Time+Spent+in+Nature

Each person should create his/her own post as part of this page.

Be certain to sign your post in some way to ensure proper credit.
I suggest beginning with a brief description of the area you chose and (possibly) why you chose it. Then you can record what you saw, smelled, felt, and heard (//i.e.//, what you //observed//). You can either include your reflection with

====Suggested guidelines can be found at Keeping a Nature Journal by the Sierra Club, and from anthropologist Eleanor Sterling and botanist Brian Boom, both of the American Museum of Natural History.====

= ** Enjoying this.. "park" right next to the freaking highway..... xD ** = So here I was, on this little park looking thing right next to the highway trying to do the project. And let me tell you, at first it made me realize that there are a very few amount of places that actually remain at peace and is pure nature. Because at first all I could here were d cars and big trucks passing on the highway and cars passing by on the street on the other side of the park, and music really loud from some apartments that are right next to the park as well. All I was hearing was everything BUT nature. A few minutes went by and right before I was about to give up because there was no point on me trying to “enjoy” nature, I saw a little bird flying right above my head and to a branch where it appeared to have a little nest. When it landed on d branch it started to twit, and I don’t mean to out his phone and logged into twitter, but it started to sing, and me hearing that bird sing lead to hearing the leafs and the treats moving back and forth, which lead to hearing the wind going against my face, cloths, ears. Before I knew it all the cars on the highway, the street, the music, everything, all was muted in my brain. All I was hearing was… well…. Nature… At that point I was like YESSSS!!!!!!! Because I thought I was going to have to bull crap this project but I didn’t after all. It actually made me so relaxed and such peace came to me when I finally shunned all the “extra” noise that I just wanted to lay down, relax, and maybe even take a nap. Made me realize that not many places remain that haven’t been alternated by mankind. Made me realize that many people don’t get to experience being like, in touch nature, sort of speak, and those people are missing a lot. If being in small park with so much stuff going on around me, I still enjoyed it, imagine an ACTUAL calm and peaceful park, or forest, or open landscape.
 * Francisco Morales. **
 * (if i knew i needed to also record the time i would of) but it was at around 4pm and stoped at almost 5 **
 * August 28, 2010**


 * Jacksonville Arboretum & Gardens**

Less than six miles from my apartment is a small pocket of native Florida. Trails have been blazed and bridges erected over creeks, but is definitely is not a domesticated simulation of nature.

Despite the 9A traffic only a few hundred yards away, its sounds retreat into the background. It is by no means silent, however; rather, there is a constant chorus of frogs, insects, and the occasional bird.

Sitting by Jones Creek, I can hear the riffles as the water continues on its way through the area and back into civilization. Although I follow a different path, I too must return to my daily life, but I plan to return here soon.

D.Lepp 29 JUN 2010 9:45-11:15 AM

[

A good beginning. I would consider writing more details, perhaps a narrative of the walk, rather than just a summary at a stop along the way. Very little reflection (what I thought or questioned during the time there) is included. - D.Lepp ]

My family owns a "camp" in the Adirondack State Park in UpState New York. "Camp" is the local term for vacation home; synonymous with "cabin" or "cottage" in other parts of the country. It is a five bedroom farm house that has been there over 90 years. My paternal uncle found it and my grandparents bought it before my parents were even married (which was in 1961), so, as far as I am concerned, it has always been in my family. When I was growing up, we would spend about a month there each summer, usually beginning sometime in July. I do not get back as often now that I live in Florida, but I was able to spend a week there this summer.
 * Adirondack State Park, New York[[image:birds_and_feeding_woodpeckers.JPG width="400" height="224" align="right"]]**

From the front porch you can look northeast into the front yard to see a creek running through the marshy land bordered by pine trees along the driveway. The woods are directly beside camp to the northwest and a ways back behind to the southwest. Two lots over to the southeast is where the woods approach on that side. Across the road and railroad tracks is a swamp and then mountains. All of these provide numerous possibilities for shelter to the various fauna we regularly see at the bird feeder. This area is temperate deciduous forest, and exhibits the flora and fauna characteristic of this biome.

