April
The month of April was significantly less adventurous as the previous months have been. The impending ending of the school year made the month as packed as it could be with schoolwork. The time to bear down and study overtook most of my free time, which I would have much rather spent outside at Wild Basin or Zilker Park. The first weekend of April was Easter weekend, and I went home to Houston. As soon as I stepped onto my front lawn I could feel the difference in humidity. Houston was significantly more humid than Austin. I spent most of my time backyard barbequing with my family and friends. I enjoyed the time outside because after the sun went down the humidity no longer is sticky and gross, but actually pleasant. I did notice that I did not see as many birds that I usually do on campus. After the much needed Easter break the pace of school picked up and the leisure time decreased. The time to spend outside became hard to allocate, but late on Wednesday April 8, I went for a night walk around campus with two friends. We walked throughout the entire campus and eventually ended up sitting around the Sorin Oak. Looking at the tree in all its glory hit a nerve in all of us, and we decided to climb it. While one friends had to stay at the bottom to help the other two get up, my friend Ari and I made it to the top of the Sorin Oak. The view was even better than I imagined. I felt as if I was seeing the world from Sorin’s personal perspective. After 10 minutes of enjoying the view, we had to climb down. Only to realize, we couldn’t climb down, we had to jump out. The small rocks surrounding the tree acted as a soft landing point and we both made it down safe and sound. The following Tuesday April 14th, I had an outdoor biology lab about pollination and biodiversity. Two hours of lab were spent outside tracking bee pollination of bluebonnets, and then collecting data of all the organisms we saw. The day outside was beautiful. It was a little warm in pants outside, but it was worth it to participate in such an interesting class. The biodiversity classification and collection was done at the small pond behind the RCC. Through the duration of the two hours we saw numerous plants, various hexapods like true bugs, dragonflies, and bees. We also saw ducks, pigeons, doves, and fish. This time outside was not necessarily for reflection, but for work, however, throughout my work I was able to reflect on everything going on around me. I truly enjoyed learning about all the biodiversity all around me on campus. I not only find nature relaxing but I find it interesting. During the month I also made a number of visits to Blunn Creek. It is so close, my friends and I often walk there to hike for study breaks. Although I did not keep track of the times I went this month. My visits were primarily for relaxation and I did not take notes on my observations. My stress this month was higher numbers overall than the previous. I think this is due to the fact that all my teachers increased the workload. Also finals were the primary focus of the last couple weeks. But just as the previous month on the days that I spent outside, my stress number was lower.
Reflection:
Reflecting over the entire semester of nature blogging, I have learned a lot about myself as an environmental scientist, and about Austin nature. Through the course of this project I was able to visit many nature preserves, and learn about outdoor places to visit. I expanded my knowledge on all the amazing outdoor spots Austin has to offer. From Wild Basin, to 360 Cliff, to Zilker Park, and even Blunn Creek, there are far and close places where I can go to enjoy nature. Not only did I learn about these places, but I was able to see how they evolved. From January to May I have witnessed the transition from winter to spring. In my blogs I note how much plant and animal life continues to increase as time goes on. I compare all the sceneries I explored, and have a different experience at all of them. Each time I planned an outdoor adventure I became more excited. I enjoy spending time outside as it is, but this project served as more motivation to go out and explore my city. While Blunn Creek is a perfect place to hangout and hike, I wanted to see more. Luckily enough I was able to arrange to see a number of places farther away that had so much to offer. Wild Basin and 360 Cliff were two places that once I went, I knew I would have to go again. 360 is a bit of a drive, but out of the 5 times I have went, it gets better every time. I find myself enjoying new parts each time I go. Wild Basin is now some place I am looking at for a potential internship or volunteer activities. I learned about their partnering with St. Edward’s and am working toward possibly working for them in the near future. This project also helped me learn about my own stress, and how to handle it. I recorded my stress level on a 1-10 scale everyday of this project. It was surprising after reviewing my numbers that on the days I actively spent time in nature, I had a lower stress number. Second semester of freshman year is easier in the sense that you have a feel for your college life. However, the workload increases and the stress follows. Being able to know that nature is a good outlet to reduce my stress, makes it easier to handle. Finally, I have gained a new respect for nature. Everything that I need comes directly, or indirectly from this earth. I have developed a stronger earth centric view, and have a larger emphasis of it in my life. Aldo Leopold describes how I feel best when he stated, “There are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot.” I am someone who cannot. I realized I depend on my environment not only for resources, but for pure entertainment. I enjoy sitting outside and watching the movement around me. Bugs, birds, the swish of the wind all relax me. As I continue to pursue my environmental science and policy degree, I will always keep this project in mind.
