Location: Mill Creek Nature Preserve
Time: 3:15 pm - 4:30 pm
Date: December 11, 2018
Temperature: 44 degrees Fahrenheit
Weather: Windy and cloudy
Part 1
Welcome! This is the last check up back at the Mill Creek Nature Preserve. I arrived at 3:15 pm and was greeted by the squirrels running across the grass and climbing up and down trees. There were also spiders chilling and waiting on their webs for their food to fly and get caught onto the web. The Mill Creek Nature Preserve was cloudy, with a crisp slice of wind. The wind felt ice cold slicing against my skin, showing the signs that Winter is officially here. The temperature here at the Mill Creek Nature Preserve was around 44 degrees Fahrenheit. Today, from the 50m photo, the trees are becoming more bare and the location is looking more depressing as the leaves are gone from the trees. The grasses are now turning yellow, but still mainly green. At the 1m photo, all of the fallen leaves are not a grey color and beginning to rot. While from the very first visit to the nature preserve, the 50m photo, the trees were still full with leaves, the grasses were still bright green, and there were Common Jewelweed everywhere. And at the 1m photo, the ground was still visible with some fallen leaves on the floor. Between the first photo and now, the Common Jewelweed were no longer present at the site, the trees were much more bare now as winter approaches. The first visit photo, the atmosphere felt more brighter and beautiful in its own nature-esque way, while this last visit photo, the atmosphere seems more dreary and grey as the trees become more bare, and the daylight hours change.
Comparison photos of 1 sq. m. from the first time visiting to the last time visiting the Mill Creek Nature Preserve (Left: 1 square meter first time visiting, Right: 1 square meter last time visiting)
Comparison photos of 50 sq. m. from the first time visiting tot he last time visiting the Mill Creek Nature Preserve (Top: 50 square meter first time visiting, Bottom: 50 square meter last time visiting)
Part 2
1) How has your perception of your weekly observation site changed through the quarter?
My site at Mill Creek Nature Preserve was fairly urban as there are houses, small restaurants, grocery stores, and streets where cars frequent nearby, as well as frequent walkers and joggers at the preserve. Initially, I was a little uncomfortable going to my location on my own and stopping to look at animals and plants, and walking off the trail as there were some people walking and jogging through. As time went on, I became more comfortable in the space, with the accompany of my dad, as there were also some instances of attacks, and someone to help me search around the area. The first time visiting, there was still sun shine, but as the fall progressed and turned to winter, it became cold, cloudy, shorter daylight hours, and rain, which became really hard to stay out long for detailed observations. My site didn’t really change much as winter arrived. The trees were losing their leaves, plants were withering away from the cold, the sun was mostly hiding behind clouds. But the squirrels, crows, and ducks were always a constant. Observing the site during the fall to winter was someone under-rated. The site became more depressing as you notice the different plants and animals that are no longer there due to the temperature change. I didn’t mind the noise of the streets, or the impact of humans at the site, I began to appreciate the space. Doing these observations helped me appreciate the diversity of plants at the nature preserve.
2) How has your sense of the Puget Sound Region changed through the quarter?
I came into this course with very little knowledge and understanding of how the Puget Sound Region changed. My experiences on the field trips, on the class periods outdoors, and my weekly journal assignments provided me a different view of the region’s diversity, developed an understanding of the diversity this region. This quarter was the rediscovery of my home. I have lived in the Puget Sound all my life, but the information that was told throughout the quarter were new and foreign to me. This class and the experiences enhanced my love for the Puget Sound Region, and ultimately, for the natural world. I am now filled with wonder and always looking for the diversity of all aspects of the Puget Sound’s natural history. With such a diverse land, in which it manifests itself in such a beautiful way, such as looking at slope aspect’s effects on vegetation in a ravine, or wondering why the Douglas Firs were shaped differently on Ebey’s Landing than the normal Douglas Firs found at the Union Bay Natural Area, creates wonder. When taking this class, I have come to understand that the Puget Sound has no boundaries and that this region will always have me wondering.
3) What does it mean to intimately know a natural place?
There are some many different meanings of knowing a natural place through the changing of the seasons. Usually, most people only see the summer and winter version of nature as most of us students are in school, inside a building. But during the breaks in summer and winter, we are outside more and see only the green in the leaves and grasses, or the bareness of the trees and sparse plants growing in the winter. We miss the change and beauty of fall and spring. Knowing a place requires a lot of patience, observations, details, and commitment. While the field trips were exciting and inspiring, it was more impactful to observe just one place. During the field trips, I felt like I was always missing something, or the class was behind schedule, or there just wasn’t enough time. After documenting the plants and animals of my site, I was able to familiarize myself with the site. I became knowledgeable of general areas where plants can be found. Everything was familiar. When I took my father to the site, I was able to share the types of plants here, express why the location was so special to me, and why I had chosen this area as my observation site. Any time I go back to the Nature Preserve, I will always remember the squirrels that scurried across the grass and climbing up and down trees with their mouths full of food.
4) What do you feel are your most important personal outcomes from this class? What is the value to you of nature observation, and any other skills you have garnered?
Even though it was a requirement to visit a site, I’m glad that I had the opportunity to observe my site, or a site, every week. Visiting my site was a great source of peace, and being able to be away from my hectic life. That time reinforced how healing nature can be. It allowed me to take a break from stress, studying, and worrying about exams and showed me to make time for myself, to allow myself a break every once in a while. My site reimbursed me in remembering the kind of life I want to pursue, one in which I can enjoy and engage with the nature world regularly.
5) Has your overall perception of nature and natural history, and the place of humans in nature, changed this quarter?
My overall perception of natural history and nature has changed and I believe that humans need the exposure to nature and understand how their impact is affecting the world that we live in. Nature can heal us and ease the suffering from what may be a hart time in your life currently. Nature helped me by understand myself better, it calmed me and brought me peace and mind. Nature is also there to help us experience new things, learn about what is poisonous and harmful to others, learn about what is edible, how to protect yourself, and most importantly, allows us to see another part of the world. I also think that being in nature and appreciating it gives people an opportunity to develop compassion and interest in the nature world. Having a strong, meaningful connection and relationship to nature inspires a desire to be one with the land.
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