Event Map:
During my visit to my phenology place this week, I created an even map documenting the most memorable experiences beginning from when I entered Centennial Woods until I finally left my place. During this visit, the birds and squirrels were very active with their calls making the forest anything but silent. Yet, this was interrupted when an airplane flew overhead. This was not a passenger plane humming in the clouds, it was a jet vibrating your ears and blocking all other noise. As a human, this is a great annoyance, but for birds, it can also result in them changing their flight patterns in an effort to escape the noise. This movement wastes energy, which does not benefit the birds. For these reasons, the silence after the plane has past is deeply impactful, since it contrasts the peaceful sounds of forest life.
Changes:
There are far fewer leaves on the trees, the Red Maples still have a few, but for the American Beech, Yellow Birch, and Sugar Maple none are left on their branches. As a result, the stream now has even more fallen leaves, which have either sank to the bottom or piled up against rocks. The ferns that had been killed by the frost just before the last visit are now dried and shriveled into light brown curls.
The fallen logs are still slick from the rain in the days before, yet the needles and leaves are dry because the rain has already infiltrated the soil.
Poems:
Foam
Bubbles gather together
in the catchment of leaves
and branches, floating and
piling on top of each other,
easily excitable as they
recover from the stream’s
swift section by taking
deep breaths. Below leaves
pressed into place by the
force of water droplets reflect
through then spheres morphed
into diverse realities.
We Are Leaves
We grow up
on a tree, the only home
we have ever known. When
we morph into adulthood, we
leap from the safety of our
stems and drift down,
down.
Most will discover the soil,
who provided the nutrients
to allow them to grow and
will, in turn, provide the
nutrients necessary for
future generations.
Some will be scattered by
the wind, discover new
ground and contribute
to other communities.
Others will meet the
stream be carried near
or far, to be tumbled
and dragged through
the swarm of droplets,
caught on twigs, pressed
on rocks and under the foam.
These leaves will form
and discover a hub
of diversity, which will
shape the soil and be a
part of the force which
threads the forest together
into a tapestry of life.
Over time all leaves will
degrade and there will
be no trace of their
existence except for the
memories of viewers and
the energy they borrowed
and released into the cycle.
We are leaves.
Plant Exploration:
Stream Exploration: