As I walked through the preserve today, I saw a slight sliver of hope that life will return to Blunn Creek sooner than expected. The cacti have regained their natural colors and shapes and the animals (rabbits, squirrels, small birds, etc.) seem to think that the preserve has returned to being their playground. They don’t care if it’s still February, they just like that it’s warm. As Aldo Leopold writes in A Sand County Almanac, “my dog does not care where heat comes from, he cares ardently that it comes, and soon.” It’s safe to say that the animals in Blunn Creek feel the same way. Surprisingly, the creek isn’t flowing at normal speed but with the recent abundance of rain, the water line is the highest I ever seen. To my surprise as well, the small shrubs have started regaining their color faster than the large trees, which I thought would’ve started to come back to life a little sooner. The ground is slightly damp and muddy from the rain and has caused life in the preserve to show itself a little more than usual, animal or not. Since I have been here, I have seen five people, nine rabbits, one squirrel, and a few small, finch-looking birds, all of whom seem to be enjoying the preserve as much as the others.
February 28, 2014
High temp: 79 Low temp: 52 Current temp: 75 // Sunny, partly cloudy with a slight breeze from the Northwest.