Blog entry
Weather: Clear skies and chilly
I sat by the waterside. It’s calming to hear the water rushing through the leaves.
I expected I would have this routine where I draw or do oil pastels of a smaller region of my area for an hour while looking for birds and other critters. Instead, I was a wanderer, rustling on the ground, trying to find whatever was around me. What was I looking for?
I’m by the log and and I look to the backside and I see the trees have shed their leaves more. I could identify most of the trees by looking at the leaf matter on the ground. The young yellow birch barely has any leaves left. I see red maple leaves already, splattered with color, scattered on the ground and on other Eastern Hemlocks beside it. The ferns are more sparse and brown and fragile.
I am becoming more attentive to the noises around me. I got to see a woodpecker poking it’s tongue in the hole of a tree trunk. The birds are calling with response. It’s very soothing to hear them and I’ve been recording them to try later to identify them. It’s difficult for me to find them since they often dwell and fly around the tall parts of trees. It’s a bit overwhelming to try and pay attention to what trees are in my area, what boundaries I want to make for my area, and finding species to identify. I have this automatic reaction when I hear the noise to try and find whatever is making it. Often times the crunch of the leaves are people and dogs walking by.
I saw broken decayed looking mushrooms. I felt one. It was smushed and felt rotten like a soft pumpkin would.
I finally saw why there were so many needles covering the ground!
There are Eastern White Pines high up in the canopy.