This week, I visited my place with the intention to observe as much as I could about the nature of my spot. I ended up delegating a few minutes to focus on each of my five senses– here is what I noticed!
Sights: The dominant color in the forest is shifting to brown as fallen leaves carpet the ground. Yellow accents are found in the few leaves still hanging on (namely the American Beech and Norway Maple). Pops of pink from sugar maple saplings and invasive burning bush add some excitement, and the wolf’s milk amoeba has turned to a beautiful mauve. Due to the abundant ferns, moss, evergreens, and buckthorn, even some green is still present.
Smells: Due to the moistness of my area, fallen leaves are quickly beginning to decompose. Their sugars break down, creating a sweet, musky aroma. The numerous mossy logs smell very earthy and reminiscent of Demeter’s “Dirt” cologne.
Sounds: At its quietest, all that can be heard from my location is the gentle trickling of the stream. However, this is often interrupted by the rustling of a squirrel hunting down autumn mast, the familiar cawing of crows, or the heated conversation of a pair of bluejays.
Touch: The stream is unsurprisingly chilly! Perhaps due to lack of rain, the moss is dryer than normal, but still feathery. The gills of this week’s lone mushroom are quite soft, and lastly, the fallen beech leaves I took home are uniquely papery.
Taste: Unfortunately, I am no foraging expert, and the only berries I was able to find were of the buckthorn. These apparently cause severe cramping, so I opted out of a taste test this time.
