City Library Biodiversity Observation Project's Journal

August 4, 2021

The Wind Rises

The Wind Rises
Monday, June 21st, 2021
22 Celsius
North Vancouver, BC
(Carson Graham Park)

The wind rises. The wind rises and the clear morning with it. The sky draws a beautiful sandy landscape, the sun still holds its breath before the lights of dawn. For more than a moment, time is away, the landscape freezes itself with the cold flicker of a bee’s wings.

Delicate tiny being, yellow with sunshine, flutters between the intricate patterns of colors that the blossoms have arranged. The wild blackberry’s stems and thorns, the flicker of her wings carries a golden currency, as if the weight of the world is swaying between a bee’s legs.

She jumps her way between Persephone’s daughters, recalling the golden days where she used to walk among them. A forgotten dryad.

Little the buttercups and dandelions know about her, and yet she is forever welcome. They open their scanty petals and carry her through the warm freshness of the day. Like bells, these petals howl to the path of the wind, shouting away the treasure of its pistils.

Now, days are golden too, but have turned grayer and distant, as Eolo’s tune whispers one hundred years of solitude, spreading nostalgic dreams in silent loudness.

The Sun reaches its zenith, and the wind’s music halts. Harmony is played in the strings of a new rhythm; the day is going and going and here I lie, still. Lately, I have felt uneasy with the idea that time is finally catching up with me. But not here, not now. I am seated beside a pinus tree which I hope has seen better days. I am once again reminded of the innate beauty and complexity that lies in a single tree. Its needles are not perfect, and they don’t need to be. I try to guess its height. At least 8 meters I decide. Trees evaporate 95% of their water through nanoscale-pores, creating immense negative pressures of 10’s of ATM, and although water should be boiling, the xylem tubes which carry it can never contain air bubbles, preventing water from reaching the necessary activation energy; all this, just to absorb a couple of carbon molecules. The same carbon that closes them, you see.

I can’t but feel humbled and overwhelmed by the ubiquitous beauty that exists and surrounds me. I feel grateful, and hopeful. Maybe the perfect world is not one we need to seek.

The wind, the wind rises, and the yellow bee awakes. The sun has painted the sky blue, colors hang as watercolor garlands. A farewell is, as the clock’s hands have decided that time it is. With the voice of the last sunlight, the bee’s wings follow Apollo’s call, flying their way to a new dawn.

By
~ Mariana García Soto
Teen Wildlife Ambassador

Posted on August 4, 2021 09:20 PM by nvclkat nvclkat | 0 comments | Leave a comment

July 28, 2021

Groundhog Day

Monday, June 7th, 2021
Groundhog Day
North Vancouver
16 Celsius
Around 4 pm

Usually, after school, I like to sit by my desk and begin doing my homework. Today was no exception.

As I looked through the big glass window across my bedroom, I noticed something moving in the lawn. It wasn’t a squirrel – too big – and it wasn’t a beaver either. The brown, medium-sized creature looked back at me – it did not seem so happy either - and decided to mind its own business and return to pick-out the wildflowers on the grass. I tried to get a picture of it from my window, but it looked too blurred to be identifiable. I went outside. I looked for my mysterious visitor – gone.

One hour later, there were many people gathered around my neighbor’s car. There was a groundhog in their car’s hood.

By
~ Mariana García Soto
Teen Wildlife Ambassador

Posted on July 28, 2021 06:27 PM by nvclkat nvclkat | 0 comments | Leave a comment

July 21, 2021

Mahon Park

Saturday, May 22nd, 2021
Mahon Park
Noon
16 C
North Vancouver

I took my book and bike and rode all the way to Mahon Park. It was a beautiful morning, not quite sunny, but still bright and crisp. I found a dry spot by one of the many park benches and began reading – I began reading “Under the White Sky” by Elizabet Kolbert – author of “the Sixth Extinction” as well.

Quick tip, if you like to spot tiny plants or insects that you would otherwise miss on a walk, try staying still in one place for several minutes – you will begin noticing the increasing amount of activity around you – ants, squirrels, birds, beetles – don’t forget to take pictures of them! That way you can document them on iNaturalist when you get home.

By
~ Mariana García Soto
Teen Wildlife Ambassador

Posted on July 21, 2021 06:38 PM by nvclkat nvclkat | 0 comments | Leave a comment

July 7, 2021

Inter-River Park

Friday, May 21st, 2021
Inter-River park II
North Vancouver
15 Celsius
Afternoon

I had a pleasant afternoon in the Inter-River Park. The first time I visited was last year during the pandemic and I was looking for something accessible in which I could go and disconnect for a little while.

There are a lot of parks in North Vancouver – if you're local, you probably know them all – however, to someone that has not been here yet, there is one path that goes both ways (uphill and downhill), and it is wide enough to fit a car. The path also runs beside Lynn Creek – which is a bit low on water since there has not been much rain in the past week. People run, ride bikes, talk with friends, and walk their dogs in this park -the complete “park experience”, like almost any other park around here.

I recently signed-up for the Teen Wildlife Ambassador Volunteer Program from the library, and now I am here to look for different plant species. Yesterday, I peeked at the iNaturalist app photos that people were uploading from this area; now I have an idea of which plants are already identified around here. I look for tiny details – the buttercups, the dandelions and the little purple flowers that grow at the side – I take some pictures and upload them. Bingo.

Overall, the Inter River Park experience is a positive one; I like to see the dogs enjoy the sun and the water as they go back and forth between their owners and their toys, and I like the tranquil yet dynamic energy this park has to offer.

By
~ Mariana García Soto
Teen Wildlife Ambassador

Posted on July 7, 2021 06:01 PM by nvclkat nvclkat | 0 comments | Leave a comment

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