I began my observation around dawn. The temperature was a brisk (for a Floridian) 64 F. The bird feed had a mix of sunflower seeds, cracked corn, millet, thistle seed, and some peanut pieces. The most common bird seen throughout the two hours was the purple finch, both the male and female. I fully believe whoever originally named this bird had to have been colorblind, as the male bird is brown, creamy white, and red ("raspberry" according to the Audubon field guide) - the female is even drabber, as is typical of birds; no purple, lavendar, lilac, plum, or any other shade of purple to be seen. Fairly common were blue jays, although this feeder is not conducive to their preferred platform (horizontal) perching for feeding. There are also cats in the area, which keeps the ground relatively free of feeding birds. Other birds that visited the feeder included a female red-winged blackbird (a male was noted on other days, but not this morning), nuthatches, chickadee, and downy woodpeckers. I did not realize that woodpeckers also eat seed, but they definitely do, as well as foraging for grubs behind the peeling bark on the dead tree that was struck by lightning several years ago. Quite evidently, there was a juvenile as part of the pair that was present, as one habitually fed the other (as seen in the above picture) The lawn must have contained worms, as the robins made their way across it. A red squirrel fed beneath the feeder in the first hour, although it was gone for the remainder of the day - probably again due to the presence of the neighbors cats. A single chipmunk used the dead tree as a perch, feeding at the bottom of it and climbing its interior to peer out of a hole. Very few chipmunks were in eveidence, which we attributed to the presence and hunting prowess of the cats. The birds at the feeder exhibited various degrees of shyness, with the finches being the most skittish and the woodpeckers the least. I would attribute this to their relative sizes, except for the fact that the nuthatches were the smallest birds present, but did not demonstrate the extreme flightiness of the finches.

Down near the creek is a bird house that was occupied only within a week of my visit. Typically the bird species that utilizes that bird house is long gone by July. This created a debate between my father and me as to the identity of the occupants. He maintained it was a (bird) that normally uses it, onlly nesting later in the season. I got out the binoculars and was able to see that it was distinctly blue, leading me to call it as a bluebird or possibly a blue-gray gnatcatcher. In any event, that pair of birds did not visit the feeder and was only evident in the rare times it flew into or out of its house.

From the eaves of the porch hang two hummingbird feeders filled with red-dyed sugar water (or other nectar substitute). These were visited by several female hummingbirds, but the male ruby-throated hummingbird is territorial and would attack any other males that attempted to feed. These small birds are extremely fast and will fly directly through the porch when dive-bombing each other. They were not as active this morning as I am used to seeing them in the evenings. They may feed in different parts of their territories at different times of day. In the afternoons the porch would be in greater shade, and that might be the preferred light level for these birds. Or I may have just been more focused on the activity at the feeder and not noticed the antics of the hummingbirds as much.

Although I was observing this area during the bright daylight, I still am reminded of the quote from //Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening// by Robert Frost. "These woods are lovely, dark, and deep,". I guess my woods were lovely, bright, and light... and definitely teeming with life.

D.Lepp 08 JUL 2010 5:45-7:45 AM

[ I go from one extreme to the other. This entry includes plenty of detail, narrative, and reflection -- more than necessary, actually. It is, however, indicative of two hours spent observing, rather than just thirty minutes. You could reasonably figure that a thirty minute observation would result in a post that is one-fourth as long. - D.Lepp ]


 * Let me tell you about my best friend....(woody), Mikey's Backyard, Jacksonville Florida**

Although things in the backyard of my home may be overcome with extremities of noise, if you listen close enough and observe the surroundings of the environment they sort of speak back to you. It was almost as if i was having a nature vision (lol), even though I had just finished the invigorating task of giving my grass a haircut. So it gave my yard that new found smell of new beginnings, neighbors at which surround my location constantly and consistently make noise to drown out the sound of their natural habitat. But with those few moments I had alone to allow my ear to be grabbed by the earth touched me.

I saw and heard the earth as it allowed the snakes and other reptiles of its kind to slither across my freshly cut grass, I could literally hear them as they touched each blade it was as if I was in touch with my own senses and it felt amazing. As you can view from this illustration, the vines and the other counterparts of the earth swallow this tree whole as its consumed to make another addition to the earth. I stood still for what seemed to be an eternity and observed as the spiders of the wilderness that is known as my backyard forms its webs and homes of such to be called.

Until today I never actually realized how many birds made their nests in my tree I counted at least 3, it looked really cool because the mother bird was there nesting its young, apparently I did a really good job of not posing a threat because I witnessed first hand nature at its finest , as the mother bird swooped in and grabbed a worm out of the ground that I didn't notice... flew back up to it's nest and fed it's young. I guess there's a lot to view in the trees and nature grounds of the world I should open my eyes I may find something I may never want to take my eyes off of.

Considering the much unneeded humidity and high heat my guess is the temp was about 89-90 degrees (F) and dewpoint of at least +2? I doubt was going to find very much in the bright and early morning and it being as hot as it was.

