Throughout the semester this class has given me the opportunity to indulge in nature a little bit more than usual and it really has been a great experience. From looking over Ladybird Lake to my hikes on the green belt trails to the natural oasis I found in my own back yard. I was able to really think about the environment and ask my questions about how curtain plants, trees, and animals do curtain thing actions in the ecosystem to actually make it function. Taking time to pay attention to the small stuff like the way roots grow on top of each other and how the drought has affected the water levels over the pass couple of months at the green belt. The smells that are cause by the lack of water flow and why the algae developed on the sitting body of water left behind as the water reduced.
I think the most beautiful things I observed were the different flowers and the radiant colors they exude even when the rain had beat them down they still were able to bring a radiance to the environment. The rainy day looking over Ladybird Lake the purple and yellow flowers were not even completely blooming but there bright colors stained with water droplets made a difference to the visual looking over the water. Also, the fact that these flowers could withstand the vicious rain and winds that had occurred just a few hours ago is very impressive and is something you would never really think about. How plants survive or recover from harsh weather conditions.
Sounds of nature really set the tone for my observations. The more quiet the environment the less life is around me. The bushes rubbing against each other or small creature running through the dead leaves, birds flying over and singing or the water flowing. These all really set the tone to what mood the moment of your reflection brings out. Most days the brushes rubbing against each other are very prevalent.
The drought was prevalent in my observations as well. I have hiking on the same green belt trail for the past year. During my observations in September and October the river flow was apparent anymore, there were ponds in curtain areas that were full of algae and smelled horribly. Although from afar you could hear a flow of water the open area where their used to be a rush of water is dry and you can see the boulders popping out and scars from the water flow. I start to wonder how the trees and animals that depended on this water survived, because the water source that was left looked as though it was toxic. At the end of the day the drought hit home for me. This was really a serious problem and we need to find a solution or our natural oasis’s will not longer be existent.
Our class word critique show the emphasis that a lot of nature walks and observations were taken by bodies of water, which makes sense. Nature needs a water source to survive. A lot of the adjectives to describe the environment and how beautiful it is. You can see how nature is really comforting place and brings you closer to your self because nothing is artificial. Nature is how we ultimately survive and we are blinded by our comfortable and artificial lives. Nature is simple a work of art in it’s own.
