Thursday, April 18

Deciduous Forest Ecosystem Week 3, Thursday Lab Section

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Today, we began the morning by finding our biocube and going through what was found within the cube. Fortunately, our biocube was still intact and in place. We observed different types of fungus, mushrooms, and leaves within our biocube. We also found acorns and soil. We placed all of this in a big container to bring back to the lab to further explore.

After going through the biocube, we walked around the forest and began to search for organisms that we may not have come across in previous weeks. Because the weather was warmer, we found more plants than we had before! We found small flowering plants and buds on the trees. We even had one group member collect buds from different trees. We labeled all of the different buds with little pieces of paper and placed them in a container. Next week in the lab, we will compare the different buds from the trees we were able to identify. It will be really interesting to compare not only the bark and the leaves of the trees we are able to identify, but also the buds. We were even able to begin making observations about the differences in buds in the field. For example, we noticed that the buds of the Red maple were more red in color than the buds of the oak tree.

We also found the holes in the ground that we had observed last week. Last week, we determined that the holes were most likely dug by voles because there was no dirt found around the opening of the hole. If there was dirt around the opening, the hole would most likely have been made by a mole.

This week, we also saw a spider! Additionally, there seemed to be more fungus around the forest, which may have been caused by the damp and rainy days that preceded Thursday.

Again, one of the most special moments of this morning was the 15 minutes of silence. I loved sitting in the sun and listening to the birds around me. I noticed that I could hear more birds this week than last week. It is so interesting how just a slightly warmer day can make such a difference! The weather this past week has been beautiful and warm and this may have contributed to the more birds sounds I heard during the moments of silence.

When we started to pack up, we stood for a moment and looked around the forest we had spent the past few weeks in. Then, we spotted a beaver swimming down the river next to the forest! It had a small brown head that was gliding above the water and then suddenly it flapped it’s tail and disappeared under the water! Seeing the beaver was such an exciting way of ending the three weeks at the farm. I am so grateful for the experience of spending my Thursday mornings outside on the farm and taking the time to make observations.

- By Deirdre