Licton Springs Park, 5/29/19, 1:02 pm and 3:09 pm, 63°,
partly cloudy
PART 1:
Each week, it seems like my site gets greener and lusher. There is so
much growth compared to how it was when I first got there. Now I can barely see
the path since there has been so much new growth. My site’s a lot buggier too.
When I walked into the open area, I noticed a lot more bugs flying around.
This is my site at the 1 sq. meter spatial scale.
There’s even a noticeable difference between this week and last week.
This is my repeat photo at the 50 sq. meters
spatial scale. Everything is really tall now and roughly the same height.
I also finally saw some actual salmonberries growing! I’ve been
waiting to see the actual fruit since the first week. They didn’t look quite ripe,
though, so I didn’t try them. Most of them had a yellowish tint to them still
but hopefully by next week they’ll be in better shape. The yellow irises have also
grown a lot. The yellow flowers are really pretty. It’s a nice contrast to the
crazy amount of green that’s everywhere. The horsetails have also grown an
insane amount. Almost all of them are at least 3 feet tall. I haven’t seen any
new species come or go, but there is most definitely a lot more growth and blooming
happening.
PART 2:
On my way to my site, I actually saw a bee resting on a nearby picnic
table. I decided that I would choose to observe this species because it was
right there and easily observable. I tried to get close enough to where I could
see it well, without getting too close as to scare it off. It didn’t really
look like an American bumblebee, because it wasn’t very round and fuzzy. In
terms of how it looked, it appeared to be a Western honeybee. However, I am now
thinking that it was actually a Carpenter
bee (Hymenoptera/Apidae/Xylocopa). It had a very yellow and fuzzy front
half, which is indicative of most bees, but I think it was a carpenter bee because
of its behavior. When one thinks of bees, one generally thinks of a bee buzzing
around flowers, probably pollinating. However, this bee was rested on a wooden
table. After a minute or so, it became pretty active. It turned around a few
times. It then started to lift its bottom, thrusting and moving its back legs a
lot. It almost looked like it was grooming itself. At one point, it looked like
it was trying to sting the wood (it probably wasn’t, it just looked that way). After
it turned around a few more times, it flew away when a fly came in a bit too
close.
This is the bee that I saw on the wooden
table. It had lifted its behind and was kicking around.
The next species I saw was a type of
fly (diptera). It might have been a
flesh fly but I’m not sure. It wasn’t doing much so I only observed it for a little
while. It wasn’t really moving or doing anything interesting, so I didn’t choose
to observe this species for the 5 minutes. I couldn’t determine the family or
species, but it was relatively small. It had spots on its back too.
This is a picture of the fly I saw. It has white feet and
red eyes. It also looks like it has hair on its back.
The next species I saw was an earthworm (Lumbriculida) (I think). It
was submerged in the water and it looked dead. I was thrown off by its color too.
Earthworms are typically pinkish in color, but this worm was completely white.
It was also a lot thicker than the typical earthworms I’ve seen. The only
reason I think it’s an earth worm is because it had rings, like annelids do. It
also had a brown stripe that ran along its side, which is a characteristic of
some annelids. It also seemed segmented. It was thicker in its center and came
to a pinch in the middle.
This is my sketch of the worm I saw. You can see the
stripe along its side and its non-uniform shape.
I also decided to include a picture of the worm because I
truly don’t really know what it is and maybe this photo is clearer.
I chose to
observe this species too. I waited for a minute or so, but it didn’t move. That’s
when I took a stick and gently nudged it. I couldn’t tell if it had actually
moved or if the water had caused some of its movement. I stopped poking at it
with the stick and it kind of just laid there. If it wasn’t dead, it definitely
acted like it was.
PART 3:
Poem #1:
How curious,
Its odd shape
Its yellow color robust
Spinning around
Reflecting light
It then soon after
Turned and took flight
This poem is about the
Carpenter bee.
Poem #2:
Green is abundant
With growth so clear
Flowers are blooming
And horsetails grow near
The water is steady
The sun is high
The park is peaceful
With birds in the sky
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