Michael Moore 11:30-12:17 August 21, 2010

Little Lake Kerr, In our neck of the Woods
Or possibly, not so much. Unless you call a hour and a half drive your back woods. Then, I suppose it's all the same. It was not but recent that I managed to enjoy such solitude, peace, and just plain out appreciation to nature when I camped out in Little Lake Kerr, located in the heart of Ocala, Florida. To say the least, it was probably the first time I took just a moment to stare at the water and it's waves, being lost in my own train of thoughts of how beautiful it stood out to me, the rhythm it made, and the life it held to dearly close. Much different than sitting in the sand, city streets and pedestrians crowding my hearing with it's obnoxious rumble. It's no wonder the beach isn't all that peaceful any more as it should be.

As I was accompanied by that of bipedal forms of English, that wasn't what caught my eye the most about this place and all it's glory. It had been when I walked around after listening to the Lake (Ocean? Nope.) breeze, observing face to face, hand to hand, on what grew from the ground itself, and making sense of what all was to come. Above, you can notice the picture of the burned out trunk of a tree, some time ago I'm sure. A perfect spot for plenty of things - things that which I made a list in my head the very moment I spotted it in the corner of my eye. Raccoons, squirrels, snakes, spiders, insects, moles, and various other mammals and reptiles, that I had been so unfortunate not to find at the time. Home to so many, yet abandoned at the time of an interview. I was disappointed, but not alone, as I tended to observe as close as I could without intruding on any camouflaged passengers, and catching a glimpse with the light in the right angle, a shine of a freshly spun web, dangling from the bark's dreaded veins. I'm no friend to spiders, nor did I get to see it face to face, but at least it had been some what occupied, only to make me wonder more- not even a five feet radius, and this work of nature itself was a house to almost anyone. That wasn't the only thing that held my interest for so long to question the Earth itself of it's inhabitants, however. It was in fact, what caught my attention the most- fresh bear tracks scratched upon trees in a trail, leading ironically to the picnic area over night. Even posters were placed in location of the lake to warn visitors of their trash, and what accompanies it when they lay asleep, but never did I grow so curious to see a creature wonder by dusk, picking up the scraps. It was to this point I was determined to find at least one other organism that roamed more than the Lake, other than some of the strangest birds I've ever seen. I wanted to explore not just the lake itself, but the lily pads that sat on it's top, occupied by the harmony of frogs, and that of the woods that surrounded us whole, to what had been told to be occupied with said bears, and even larger reptilians that no man would face on his own. Sadly, like any other eager teen craving the adventure of just simple wild life without any consequence, I was denied that wish, but to the least, received the only proof I needed to know that for fact, there was more that meets the eye.

Jessica Trickler No exact time recorded, but within 5PM-6PM (Sunset) Aug. 12th, 2010. August 22, 2010

This is a little creek that runs through my neigborhood, it isn't much but it's nice. Just a little bit of woods tucked away in the city. It caught my attention more than any other place because its somewhere that I can just relax and reflect on nature. I like being able to walk on the right bank and just relax after a long day of babysitting so for me it carries a peacefulness and calmness.It may be little, and it may be simple, but to me it's beautiful and tranquil. All of our earth should have little places like this instead of waste filled polluted cities and waters. I mean sure, this water is so clean I could drink it, but its not like theres nasty old trash floating all in it like I see on a regular basis in other parts of my neighborhood.This little creek is something important to me, and hopefully more people can find their own imporant places on earth and keep them clean too. Kat McDade around 4:30 p.m Aug. 24th, 2010
 * Little Bitty Woods in a Big City**

A couple summers ago, my sister and I went exploring (on our bikes) and found this really nice park in Ortega called Seminole Park. It was this giant field with lots of beautiful old trees covered in moss. It's in a fairly secluded area on a quiet street. If you keep walking down there is a tiny, I say beach, but it's more like a sandy little area that leads right into the St. John's River. It continues on into a little "creek" that skirts along the right edge of the park and it's outlined heavily in bamboo. I chose this particular park because it's really peaceful and as well as land animals, it's also has aquatic life.
 * An out of the way park...and frog, well a toad :)**

When I got to the park, I sat near a tree and I just watched the scenery. Of course I saw the usual squirrels playing around, running in the grass, and quickly scampering back to the safety of their tree. I heard many birds "cah-ing" away up above me, hidden in the branches and leaves. I also heard a really loud CRACK! from the little "creek" area and decided to go invesigate.

Despite being so thickly protected. The "creek" was fairly easy to get to...if you don't mind a few spider webs and LOTS of mosquitoes. When I first walked up, I saw something scamper off the rocks in the water. Well actually it was a //few// somethings and at first it looked like roaches. My initial reaction was to run screaming, but in the name of science (haha, yeah right. If they were roaches, I would of been out of there!) I stayed behind and watched. I was thankfully surprised to find that the scampering creaters were little crabs. I watched them for a minute and they just kind of scuttled about on the algae covered rocks I guess looking for food. And as far as the loud noise I heard, it went off a couple more times and would scare off the crabs. But I never found out what it was.

