The trail is much more overgrown since the last time I was here. However, the humidity is still prevalent. It is amazing how fast things grow in a matter of months. Walking through the trail involved a lot of ducking and dodging. Not to mention I could feel my shoes sticking in the mud. I suppose I should have worn boots considering the heavy rainfall last night. There was even flood warnings. It is somewhat cloudy today but the sun is peaking out here and there. I was hearing a lot of movement around me today. Every time I enter Blunn creek there is a fear of seeing a coyote due to the warning signs at the entrance of the reserve. However, the movement usually ends up being no more than the wind or a small bird. As I approach the creek, I can already hear the water rushing. My feet are slipping on the rocks from the mud. The sound of the water is so tranquil. It reminds me of one of those soundtracks that people use to sleep at night. After walking through a bunch of spider webs, I made it down to the creek. Sure enough, the current is strong today. I am sure the wildlife is loving it. I know the insects are. Swat, type, swat, type, and repeat. I realized that this will be my last time visiting the creek before I go home for the summer. I wish I could spend more time here today, but the humidity and being bitten by insects is unfortunately too much for me to handle. I like to think that I am a nature person and then I start getting bit by Mosquitos and things change. The same flowers are here that were here the last time except bigger, better, and more frequent. The bees are loving them. When I was taking a picture of the yellow flower on the cactus, I was being swarmed by bees. When I visited Barton Springs a few weeks ago, I actually got stung. I think it was the sunscreen I was wearing–figures. I trade off being sunburnt for a bee sting. I can tell that summer is approaching.
In terms of stress, I am not really sure how I feel today. I finished my last exam today and I get to go home tomorrow. I think I am experiencing a mixture of excitement but it is bittersweet at the same time. It is crazy to think that my freshman year of college is over and I will be 1 year older in just a couple of weeks. I would rank my stress level around a 4 today. Pretty low for the most part. I enjoyed a little bit of nature and now I am ready to clean off my muddy shoes, pack up, and head back up north to my hometown. It has been a great year exploring all the wildlife that Austin has to offer, especially the blue bonnets that flock on the hillside.
Environmental Science has been a beneficial course for me at St. Edward’s. I learned about climate change, bushmeat, interglacials, Aldo Leopold, and more. Speaking of Aldo Leopold, I feel as though this quote from the Sand Country Almanac relates to some of the issues we have discussed this semester. He writes,“One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds. Much of the damage inflicted on land is quite invisible to laymen. An ecologist must either harden his shell and make believe that the consequences of science are none of his business, or he must be the doctor who sees the marks of death in a community that believes itself well and does not want to be told otherwise.” As students with an environmental education, we now have the power to be the “doctor.” We can be the voices that speak to the community and make them aware of anthropological issues.
For the word cloud, the biggest words are obviously nature, beautiful, water, trees, and park. One of the words that I did not expect to be so big is time. I suppose time is significant when observing nature, however, because it is a basis for recording how things change. In my time at Blunn Creek, I noted changes in color and growth. That is all due to seasonality, which is essentially time. Another word that is enlarged is March. March is a beautiful time to be outside because all the spring flowers are in bloom. I think the main message that can be taken away from this post is that nature is beautiful. Although that is somewhat cliche, there is definitely truth to it. I think this semester has helped us all find an appreciation for our surroundings. Especially in this day in age, people often get caught up with man-made technologies when some of the most perfect sites to see don’t require humans in any way, shape, or form. In fact, through our studies, we found that human activity is more destructive than anything. The word cloud can be treated as an opportunity for reflection. We can ask ourselves:
- When was the last time I enjoyed the sunshine?
- Have I visited any Austin parks recently?
- How am I helping to keep those parks clean?
- In what ways can I assist in maintaining community gardens?
- What types of trees have I noticed around campus?
All of these are important questions that could have interesting answers. Think is a word that is medium sized in the cloud above. Nature helps each and every one of us think because it is free of distractions. It often helps us clear our minds from the stress of school and perhaps work. In the midst of nature, no one is reminding us that we have a test the next day or that we have a paper to write. But rather, we are reminded that everything will be okay even if we feel like the world is ending at times. Nature allows for stability.