It is Friday, May 24th at 1:05 when I’m sitting in Gedney Park, specifically right next to Gedney Pond. It is mostly sunny with blue skies and minimal clouds. It is sunny for the first time in a few days, as the past week has mostly been raining and cold temperatures, meaning the grass is still wet.
The surface of the water of the point appears very dirty, with a layer of algae or scum sitting on top, which is moving quite fast in the wind. I can hear the deep croak of a frog as well as an occasional splash in the water, presumably from the fish which inhabit the pond. There are also a lot of birds trilling in the forest behind me. Directly in front of me, near some purple & yellow flowers that are hidden in the grasses, bees and dragonflies buzz around.
When the wind dies down, I feel a waft of humidity coming from the water in front of me. There seems to be a wide variety of plants that separate the water from the land. There is one particular plant, which appears spiky and reed-like, almost like mini caterpillars on the end of stems. This plant is located in many areas close to the water, I wonder what it is>
At one of the far ends of the pond, I see a black pipe, though the water is too low to drain into it. Where does it lead? Does it bring or take water away?
There are also a lot of bird feathers on the surface of the water, which I assume are from the geese, which dive into the water head first, possibly searching for food. Some of the leaves of the plants near me have holes in them, which I assume is due to insects or small critters consuming them.
When I get a lot closer to the water I see some weeds growing directly out of the water. I also see some shells floating, which at first I think are rocks, but upon further investigation look like snails.
I look at one of the only mature-looking trees on this side of the pond and notice that in some areas there are small patches of roots that rise above the grass. They cover an area of about 5×5 inches, but other than that, the roots of this tree are completely below ground. This tree also has needles as opposed to flat sleeves which most of the trees near it have, which makes me wonder what kind of tree it is?
- Is this a natural pond?
- what is on the surface of the pond?
- What season is prime pollination time for bees?
- Are bee’s the only insects that can pollinate
- Are canadian geese actaully from Canada?
- How did they get here?
- What kind of rock am I sitting on?
- How deep is this pond?
- How do plants surrounding the water interact with it?
- What should the pH of a pond be?
- Does it very from place to place?
- Does algae change the pH?
- What do geese eat?
- Can snails flaot in water?
- What do snails eat?
- What are the plants coming directly out of the water?
- What does this tree’s roots grow above the ground in certain areas?
- What kind of tree is it?
- What is the green, moss like stuff that grows on the side of trees?
- How does ivy surrive on trees?
- How does algae effect the environment?
- How do people meausre the health of a tree?
- How do trees and ponds interact?
- What happens to this pond when it is cold?
- How does the temperature of water effect plants growing near it?
How does algae effect the environment?
Nutrient pollution is defined as when there are too many nutrients (specifically nitrogen and phosphorus) in a body of water, leading them to act as a fertilizer and cause excessive growth of algae. Heavy rainfall can cause suspended materials like silt, mud, and debris to run into waterways. The nutrients can also run off land in areas where fertilizers are used or pet and wildlife waste accumulates, essentially meaning a pond in a popular park is the perfect candidate for nutrient pollution.
When there are excessive amounts of nutrients, low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water can kill fish, crabs, oysters, etc. Additionally, algal growth prohibits light that allows plants in the water to grow.
In large, excessive amounts of algae can end up harming humans and ecosystems alike! Algae grow faster with warmer temperatures, making sense as to why, in the thick of the summer, there was so much on top of Gedney Pont. Human activities increase nutrients in waterways… many of the things found in a suburban area like garden fertilizer, wastewater treatment plants, septic tanks, construction, factories, cars, and manure, end up entering bodies of water- not to mention that New York (and much of the east coast) has dealt with acidic rain recently. Something else I noted was an abundance of plants and trees at the edge of the pond, which now make sense as it can ensure that nutrients will be “grabbed” by the plants instead of reaching the water.
https://sustainability.colostate.edu/humannature/whitney-beck/
All in all, this was a great expereince and opportunity to dig deeper into an area I frequently visit! In the future, I would really like to work on identifying some of the plants and wildlife that inhabit the area.