Before I left, I wanted to observe the actual water. So I walked down to the "beach" and sat on the conviently placed benches. After about 10 minutes I noticed a couple ripples from the movement of the fish. Other than this every now and then, there were some little minnows and the ever present bugs skating gracefully across the water's surface. Since the activity was dying down and the little drizzle had become a constant mist and I still had a 30 minute bike ride home, I decided to "skidaddle" :P

But on my way up the large lawn, I spotted movement and I stopped to look. To my excitement I saw a toad :) I couldn't help but pick him up. I mean look at him! He's so adorable. Jodi Bedsole August 27, 2010 5:01pm-5:43pm

__**To the Florida Keys!!**__
This summer I found nature off the coast of Key Largo while on vacation with my family. Our annual trip to the Florida keys put us at a 10 second walk from the vast turquoise expanse of the Atlantic ocean, teeming with all sorts of plant and animal life. Most of our time was spent fishing, snorkeling, and swimming at various reefs a short boat ride away from our hotel. The wind was pretty strong during our stay so the water was "choppy", but it was still hard to resist jumping in anyway. When we were snorkeling I saw a wide variety of fish. Some were smaller than my fist and other were big enough to make me keep my distance. The biggest fish I saw was a mean looking baracuda, he wasnt exactly "Jaws" material but i kept my distance. Most of the time the fish would swim just out of arm's reach or near the bottom in a school. You could also see them gathering around coral patches or in tall grass. However, at some places we went the fish stayed very close to the boat and when I was in the water they would swim right next to me. From this I inferred that tourists must be feeding the fish,and in turn they are becoming desensitized to human contact. Later on in the day my Dad saw me trying to touch one of the fish and handed me some bait to feed it (Im know your not supposed to but we were gonna throw the bait out anyway...and it stunk pretty bad). Of course all the fish swam up next to me once they smelled it and I threw out a few more peices.Although when I dropped the last peice in one fish in particular got a little over zealous and bit my finger, lets just say after that I was really ready to go. So, to sum things up using the five senses, I smelled salt water (and tasted it a few times), felt warm breezes and cool water, and heard waves hitting the side of the boat...oh, and my dad yelling at my brother to "Pick a spot and stay there so I can drive this boat!" Got to love family! Shannon Frye August 30,2010 6:51 pm

_

Shannon stole my original title so i had to use this one..... __This past summer vacation my family and I went to the Florida Keys for a week. Then, when I arrived home__ __I found a lovely little notecard from Ms. Lepper telling me of my summer assignment (thanks Ms. Lepper).__ __However it couldn't have come at a better time seeing as how I just spent a whole 5 days in the Atlantic ocean snorkeling,__ __observing coral, fish, and other salt water critters. Our family vacation this year was the about third time we went to the florida keys.__ __And it is basically the same routine every year. We rent a suite at some outdated motel (the same one everytime), we rent a boat, and__ __we spend the next few days going to different reefs and snorkeling, while my dad just sits on the boat trying to catch a king fish,__ __which is yet to have happened, but I digress. __ __The first thing I notice when we get to the Keys is the air. You can always smell the salt (and after a few days feel it in your skin and hair).__ __I also love how there is always a nice sea breeze where we stay because its right on the water, which is a lovely shade of turqoiuse. (a welcomed change from the humid and muggy heat of jacksonville, and the murky waters of the st. johns). Normally the first thing I do__ __when I get there is head straight for the boat ramp and look out at the water. From the ramp, the view is always the same, two small islands rest next to each other, completely covered with trees and other wildlife. And most of the area around them is restricted because its privately owned. __

__But just off the restricted area around the island are tons of shells and other treasures in the sand, shannon and I found a huge sand dollar bigger than my fist and there were some grass and coral, but most of the coral was dead, from what I dont know, natural causes I can only assume.__ __Then once we get out over some reefs there is much more to explore. I found alot of sea anemones and various kinds of fish. But most of the littler fish tend to stay in their homes, in rocks and reefs. Probably to keep from getting eaten. Then once you get away from the__ __reefs you can find bigger fish swimming around in the grass and sometimes I can spot a baracuda. But they are kind of hard to miss because they're__ __so mean and ugly looking. Really, those things are hideous and everytime I see one I either keep 20 feet away from them, or get back into the boat__ __until they've swam away.__

