April- Luis Ortega Final+Reflection

For the last month I returned to Blunn Creek. At the start of the semester it was a cold harsh place. Now it is the complete opposite. Beautiful sunlight blankets the entire area. Even within the tree line you can feel the warmth of the sun as well as a gentle wind which keeps things from getting too hot. There are flowers growing everywhere now. I was able to take this beautiful image of an open space within the trees. The old and weathered cactus can be seen in the foreground. Colorful yellow,red, and orange flowers dot the middle of the photo. And overall there is just so much green to be seen. A few months ago this might not have been anywhere near as beautiful as it is now. The trees all have leaves once more. There are very few empty branches to be seen anywhere in Blunn Creek.

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The animals which had previously been missing or in few numbers are now out in force. Everywhere within the preserve is covered in different birds. Each with its individual beautiful songs which they use to communicate with each other. At the start of the semester it seemed as though there were a few birds singing above me. Every time I’d try to walk towards them the noise would shift and I would never be able to see these birds with my own eyes. Now in April it is a completely different story. For they are out in such numbers that it is impossible to not see at least a few in each outing.

Birds are not the only animals which now grace the preserve in larger numbers. There are many more squirrels out nowadays. It had been rare to spot one during the winter. Now you can see a few depending on where you go within the preserve. Most I’ve seen have been east of the creek in the denser tree area. They can be sighted from a distance, moving through the branches, or on the ground scavenging for food. I kept a close eye on them as they were the subject of my semester project. Their behavior is fascinating and completely different to that of the squirrels you find on campus.

Now that the weather is warm there are a greater number of smaller creatures that hang around the creek itself. The most notable being the small blue dragonfly-esque insects. Last time I wrote there were a few that I observed. In April they were more numerous than before though. They primarily stick to the waterway and it is very hard to capture any of them on camera as I found out.

Lastly I just want to mention the bluebonnets. They’re everywhere… There was a huge concentration of them near the highest point of the reserve. They seem to grow around the areas where you also find cacti. It should be noted that the number of bees at every area that was covered in flowers was very high. They are in full work mode at the moment. None of them were aggressive either.

 

REFLECTION

I believe that a major difference from the journals of this class and those of the past has been how water seems to be a central theme throughout the semester. When I arrived in Austin back in 2012 I noticed the water shortages. From city mandates to seeing firsthand how the water level at Lake Travis had been severely impacted I was very much aware of how serious the water shortage was. It seems that things have been improving in recent months though. Many of the different blog posts have been centered around areas that have a good deal of water be it rivers or lakes. I don’t believe that this would have been possible even a few semesters ago. There are areas in the green belt which are full of water now that a few years ago could have been completely dry. This dramatic change in the local environment is great for everyone. Water shortages are so dangerous. Just look at California. I really like that a lot of people in class focused on areas that have a fair amount of water in them.

I don’t think that everyone in this class would have ever considered going outside and spending time in nature for the sake of it. Doing these journals may have forced some people out of their comfort zone and that is a great thing. I spend a lot of time outdoors back home in San Diego. The differences from there and here are many. I had never been able to spend this much time outside in hill country which has plenty of rivers and waterways. Back home there is a severe drought and finding any sort of rivers like the ones here is near impossible. While the ocean is beautiful and there is a great deal of biodiversity, it didn’t seem as tranquil and quietly beautiful as I found the areas around Austin to be. The greenery of Austin is something I have never really experienced. I love that the landscape is completely covered in trees. The local ecosystem is fascinating and I really enjoyed reading some of the blog posts from my classmates. I wish I had been able to drive to more exotic regions that Blunn Creek. But through these different posts by the class I almost feel like I was able to. Next semester if I have a mode of transportation I will be visiting some of the spots that were listed on these blogs. I am really interested in exploring the green belt further. Since I only have a year left I have every intention of getting started as soon as possible.

From the time we started the blogs it seems that people have all developed higher awareness and things that we might have missed previously are now being picked up and written down. The blogs from March are much more well developed than the ones written at the start. I think it shows that this project was a success.

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