For the month of January, I spent most of my time at Blunn Creek. Being a short walk from where I live it is a perfect place to get away to when the stressful times set in. Being a new resident to Austin, Tx, I constantly find myself discovering new types of plants and wildlife. I was born and raised in New Orleans, La where the weather is humid and the plant life is lush. This is very different to being in Austin because the dry air only allows certain plants to grow. Many of these plants I have never seen before, and with some research I can identify which species of agriculture is growing in the area. The first picture posted below shows balls of moss, known as Tillandsia Recurvata. I learned that these plants are harmless plants that grow on the surface of other things, and rely on shade and moisture to grow. Learning about these interests me greatly because at my home in New Orleans, moss grows on many trees. Because of the high humidity the moss grows very large and hangs down from branches leaving a beautifully ominous presence to the tree. Another thing that caught my eye were two rabbits. In the second picture posted below you can see a rabbit in the bushes. It was amazing to watch these creatures because of their natural habits. I observed their movements and the ways they communicated with each other. It is fascinating how the rabbits respond to each other through their movements rather than conversation. The rabbits quickly hopped off as I got closer to take a picture. Seeing these wild animals in their natural habitat was both exciting and fascinating. Going to Blunn Creek allows me to relax my mind and realize that there is more to life then we see day to day. As I was walking through the area I was wondering what Austin Texas looked like before humans came to this area. Then my mind wandered to what did the entire world look like before humans inhabited it. I wish I could go back in time to hear the silence of nature. That complete silence with no sounds other then the pure organic world fascinates me. In the novel “A Sand County Almanac” Aldo Leopold writes “There is time not only to see who has done what, but to speculate why” (4). I love this quote and I think it reflects on how the world has evolved and evokes the thought of what could have been and what is still yet to come. I enjoyed spending time at Blunn Creek this month very much. The ways nature is responsive and still so peaceful is an amazing thing. Being in Austin Texas is an exciting new chapter of my life and I hope to utilize the many great opportunities it has to offer, especially those based in nature. When I’m having a bad day I always know I will feel significantly better if I get out and spend some time in nature to appreciate its pure beauty.
