Diario de fganc3

Today I went on a walk through the Pine Tree Reservation and around the Res. I was very nice out, partly cloudy and about 60 degrees, although it was definitely a bit windy by the Res. Once again, even though I walk around the Res all the time, it is a very different experience when I am actively observing the biodiversity. I honestly thought it would be a lot harder to find all the different types of plants we discussed in class, but it was surprisingly easy once you look closer. I was able to find multiple different ferns and flowering plants all around during my walk, and well as several conifers. While the mosses proved to be slightly more difficult to find, it was still manageable, I just had to remember to look on the lower parts of tree trunks and rocks, as many bryophytes tend to be low-lying. Overall, I really enjoyed this theme, as plants are much easier to observe than fungi!

Today I walked near the Houghton Garden reserve and its surrounding neighborhood for the Fungi themed nature walk. Finding fungi was much more difficult than I anticipated, but nonetheless I still observed a few different varieties of lichen, which is almost like a combination of a plant and a fungus. I was struck by how common these were on trees, rocks, and even fences or walls. On one tree, I could observe several different lichens, which I feel is a great example of biodiversity in a region. I wish I had been able to find more varieties of fungi, however I do think sometimes fungi are difficult to spot. Despite this challenge, it was a nice walk despite it being a little windy. The temperature was in the mid-50s, so while it was a bit chilly, it was still nice weather to be outside.

Today I went on a walk through the Pine Tree Reserve and around the Reservoir by BC's campus. It was such a perfect fall day, not too hot with such a nice breeze coming off the Res. Some of the leaves are changing color too, which is always super fun to see. I had never been through the pine reserve on campus before, and was surprised by how many different plants and trees I could see. I also ran into a very cute squirrel that I had to chase for a few minutes because clearly it was not enthused by my photo-taking. After, I walked around the Res, which is one of my favorite places in the area because it is a very diverse ecosystem. We have talked a lot about measure of biodiversity in class, and I think it would be really interesting to calculate the species richness and diversity of it, since it seems like every time I go, I notice different plants or animals. I was also sunny out today so I got to see some sunbathing turtles!