Diario de emilywolford

For this nature walk, I walked with a few classmates through the Pine Tree Reserve and around half of the reservoir. It was late afternoon and a beautiful sunny climate. The air was crisp and it felt like a perfect fall day. I found it fairly easy to observe each of the four main groups of plants. The most difficult to determine was the gymnosperms or the non-flowering seed plants. At first, I thought all trees could fit into this category but after further research, I determined only certain types could be classified as gymnosperms. I was surprised by how many different examples of bryophyta I could see as I did not see moss as as common of a plant as it seemed to be in this area. I observed it in the more woodsy area of the Pine Tree Reserve on the base of a tree as well as closer to the water line of the reservoir on rocks. These both coincide with the low lying, damp habitat described in lecture. I found this topic to be the easier to observe when compared to fungi.

For the second nature walk, my friend and I went to Hammond Pond Reservation which is around 5 minutes from campus at around 4:45. It had rained earlier in the day and was slightly drizzling at the time we walked. It was more woodsy than the area where I walked for the first walk and it felt more in nature. I was honestly shocked that there were so many different examples of fungi in this area as well as the fact that it did not take much to find the different types. I also was shocked at how different they all appeared, showing a great deal of alpha diversity as it was all one area. A common denominator in most all the fungi I observed was they were found on logs or fallen trees. I assume that these conditions are good for breeding all different types of fungi and not just one.

The nature walk I went on was to Pine Tree Preserve which is the small hill overlooking the reservoir on campus. It was just before sunset when I decided to go on my walk so the clouds were a pinkish color and it was a nice temperature outside. I went with a friend in the class and we were surprised at how peaceful it was at the top with the sun streaming through the trees. To continue the walk, we went down the other side and walked a short distance around the reservoir, noticing various wild pieces along the way. I was interested by the fact that there were so many different biodiverse organisms in a seemingly homogenous place. When you first look, it appears to just be a hill with green plants but I was surprised to find other plants and organisms like the purple flowers and mushrooms. Similarly, near the reservoir, the American pokeweed species was very interesting as it looked exactly like grapes to me. All in all, it was a peaceful and interesting walk.