__L. Frye__ __September, 4, 2010__ __12:15pm__

__This picture was taken one year when I went on a cruise with my mom. We took a cruise to the Bahamas, St. Martin, and St. Thomas. We had to drive all the way to Miami, just to get on the cruise ship. We had a lot of extra time on our hands, so we stopped by South Beach. I immediately noticed many differences between our beaches here in Jacksonville and this beach in Miami. The water is so blue, and you can actually see right through it. That I wasn't used to at all, reason being is because we live in Jacksonville. There is seaweed everywhere, and we kept seeing a bunch of stuff washing up from the ocean. On the bottom left of the picture, we found a a big coconut. And in the bottom right, we came across a sea cucumber. I found it very interesting because I never seen a sea cucumber in person before. We would have picked it up and kept it for souvenirs, but we were going on a 7-day cruise and didn't know what to do with it. I just find it very cool going to new places that you never been before, and seeing the difference between the places you have been. For example, the water. I never seen water so clear before, up until we went to Bahamas, then St. Martin, and then St. Thomas. As you can probably see from the water, it was pretty breezy so we didn't get a chance to swim. But if I was to ever go back to South Beach, Miami in the summer time, I would not hesitate. It would be fun to see what other things could wash up!__



__K. Huff__ __September 4, 2010__ __4:26 p.m.__



__this picture was taken on the balcony of my bishops house!. .im always at my bishops house whether im babysitting or just coming over to chit chat. either way it goes i always find myself going out on the balcony to watch the fish jump out of the water or jsut to hear the crickets. some times i sit with the baby and we watch the birds. through the window of course because i have this huge phobia of birds!!! but even so i cant say tht its not a beautiful view to watch them fly across the lake. one time when we were invited over for a cookout bishop was fishing on the balcony & even tho all he caught was a turtle, i saw the most beautiful bird fly acoss the lake! it had various colored feathers i ran in the house of course but it just goes to show tht when yu spend just a little bit of time even in your own bakyard you will be surprised at what you will come across. . .__

__A. Evans__ __September 4, 2010__ __5:22 pm__

Rattlesnake Mountain in Ridgecrest, North Carolina


North Carolina is just about my favorite place to be (only during the fall). It's beautiful and everything is absolutely crisp and united. When you walk, the leaves crunch under your feet, and the wind calls out your name. The trek starts about a half mile up the mountain, which leaves a little less than a mile and half left. The November air is chilly, and many layers are needed. Right away, the trail extends upwards, and my calves are already killing me. Though, none of that matters. I'm in nature! My senses are alive, and I'm gloriously in the world of Mother Nature. The wind sweeps the leaves this way and that, creating a rhythmic lullaby. The trail curves too many times to count, this way and that. I'm aware of everything. The shy squirrel up in the tree. A turkey gobbling some distance away. There's a sound of running water, but to say where from is too hard to place. Though minutes later, there's a little creek running by the trail. By now, my mouth feels like ice cubes. The cold air is ironically burning my throat, but the goal is too sweet to stop now. Most of the foliage is bare from fall’s changing temperatures, but that doesn't stop the beauty from rolling in. Every now and then, breaks in the trees show the view from where I am. I only know it gets better. Even the thought of seeing for miles and miles tempts me to bolt up the trail. I know this will just slow me down. My patience renders me well. The sun is setting, and its rays can be seen through the some of the leaf-less trees. Mind you, there are many that remain ever vibrant, as if protecting all the populations that reside there. The path has turned from pebbles, to convenient asphalt, to pebbles, to dirt. I know I'm getting close. The next bend is almost the end. I slowly curve with it, again seeing the breaking sun. Something scurries away in the distance. Finally, I reach what is almost the end. It's just rocks now, and pure eighty degree angle of steep climbing and possible knee scraping. I start to climb, seeing the brightness of this viewpoint in the distance. With the setting sun, it's going to be beautiful. My lungs feel as though they are going to collapse from the nippy air. Then exultingly, my eyes break the surface. Everything immediately comes into view, and I'm tripping over myself to get a closer look. Who knows how far there was to see, mountains and mountains just waiting for eyes to touch; waiting for the acknowledgement that so many miss to see. They perk up, realizing their full potential in my eyes. They know I remember who they are, I remember from last October. When their flesh were hues of purples, reds, oranges, yellows. The artist has transitioned into a sleeping beauty. The sun is able to be seen between the naked trees. This scenery before me has been put here for my eyes and mine only, or though it feels. I am breathing the essence; feeling the heartbeats of everything living thing in the 40 mile radius. I can see them. The doe licking her baby to sleep, the buck overseeing them protectively. These aren't even in my visible eyesight, but I know they are there. I'm too high for the birds…maybe not. Though somehow, I'm flying higher and higher with every graze of the eye across my visible boundaries. I explore my world. The world created for me. Down a path for one, there is a family for bees nestled around a fall-budding bush. White, luscious flowers are their sweet source of nectar. I trot further down to find a nook of a lookout. I take my seat and breathe the air around me. There are moving with my breathing. The sun is slowly setting to the west, on my slight left. I know I should leave soon, for I don't want to see the side of Mother Nature that was not created for me. I'm content with my visit to my world. Surreally satisfied with the life I've witnessed, and the   pictures Mother Nature wanted me to see. Life was scarce this time, due to the weather. My journey is not over, for I have a long way down. I leave my world in the peace it welcomed me. Promising a future return and hearing it follow me as far as it could until I was under the foliage again. I sunk deeper and deeper into my human reality, until Mother Nature knew me know more.

