Diario de sarahkadlick

Yesterday, I went on a lovely walk around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. It was in the mid-70s and sunny. Although many trees are starting to lose their leaves, there is still great foliage along the trail. There were many things to observe! I saw some flowering plants like common toadflax and knapweeds. I also saw some non-flowering seed plants like eastern redcedar and a yew. I did not identify any Polypodiopsida or Bryophyta. It was interesting discovering different plant species that looked so similar to each other and inhabited the same area. I also find it fascinating to see plants through the varying stages of life.

On this week’s nature walk, I took a stroll up to Houghton Garden and the Hammond Pond Reservation. The weather was lovely with slightly cloudy skies and a temperature in the mid 60s. When looking for fungi, I was particularly trying to look for damp spots either on trees or around ponds and rivers. I captured a few observations of mushrooms. I was unsure if the mushrooms that I was finding around the garden and reservation were the same type of mushroom as the colors were slightly different. I enjoyed observing some Genus Fomitopsis because they had very intricate grooves if you looked at it from below. I also liked the fungi that blended in with tree bark as it was something I would have otherwise missed if I wasn’t looking for it.

I walked around the reservoir last Friday and today and saw a lot great things! I am always greeted by the gaggle of geese, so I felt that it was only fitting to start with an observation of them. I was slightly alarmed by the green water in one section of the reservoir (pictured in the Hawk photo). On both walks, I saw quite a few caterpillars crawling across the path. There were a lot of flowerless achillea millefolium plants and American asters. I am excited to explore more of the plants and potentially fungi around the reservoir!