date: 11. 02. 23
location: my spot
weather: sunny, clear skies, crisp 44 F
time: 1:10 pm
tasks at hand:
sit in quiet for 15 minutes.
create a birds eye view of spot.
take some pictures.
notice changes in vegetation.
sit in silence for 15 minutes
Right after the hike to my spot, I looked at the time, noted when 15 minutes would be up, and then settled into quiet. However, it wasn’t quiet. The longer I sat, I tuned out the distant car noises and noticed the smaller sounds. Every so often the wind would blow and turn up a pile of leaves in an exciting rattle. I again heard the rustle of leaves as I watched two squirrels chase each other up the hill to a tree towards me. As I sat, I took in the gentle presence of leaves fluttering down, taking their time through the air as they cascaded gracefully to the ground. I spotted dead tree trunks, and then noticed where their fallen tops were laid beside them. I saw the sun streaming through the the land to my left, illuminating the shocking yellow leaves {pictured above}. Tiny details that I wouldn’t have gathered presented themselves to me in these short minutes.
I think I may do this every time I visit.
a bird’s eye view.
Some things I noticed:
There is a healthy diversity of species, and also of age. I noticed varying levels of growth in the overstory, meaning the trees that are within about a 15ft radius of my spot are each at different levels of growth. This is a good sign, and can mean the area is more resilient.
What changes in vegetation have I noticed?
- Ferns are still thriving, but from what I gather they may be there all year.
- Trees have become bare
- I wrote down an estimate that around 60% of deciduous trees lost their leaves
- 10% ish still green
- 30% ish turning
- Pine cones are dropping, prevalent on the ground cover
- Fallen pine needles also prevalent everywhere
life is good. hope you’re enjoying the blog.