Kelsey Wick Oh the Fiu 7:31 pm

=Over the River and Through the Woods To Grandmother's House We Go! =

Ahh walking through my ever-growing backyard that is more like a forest than apart of my humble home. It's not hard to miss the drizzling of the creek down yonder, the constant buzzing of bees, or the perfectly synced chorus of grass hoppers as you walk around. Today Monday, September 6th, 2010 I decided to take a leisurely stroll around my abode to visit mother nature's flora and fauna.



Our Amphibian Friends
Amongst the abundant wildlife found in my yard we came across some tiny friends. What I believe is the Florida Oak Toad, was found in the damp crevices of some oak trees. However we did not find full grown adults but babies instead, we spent a good 10 minutes rounding them up for photos. Varying in size the oak toad is still the smallest toad in the U.S. and they're colors can range anywhere from a dark brown, to a light gray but they always have pairs of spots on their back. Another reason to believe this amphibian is a Florida Oak Toad and not a frog is because where a frog has longer hind legs and can jump toads, well, they hop along. The toads we found also had warty, dry skin where frogs have sleek, wet skin.



Oh the Fungi Grows
There was a large variety of mushrooms or toadstools, which ever they may be, found around the foliage in my plot. So much in fact that I decided to dedicate a whole section just to them. I do not know what kind of fungi I found no matter how hard i searched for the names and descriptions so I will inform you upon the basics of fungi. Fungus is a member of a large eukaryotic group and are immobile with one huge difference between itself and plants. The fact that the cell walls of fungus have chitin, unlike the cell walls of a plant. Mushrooms specifically are fruit spore-bearing bodies that tend to have a stem and cap (top). Sometime the stem of a mushroom can have a raised netlike pattern called a reticulum.



It's A Bugs Life
Alright we're to our end and we have one more subject to cover, insects. Spiders, grasshoppers, dragonflies, even weird ladybug-roach hybrids, you name it we have it! One of the first encounters of the glorious fauna was a blue dragonfly. It hovered to and fro and decided to land on a piece of wood perfectly haloed by the sunlight, as if it was appearing to it's own photo shoot. Dragonflies are interpreted differently throughout history and throughout the world. For example the Japanese, associating dragonflies with the summer and autumn, believe dragonflies are a symbol of happiness, courage, and strength. Whereas the Europeans look upon dragonflies as a bad omen. Never the less dragonflies are interesting creatures with expandable jaws, and gills located in their rectum! I'd like to see you breathe through your... Well you know. Anyways onto our other yard burrowing friends. Speaking of burrowing, we lifted up the very log our dragonfly friend landed on to find a grub of some sort. Grub worms being more of a larvae state of lawn pests, eat away at roots and plants posing an issue for garden lovers and crop growers. They are however completely harmless to humans which I find to be an ironic fact comparing their appearance, bleh. The eggs of a grub hatch in the soil where the feeding frenzy begins and the pest grows, later in life the larvae can grow into many types of beetles. Such as the Japanese beetle, the May beetle, June beetle, etc. Next is the Florida //Leucauge venusta//, or a more common name, the Orchard Orbweaver. This spider is rather small and has a very distinct marking on it's back sometimes described as a smiley face glowing orange, while the spider itself is a greenish color helping it blend into it's environment. And last but not least I managed to find a wasp nest close to our back door which I can assure you won't... Be there for long.





