Reflection
I participated in both EcoQuest challenges over the past weeks and tried to observe some of the plants.
I really enjoyed being outside. What this spurred me to do was to pay close attention to the plants and animals around you. Often we walk through parks and see nature but do not really see each plant and organism as the unique living creature it is. After some initial failures, I learned how to identify, and more importantly distinguish, various plants. I would like to believe I made some contributions to the larger NYC area and scientific community with the observations I made.
To be able to fully take advantage of these things, one needs to plan ahead. At first, I was not entirely sure what to look for and did not plan my walks and 'hunts' for the EcoQuests. This quickly led to disappointment as I could not find, nor even come close to recognize. and of the plants. I was overwhelmed because by paying close attention I started to realize how many different plants, trees, flowers, and animals there were around me. In other words, the abundance of variety in life was overwhelming as it came unexpected and it was strangely unfamiliar. However, once I started planning ahead things went better. I knew what to look for and what separates the Groundsel Tree from the others. like that its flowers are clustered in heads and that they can be up to 4 meters long!! (A surprising revelation to me after spending significant time bending over bushes to see if they match the image I had on my phone.)
This experience helped me realize that understanding nature and seeing what is around us is a skill. Just like learning how to close-read in literature classes, I started to learn how to "close-see," paying full attention to small details of some of the things we take for granted every day. Especially now that the leaves are falling off the trees, I wish I spent more time just sitting at the park observing, rather than aimlessly trying to find the target-specie for my EcoQuest. I guess that is why iNaturalist calls them observations and us observers. It is really a skill I hope to continue to grow.
I will end with a stretch of a metaphor. In a biblical story, Jesus heals a blind beggar and allows him to once again see after he tells him: "All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.” Regardless of the truth behind the bible in general, this story is obviously not implying Jesus magically healed a man's blindness. Rather, he helps the beggar to retrieve the ability to see what is around him. We often do not spend actual time and energy practicing the ability to really deeply see and observe what is around us and pay attention to how the world works. Without getting too crazy, this experience has helped me to take a step forward toward the ability to understand what is around me (through the class' material) and pay attention to it (through the EcoQuests).
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