Week 1
Ravenna Park
Tuesday April 8 2014
1:00-2:00 pm
Mild, cloudy

Once I arrived at Ravenna park, I first set out to find a central observation spot. I walked through the mowed lawn and play set to the wild landscape on either side of Ravenna creek and found a quiet spot on the hill sloping downwards. Although in the midst of natural species in the Pacific Northwest, I was still well aware of the human presence in the urban park by the man-made trails, concrete bridge and sound of traffic overhead. Looking down at my location, the ground was covered with brown dead leaves and a mass of English Ivy, Hedera helix spreading across the area. To my right there was a large bush of English Holly, Ilex aquifolium identifiable by its dark green glossy and jagged edges. Both the English holly and ivy are considered invasive species or noxious weeds in the area and there are efforts to remove them to allow the native species to thrive. Nearby there is also a small Thimbleberry, Rubus parviflorus identified by the toothed and hairy leaves, no flowers  have begun to bloom yet. Looking further around the area I noticed many ferns, I identified the Western Sword Fern from the coarse tapered fronds. The tips of the ferns were brown and curled up gradually becoming greener closer to the roots. 

Looking up at the canopy above I noticed some bright green newly forming buds on some of the trees I think I was looking at a Bigleaf Maple, Acer macrophyllum. As well as the branches of a large Douglas Fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii. The trunk of the maple was covered in moss and some of the English Ivy. As I continued to explore the area surrounding my central spot, I made my way down to Ravenna creek. Close to the water I saw a bush with a few fuchsia blossoms that looked like Salmonberry, Rubus spectabilis. I didn't notice too many birds in my observation area although I spotted an American Robin, Turdus migratorius briefly and heard many different bird calls along with the occasional sound of traffic on the bridge. I also noticed a squirrel, The Eastern Gray Squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis I think. I am excited to return to this spot throughout the next couple of months and gain a better understanding of the native species as well as how to identify them. 

See you next week Ravenna,
Rosy





Experience With Nature

One huge part of my childhood involved annual road trips each summer across the country into Eastern Canada. Each year brought with it new adventures camping, hiking and sight seeing. At the same time, being cramped up in a van with four siblings and a limited number of novels to read often resulted in hours of simply gazing out the window. As a result I have spent many hours noticing the change of landscape across the country. Starting in Spokane, Washington with the abundance of pine trees heading East through the Idaho panhandle, across the Rocky Mountains and the wide expanse of Montana. Then through the Dakotas and flat lands which turned into Minnesota and Wisconsin where not pines but deciduous trees lined the highways. All the way to Prince Edward Island dominated by sandy beaches and known for its red soil. From a young age I had always been curious about how and why the landscape changes so dramatically across the country. I always liked to picture what an area would be like with no human contact and man made objects, just off the side of the road into a vast forest. When I was about seven I remembered we stopped at Badlands National Park and I actually thought we had been transported back to a prehistoric age where dinosaurs still roamed the land. 

My Grandparent's farm on the Island was always the ultimate destination for me and my brother and sister. It was so isolated  and nothing like the suburban setting I had grown up in. We had to drive down a muddy pathway surrounded with overgrown vegetation to reach the old farmhouse. The property was surrounded by marshy woods, I remember exploring them with my brother being eaten by mosquitos and always wary of coyotes. One of my favorite things to do was pick vegetables with my grandmother in the garden. I felt vey connected to nature shelling peas and picking gooseberries for pies. I also remember going to the beaches in the afternoon and being amazed with the different animals we found in the tide pools. When I was young I thought seaweed was actually sea creatures and didn't believe that the barnacles and muscles on the sides of rocks were living. Looking back on my childhood I think I was pretty lucky to spend so much time outdoors and experience so many different encounters with nature.