Reflecting back on this semester and my time outdoors I realize just how much this weekly project got me out of the harsh fluorescent lighting and restrictive space of indoor living. It gave me that extra push to make time and explore old favorite spots around town like the Barton Creek Greenbelt, Barton Springs, and Town Lake but also gave me that push to explore some places I haven’t visited in ages like Wild Basin, completely new areas of south Texas in Driftwood, and even venture onto farther paths in the Greenbelt that I’ve never explored.
It helped me weekly to clear my mind and escape whatever stresses I may have been feeling, not just that but I’ve been noticing it’s helped to shift my thinking day-to-day. I now notice things that I normally wouldn’t have taken a second glance at in my often rushed and prioritized daily thinking.
Maybe these shifts I’ve noticed in my thinking are because of those long afternoons of soaking in nature at the Greenbelt–or maybe it’s this overwhelming appreciation I’ve been feeling during these last few months of being back in my hometown. But honestly if I had to guess I’d say it’s something bigger within myself, that is just being scratched at the surface. I recently heard this term in another class called the ‘biophilia hypothesis’ which is just this idea that man has an innate connection with nature–a term which was made popular by E. O. Wilson. I think this is super relevant to what I’ve been experiencing as we are much more connected to nature than it seems on the surface. Learning more about earth systems, natural cycles and species relationships in class this semester has only heightened my appreciation for this fact. We not only rely on these natural systems and organisms within for the ecosystem services they provide but also rely on their calming and almost ingrained healing effects on our minds and bodies. These are just a couple reasons why I think these weekly observations had such a profound impact on me.
Another change I’ve noticed is I’ve been catching myself slowing down to stop and admire that occasional interesting looking creature or plant that may cross my path. A few of which I’ve actually captured on camera during this month’s adventures at the Greenbelt and Wild Basin. Below is a video I snapped of one of the biggest millipedes I’ve ever seen up close in the wild while walking on a new path within the Greenbelt. Unlike his close relative, the centipede, I believe this guy is completely harmless despite his appearance. What caught my eye about this critter was the way he got around so it felt wrong to just throw up a picture, rather than doing that I included a short video I snapped to show off his intricate movement.
These next two critters pictured above were both spotted on the trails at Wild Basin. The first is a black beetle that was about the size of a quarter or bigger, and the second is an alien-like caterpillar that had some crazy branching structures coming off his back–I would assume to protect him from predators. Along with these observations I spotted all kinds of native and non-native bird species as part of my semester project in addition to a couple unidentifiable snakes, a handful of squirrels, and a huge number of dragon and damsel fly species flying around.
Out of all of the spots I explored this semester I would have to say my favorite location was the Greenbelt off Scottish Woods Trail. With an innumerable amount of species and gorgeous lookout spots it had to be the most unique that I studied. As a haven for the Golden Cheeked Warbler, these hiking trails concern me a bit just based off the amount of human (and dog) traffic I saw. More and more people are taking advantage of these beautiful escape spots but with that comes exploitation and pollution of the surrounding area. While I love to see people taking advantage of the cool waters of the creek and seeking a splash of vitamin D on the rocks of the waterfall, I wonder how much of them actually appreciate what it is we have around us and actively do their part to protect and keep it clean. One quote from Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac which relates to this abuse of nature states, “Conservation is getting nowhere because it is incompatible with our Abrahamic concept of land. We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect,” (viii). I guess this increase in foot traffic is inevitable at spots like this around Austin since we are living in one of the fastest growing cities in the nation but it’s still hard to swallow since it’s something so close to home for me. Dis-similarly, during my hikes at Wild Basin I noticed far less foot traffic but a huge increase noise pollution from the nearby stretch of highway on 360. I noted similar highway noise pollution on the section of the Greenbelt near the 360 and Mopac intersection below the bridge, additionally there were quite a few more people and dogs during my observations at that spot. The new location in Driftwood Texas that I spent a little over a week at was gorgeous as well, with far less human disturbance on it’s wide expanses of wooded area and open pastures of former farmland. No matter the location though, I’m proud over all of the amount of time I spent outside–as it’s been a huge increase since last semester when I was only getting out once every couple of weeks.
Looking at our class word cloud I can relate many of these words back to my experiences. Specifically ‘water’, ‘nature’, ‘noticed’, ‘new’, ‘think’, ‘location’, ‘beautiful’ and more. All of these are directly correlated with the huge impacts on my way of thinking, peace of mind, and physical health–especially from those countless treks back up the Hill of Life near my favorite Scottish Woods Greenbelt entrance. It sounds cliche, but I will definitely look back on this semester outdoors in class as a huge eye opening experience and one of incredible value.
I hope these entries were as interesting for you as they were for me to create! Until next time!