much plant diversity in such a small area. There were randomly scattered dandelions, mushrooms, yellow, purple and blue flowers (Cichorieae) that appeared to be wild due to their random placements. There were different kinds of mosses that spread through the trees and ground. Also, there were rabbits, squirrels, and numerous insects roaming the territory.

It is incredible how biodiverse such a small patch of wild land can be. It demonstrates how adaptive living things are and how even in the smallest places, they can thrive. It was surprising the amount of insects I found--they were probably attracted to the nice weather.