pennyje's Journal

On Monday, my two friends and I went on a walk to find vertebrate animals around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. Leading up to the walk, I had doubts about how many animals we would be able to find. It was a particularly cold day (the tips of my ears were victims of the cold - I forgot to wear a hat), so we thought the animals would be as apprehensive as we were about the weather. However, we saw a surprising amount of different species, particularly bird species. Even though we're well into fall, there were still ducks on the reservoir, seemingly unbothered by the air and water temperature. We even saw a turkey crossing the street by us. Altogether, I was pleasantly surprised by this walk.

This weekend I went back home to Long Island. On Monday the weather was particularly nice, so my mom and I decided to go on a walk to see the leaves begin to change color and along the way, we saw diverse plantlife. We went to a wooded area near my house commonly known as Shu Swamp. I used to go there a lot when I was younger, so it was a nostalgic experience. Though a fair amount of the plants have begun dying, it's interesting to see the plants that are still thriving (as many of my photographs demonstrate). It was a really nice experience.

On Sunday, my friend and I went on a walk at the Houghton Garden, about a five-minute walk from Boston College's upper campus. It was a beautiful day for a walk - the weather reflective of the beginning of fall. We arrived around 3:30 pm and walked until around 4:15 pm. At first, it was hard to find any fungi. We really had to slow ourselves down and consider our surroundings steadily and thoughtfully. Once we did this, it was like they suddenly began revealing themselves to us. We noticed a wide variety of fungal species, not just limited to mushrooms. We noticed the lichen on the trees and rocks, and what looked like fungal growth causing slight decay on the base of a tree. The experience that opened my mind to look beyond and even below what would typically jump out on me.

On Monday a few friends and I decided to go on a walk around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir right outside of campus. The weather was perfect - it was a beautiful sunny day, not too hot, but not too cold. There were so many other people out either running around the res or just sitting on benches under the trees. As we strolled along the water, we came across so many different kinds of wildlife. As shown in my photos, we saw bumble bees, swans, and numerous plants. We also saw geese, which went unphotographed. Altogether, I'd say it was a really nice experience and I'm glad my friends were able to come along with me.