Chelsea Learn B4 Monday, September 06, 2010 4:41- 6:40 PM

Great Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee
This past summer my family and I took a vacation to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It was quite new to me yet a little familiar. It had been nearly over a decade since I've seen a mountain and they were everywhere in Tennessee. This picture was taken at Great Smoky National Park and I've never seen anything so beautiful and peaceful. It was solitude up there and the weather was just perfect. It was a perfect combination of heat, sunlight and constant breeze. Surprisingly as well, considering it was in the middle of June where I was used to the overwhelming Florida heat. I didn't expect it to smell like flowers like a combination of roses and lilies put together. It was a little mesmerizing and I felt like I could stay up there forever. From it's appearance the first thing I noticed was how natural and undisturbed everything was. It was all nicely preserved and maintained without any disturbance from the outside world of men. The grass was about up to my knees and they were even comfortable to sit on. The farther I walked down the greener and taller the grass grew. From every angle I looked around all I saw were mountains countless of them. They were like a mere image of one another, there was a mountain behind one after another and another it was endless. Everywhere I turned around all I saw was green, green, green. The grass were green, the trees were green, even the mountains were green. Which was a little unusual for me since where I last saw mountains in Philippines were just filled with rocks and no where looked anything like the bright green I saw from the Smoky Mountains. But more of a gray and blueish color. I was however a little disappointed since I was looking forward to seeing bears in the "wild", but I never had the luck to encounter one. However I did manage to have the luxury to see two deers at the end of my trip around the state park, which one of them so happened to be pregnant. This new place has become my out when times get rough.

Taken September 5, 2010 12:45 p.m.- 4:35 p.m. updated September 6, 2010 7:25p.m. Eriqua McGhee (eko-shroom)

The day started off with a simple assignment at the Hannah Park, beachcombing. My companion and I walked and searched for shells, as well as, for any extraordinary creature or vegetation. We were shocked to find that the beach was covered with small sea-creatures, vegetation and shells. We find clams, crabs, small minions and even a flock of sea-gulls seeking of a meal of a cast-away crustacean. Seen here, is a small crab that we found only 20 yards away from this hungry gulls, stayed completely still as I took its picture. Unfortunately, a sad fate befell another crab that was picked clean for the inside. I began to wonder why the sea was so dark and turbulent, why the abundance of shells, and broken habitat. Then I realized (and remembered) that there was a hurricane out at sea, churning the sea and ruining sea habitats. The sky was dark and it even began to rain after our little adventure. My companion found an exoskeleton of what appears to be a large crustacean, we were astonished. I have never seen this before and it must have been floating to the depths of the ocean when it was swept up by the hurricane. Its sheer size frightened me (about 2 feet long I believe). The surroundings were full of life even after the humans had departed. A variety of beetles, ants, flowers, spiders, and dragonflies flew, crawled, and waited for prey and battles. It was such a sight to behold. The ocean was in a fit and continued to creep up onto the shore slowly engulfing it. I learned that nature is never still, never quiet and is always bringing forth something new through wait we perceive as tranquility.

Here Come the Geese

HEADS UP:﻿ The pictures aren't super high definition clear, sorry about that. You can still see them though.

When I'm chillin in my room I tend to look out the window ALOT. So this particular day I happen to see some geese outside, I think these are geese, I don't know. Anyways I was just looking at them, they weren't doing much. Ugh then they started moving and I wasn't finished watching them, so I go outside and just followed them. OH MY GOSH they were pooping all over the street! Good thing I didn't step in it. __The geese weren't really doing much, nibbling on grass and other junk in the street..EEW..haha. Then they were about to fly off. They stood there for a minute, got into this weird looking position and all at the same time they FLEW OFF into the sky! It happened so fast that I couldn't catch it on camera or video.__



__C. Prude__ __Monday Sept 6, 2010__ __8:45 P.M.__

__So i was sitting outside at my friend house and i was out there by myself waiting on my friend i look up & said "this will be perfect for my assignment." As im sitting outside there is no quiet peaceful moment i hear cars and big trucks passing by. there is a highway behind my friend back yard. So its always loud. sitting out here make me want to go back in side. so im just sitting and looking and there is nothing but the same loud sounds from the highway. shaking my head wondering is this the type of backyard ppl like to have.__ __As time go by im starting to hear things in the trees. im wondering what it is. here comes flying a red bird (i wish it didnt flew so fast i would have had a picture) its flying back and forth its such an beautiful bird .. its flying like its looking for something food or family. its flying like a kid who cant find there mommy in the store. then there are so many nets outside that i cant stand! but to take that hate away there is a big butterfly flying around .__ __As soon as my friend come out the butterfly flies away. she was telling me that i should be over here more often cause there are alot of birds that be out flying .. Then i tried to observe some more but it started raining!__ __M.McAllister__ __9-6-10 9:30pm__

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=Around 30 Minutes of My lovely time with "Nature". :)=

After about 30 minutes of rain, I’ve decided to come downstairs to record and observe my time spent in nature. Since I didn’t have a car and I live in an apartment, I had to look at the “landscape” provided by the founder(s) of the apartment complex. Outside, I heard some ducks quacking but none were in sight. And silence filled the air once more; well besides the flow of the water.

