For my next nature blog I decided to go to try something new. So this time instead of going to Blunn Creek, I was able to catch a ride with a classmate to Zilker Park. We decided to take our homework along with us and work on it after we had done our nature blog, so we could have a chance to enjoy the outdoors and get away from campus a little. We went in the afternoon on a Sunday February 18 from about 3:30pm-5:00pm. It was a windy day which made it pretty chilly but the sun was out so overall it was a pretty good day. It was definitely different from what I experienced at Blunn Creek. Blunn Creek is a lot of plant life, small streams and a lot of uphills and downhills, while Zilker Park was more open terrain with a couple trees here and there, but there was so much open green space for people to relax, exercise, or play. Since it was nice weather, there was a lot of people with their pets playing catch, playing with their kids, throwing a frisbee around, running, or simply just sitting down and enjoying the day. That is exactly what I did, I brought a blanket I could sit on and observed all the activity around me. There was people, dogs, and children all around me doing all different kind of activities. Throughout my observation numerous dogs came up and either wanted to licked me and to be petted or they simply just sat next to me until their owner called them to come back. There was also a lot of parents who brought their young children to play around with them; it was really great seeing parents interrupting with their kids through the means of nature. There was so much activity an action going on all around me in comparison to Blunn Creek which was nothing but stillness and silence.
It was also really great seeing all the different types of dogs interacting with each other, there were so many dogs it felt as if all the dogs of Austin decided to come together on this very day and just play. The energy flow of the park was incredible, it really felt like a whole community coming together to enjoy the beautiful weather, it amazed me.
The sun was perfectly positioned to where it wasn’t beaming in my face; the breeze made it chilly enough to where it was enjoyable and not too cold. As the wind blew I noticed the movement of the trees in the park and observed the leaves fall when the wind blew them down to the ground.
On my last nature blog I focused more on observing the plant life, the stream, all the rocks, and the sounds I heard. Whereas for February’s nature blog due to the change of environment, I decided to focus this time on the activity and interactions going on between people and between the dogs. Through observing them I realized that in order to keep a balance in the cycle of life, we (humans and animals) need nature just as much as nature needs us.