Taylor Valenti
Blunn Creek: October
During the month of October, I visited the Blunn Creek area once again. I made my observations on the weekends mostly going and visiting during the early morning on Fridays before classes. As before, there were many aspects of nature to take in and new changes to see. There were visible changes since the month of September such as a decrease in the temperature as the weekends became cooler and the vegetation grew in height and density as the month progressed. The trees seemed to have grown more branches and the bushes seemed to be fuller and contain more leaves than before. Instead of being in the high nineties, the temperature dropped to the mid-eighties as the month progressed; there was also little rain this month causing a dry terrain as opposed to the wet one last month. Like September, though, the Spanish moss was visible and still a major aspect on the trees. The birds and their songs were a dominant sound throughout my observations. I saw mainly just crows, but a few times I was able to spot a lone pigeon or what looked as though it could be a dove flying above me. The importance of the time in my arrival played a major part in the amount of birds I was able to observe. Like Leopold stated in his novel, “To arrive too early in the marsh is an adventure in pure listening; the ear roams at will among the noises of the night, without let or hindrance from hand or eye” (61). While birds were the main animal I saw, I did see one weekend two rabbits jumping in the patch of leaves across the creek from where I was sitting. The rabbits seemed to be two adults but moved along quickly before I had time to direct much attention to them. Human activity played a little part during my observations this month. Surprisingly, only once did I see someone other than myself strolling through the area. The individual seemed to be strolling through the area, observing the wildlife just as I was. On most mornings there was a nice breeze that stayed pretty consistent throughout the hour I was there, complementing the cooler weather that was beginning to arrive throughout October. I observed that the creek seemed to have less and less water as the month progressed; but the minnows were still visible seeming to not be affected by the decrease in water. The leaves on the plants changed from green to more of a muted color or brownish color as fall began to arrive. There was still a presence of litter in some plants and on the pathways mainly consisting of cigarettes, cans, bottles, and plastic wrappers. In conclusion, the month of October consisted of the typical changing of the color of leaves in the park and the temperature dropped to an almost bearable degree while still providing an environment for a variety of plant species to live and grow around the local neighborhood.