Speaking of water, there was plastic, watermelon “remains”, a Digorno pizza box, and other various residues in the water and the grass (tells you how much people care about the environment). As I stood out there, the people got more irritating, ignorant, and loud. The ducks started to quack again, this time with rhythm and speed (again, none were in sight). The nighttime sky was filled with darkness and the clouds started to fade away.

Someone left there children outside unattended (10 minutes passed at this point). They screamed and ran inside. Its times like that when I wished that I stayed in a house. 12 minutes passed and the ignorance hasn’t let up. Nothing has changed. (I wondered where the amphibians were at the time). People were walking to the waste reciprocals with bags of trash in their hands. And apparently someone was taking pictures… lovely (it was very odd because I was out there and I noticed that the window was open). I was being observed while I was doing my homework. (Ironic isn’t it?)

Still standing in the same spot and the flying insects came rushing towards my face. 8 more minutes passed… nothing changed. Not an animal in sight, except for the person whom was walking their dog. There were gun shots in the horizon; either that or fireworks. Now that it was nighttime, the water was looking dark and murky (It makes you want to go take a dip in it, doesn’t it)? And with only two minutes left (I was going for the 30 minute slot), I saw that people were going to their respective, crickets started to chirp, and that had been the best time that I’ve spent with nature (No sarcasm intended, it really has). D. Walker September 6th, 2010 7:52pm - 8:25pm

--- Crappy Camera, Better Memories Laurel Weber- Ichetucknee Springs What wonderfully visual, bright, humid place Ichetucknee Springs is. My first time there, and oh how excited I was. What could possibly go wrong, I ask myself? You sit in a rubber floaty thing, drift with the current down, down the river, enjoying all around you until you reach the end. Almost like an amusement park ride. Little did I realize how much like one it would be. Now, personally, when I'm trying to enjoy and absorb some nature/sun, I like peace and quiet. I highly prefer to meditate to some degree whilst the trees and swampy things float past me. However, it is very hard to do so when you hear screams of "SNAKE! SNAKE IN THE WATER AAAGH!" And commands of "LAUREL! PADDLE FASTER! YOU'RE HITTING THE SIDE!" Whilst the boat your mother insisted on using constantly runs into spider webs, reeds, swarms of gnats, and other floating humans. Aside from these issues however, I highly enjoyed seeing florida wildlife and nature in its relatively unspoiled beauty. Also, It rained.

Alexander Peterson september LATE LATE LATE apes 4b

=**NATURE MAKES ME ITCH!**=

Ducks. Water. Trees. A rather bad smell in the air...dog poop! All of these and more at my local park :) When the troubles of life seem to be too much we all like to get away. This is like my own place of refuge. No nagging mom or disrespectful sister. Just the tranquility of the outdoors. As a kid I never went outside because I was being breed to be a genius. Now that I am older and can do a bit more of what I want, I love being outside. It gives me space to think.

On this particular day of the summer, it was mad hot outside. It made me feel sticky. It was way better than doing chores though, so no complaints from me. A lot of what I do is inspired by the outdoors, mainly, my love for photography. Anything can be turned into a beautiful picture. I took a picture of a dog doing its business, and it was nasty but it was also a interesting photo. I wont post in for the soft stomached people. When the Winter comes this is going to be my favorite place. Everything will look so dead when ironically it will be so full of life.

 My Backyard I﻿ ﻿ choose my backyard because it was the closest place to me since I didn't really go anywhere that was "Nature like".Well, I did go to the Dominican Republic but it wasn't a vacation to take pictures of nature. It was more like a mission trip. Although,if it wouldn't have been, I wouldn't have known enough about this assignmrnt to take nature pictures of at least the things I saw along the way.Like trees and mountains,and many beautiful views that you don't get to see here in jacksonville.But, eventhough I spend that time in my backyard, I got to observe many things I don't sit down to enjoy often.   I spend some time enjoying the fresh air, and the smell of flowers. It was around 3pm, and during this time, the wind was blowing. It was very refreshing, and relaxing at the same time. I could hear the leafs as they fell to the ground, and the trees moving as the wind blew. As I looked to the ground, I observed some ants. I came up with the idea that they were in a hurry to search for food because they were crawling really fast.This made me think of animals that before the winter time, they go in search for as much food as possible, and store it to be able to survive during that time.As I looked up at the sky, I saw the clouds moving slowly in the same direction. In between these clouds, I could see the sun slowly fading.

Yeisa Bonet 9/6/10 6:00- 6:30pm

