Foxcroft Farm Visit #2

Vernal Pool Ecosystem Week 2, Tuesday Lab Section

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Although there was much more water this visit, making travel across the farm more difficult, I much enjoyed this visit to the farm. We began our day in the field by observing our BioCube as well as the surrounding ecosystem. I immediately noticed more diversity in the vegetation than when we visited a week prior. Before we began digging and observing though, my group decided to have our fifteen minutes of silence. However, it was very windy on the farm making it difficult to hear the myriad of bird calls I heard the week prior. I still did hear some birds though. I also heard one group close by screaming because someone fell in the swamp which I thought was funny. Because of the wind, I would be constantly turning to shield myself from it. But in doing this, I noticed a hawk gliding in front of the trees and the bright blue sky. This, in turn, led me to taking in the entirety of the landscape in front of me. The farm was especially breathtaking in the silence because the picturesque view was accompanied with only the sounds of nature. When I refocused back to my ecosystem, I began to realize the vast amount of diversity in the vegetation alone. We began digging around the vernal pond, finding many different insects, worms, and other life in the moss and mud, but the thing I was truly interested in was the different plants. Glancing at a field, I used to just pass it off and think that it was all grass or all one specific flower. While still beautiful, I believed there was not much there. However, in the small section outside of the BioCube, there is so much life and diversity it is hard to capture it all. I never would have thought that there are so many different species in only a small area. I now have a much larger appreciation for all things in nature, even if it seems like there is not a lot there. That is because we discovered that there is so much untapped biodiversity as long as you are willing to look. At times it was difficult and I felt discouraged looking because I thought there was nothing for me to find. But after putting in just a little bit of effort, it was clear that there is a lot to observe. I am excited to return to the farm for the final week and dig around some more. I know we will be able to find even more biodiversity than what we have already found.

- By Patrick