Ravenna Journal 9
Thursday June 12
4:00
Ten weeks have passed since my first visit to Ravenna Park. I can see at my observation spot that there are fewer Salmonberries than the last couple of weeks. Over the last ten weeks I have witnessed the plant flowering and fruiting and generally just growing, you can barely see the creek now that it is overgrown by the bush. I noticed that the Indian Plum has its berries now. They are deep purple and when crushed stain your hands a purple juice. The Tall Oregon Grape around here is also producing fruit, clumps of smaller berries on the bushes. It makes me wonder what stage the plants on the Olympic Peninsula are at.
Thursday June 12
4:00
Ten weeks have passed since my first visit to Ravenna Park. I can see at my observation spot that there are fewer Salmonberries than the last couple of weeks. Over the last ten weeks I have witnessed the plant flowering and fruiting and generally just growing, you can barely see the creek now that it is overgrown by the bush. I noticed that the Indian Plum has its berries now. They are deep purple and when crushed stain your hands a purple juice. The Tall Oregon Grape around here is also producing fruit, clumps of smaller berries on the bushes. It makes me wonder what stage the plants on the Olympic Peninsula are at.
Week 1
Week 4
Week 6
Week 9
3 species
Plant
Indigo teardrops
drip from dark green
pulled taffy
Bird
There's a noise on repeat. Freeze. Look. Again. There, veiled eyelids, a funeral or just dipped in ink?
Animal
Rustling in the bush, speck of silver, stillness, then scampers up the tree
Final Reflection
1) How has your perception of your observation site changed through the quarter?
On my first walk through Ravenna I was amazed at the native forest in the city park. I thought I would have to travel further than a fifteen minute walk to study natural history. When I set out looking for my observation site I knew I wanted to find a nice little clearing where I could sit and observe I also wanted to go back to the creek each week. The spot I found a little up the slope was surrounded by different trees. I found I liked going back to that spot once we had learned the names and how to identify the different trees. I was also able to think about how slope aspect affected the way species grow. I liked to look at what grew near the water and what grew on the slope of the ravine. I found that the sword ferns mainly dominated the slope while Lady Ferns, Salmonberry and giant horsetails grew near the water. As the quarter progressed I found just sitting still at my observation site was a really good way to look for movement and wait for birds and animals to come to me. I always went off to explore other parts of the park and try to identify new species. At new sites I spent more time looking for specific things like mushrooms or invertebrates, my observation spot has been a constant almost meditative place that is like my home in Ravenna. Since the beginning of the quarter I have watched my site change, pretty drastically on the weeks that we were away in field trips. When you get to know a plant it is sad to see its flowers fall, but there are always other plants beginning to bloom and new changes to observe year round.
On my first walk through Ravenna I was amazed at the native forest in the city park. I thought I would have to travel further than a fifteen minute walk to study natural history. When I set out looking for my observation site I knew I wanted to find a nice little clearing where I could sit and observe I also wanted to go back to the creek each week. The spot I found a little up the slope was surrounded by different trees. I found I liked going back to that spot once we had learned the names and how to identify the different trees. I was also able to think about how slope aspect affected the way species grow. I liked to look at what grew near the water and what grew on the slope of the ravine. I found that the sword ferns mainly dominated the slope while Lady Ferns, Salmonberry and giant horsetails grew near the water. As the quarter progressed I found just sitting still at my observation site was a really good way to look for movement and wait for birds and animals to come to me. I always went off to explore other parts of the park and try to identify new species. At new sites I spent more time looking for specific things like mushrooms or invertebrates, my observation spot has been a constant almost meditative place that is like my home in Ravenna. Since the beginning of the quarter I have watched my site change, pretty drastically on the weeks that we were away in field trips. When you get to know a plant it is sad to see its flowers fall, but there are always other plants beginning to bloom and new changes to observe year round.
2) How has your sense of the Puget Sound Region changed through the quarter?
I feel that I know the Puget Sound Region much better and I am more excited and grateful to live here. Before this class I never thought to ask questions about the Puget Sound. I just moved here last September and never learned the history of the land and how it has been formed over thousands of years. Even though I didn't grow up here I feel more attached to this region. I understand the basic weather systems and can tell people why it is so mild and rainy here. I also appreciate the rain because I know it is a part of this region and look forward to the dry summers. I am much wiser when it comes to identifying species of this region, I have tools and a curiosity to learn how the species interact. I am so thankful to live in a city where I can look past the skyline and the Cascade Mountains, the Olympics, Mt. Rainer, there are so many incredible natural places to explore in this city and I can't wait to get to know it better!
I feel that I know the Puget Sound Region much better and I am more excited and grateful to live here. Before this class I never thought to ask questions about the Puget Sound. I just moved here last September and never learned the history of the land and how it has been formed over thousands of years. Even though I didn't grow up here I feel more attached to this region. I understand the basic weather systems and can tell people why it is so mild and rainy here. I also appreciate the rain because I know it is a part of this region and look forward to the dry summers. I am much wiser when it comes to identifying species of this region, I have tools and a curiosity to learn how the species interact. I am so thankful to live in a city where I can look past the skyline and the Cascade Mountains, the Olympics, Mt. Rainer, there are so many incredible natural places to explore in this city and I can't wait to get to know it better!
3) What does it mean to intimately know a natural place? (Think about this question in terms of the process and the outcome. Also think about it in terms of scale—you have done close observation of one site, as well as developed broader appreciation on field trips around the Puget Sound).
To intimately know a natural place you have to spend time in it. It is not enough to spend a whole day exploring an area if you never go back. A natural place changes throughout each year and is different each time you return. Once it becomes part of your routine to go visit a place then you can really get to know it intimately. Also the more time you spend at a place the more you want to be there. Learning about the natural history in Ravenna Park has made me more curious about the natural history of this area. I am more observant and try to check in with my surroundings more often. When you know a natural place intimately you can clearly see changes and notice different things each time you return to the site. You have a desire to check back in on that place to make sure everything is still as it should be. On a larger scale, I think knowing the Puget Sound intimately will take more time. Each time I have an opportunity to visit a natural place in this region is an opportunity to get to know the Puget Sound better. I think it also involves putting yourself in perspective. We only have a chance to know this region as it is now, from our unique perspective. However, this region has been formed over thousands of years, who knows what it will be like in the future.
To intimately know a natural place you have to spend time in it. It is not enough to spend a whole day exploring an area if you never go back. A natural place changes throughout each year and is different each time you return. Once it becomes part of your routine to go visit a place then you can really get to know it intimately. Also the more time you spend at a place the more you want to be there. Learning about the natural history in Ravenna Park has made me more curious about the natural history of this area. I am more observant and try to check in with my surroundings more often. When you know a natural place intimately you can clearly see changes and notice different things each time you return to the site. You have a desire to check back in on that place to make sure everything is still as it should be. On a larger scale, I think knowing the Puget Sound intimately will take more time. Each time I have an opportunity to visit a natural place in this region is an opportunity to get to know the Puget Sound better. I think it also involves putting yourself in perspective. We only have a chance to know this region as it is now, from our unique perspective. However, this region has been formed over thousands of years, who knows what it will be like in the future.
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