Diario de vosophia

The weather was really nice for a nature walk today, with a comfortable temperature around 67°F and a slight breeze; it wasn't too hot or cold. I walked along the sidewalk near the Freshman dorms and was surprised by the number of uncultivated plants I came across. I saw several Angiosperms, including Hawkweeds and Pokeweeds, which both appeared to have seeds, with the Pokeweeds also having berries and the Hawkweeds having flowers. I also spotted a Bryophyte, specifically Pincushion Moss, which was low-lying and seemed to be drying out. Despite its adaptations like cuticles, stomata, and flavonoids, the fall season might be contributing to its drying state. I also saw some vascular plants, specifically Polypodiopsida like California Mugwort, Chickweed-leaved Pellitory, and Pepperweeds. These plants have tracheids, which provide structural support, allowing them to effectively reach sunlight.

I walked around Pine Tree Reserve with a friend. It had just rained earlier today and it was a bit gloomy at 52°F. I thought today was the perfect day to find fungi since they typically like cool, dark, and moist environments. We walked in between paths and kept looking at the bases of trees and under bushes. Despite all this effort, we could only find lichens and kept confusing acorns and leaves for fungi. The lichen had low species diversity. After realizing we needed to go deeper into the reserve, we finally started discovering other types of fungi. These fungi had a higher species diversity. Despite its small area the reserve had fungi with high species richness and low species evenness. Furthermore, an area can have a great biodiversity despite its small size as there is life on all levels. Another thing I realized was that the sidewalks surrounding the reserve act as a physical barrier between the reserve and the landscaped grass below the reserve. Without the paved sidewalk, there would be gene flow between the cut grass next to the gym and the reserve.

I took a walk from my dorm building to the reservoir. The walk went by surprisingly, quickly. The sun was shining very brightly and there was an occasional gust of wind, so it wasn't too hot. I didn't realize there was a mini wild/natural area behind my dorm building. Here I found pines and mushrooms. On the short walk to the reservoir, I saw a few squirrels and chipmunks. At the reservoir I saw a lot of different species of plants than I realized, such as buckthorns and honeysuckles. This reminded me that there are all different kinds of life on different levels. I also saw a lot of geese out. I noticed most of the berries that I saw were wilting, reminding me that the seasons are changing. Overall, it was a nice day to take a walk.