Ecology Lab | Change the world from here

2020 March 31

The 3 Signs of Spring:

Birds

Lately I have keeping the window in my room slightly open because it’s very soothing for me to hear some kind of noise rather than no noise at all. And as this past week on, I noticed that I have been hearing a lot of birds chirping and I hear them in the tree that’s right by my window as well. I have not actually seen what these birds look like but I assume they are small/tiny birds. Maybe one of these days they’ll fly by my window and I’ll get to see one up close.

The trees outside of my window

I know that in the Spring time, this is a time where plants and flowers can begin flourish because of the longer days and weather. I have a bunch of trees that sit outside of my window, and aside from hearing the birds chirp in them, I also begun to notice how well the tree is beginning to grow its flowers. I am unsure what kind of tree it is but its flowers look small and are of an orange-y color.

Wind and Sun

I have noticed how the wind and sun temperatures have been varying over the past week as well (at least where I live in SF). During the day the winds are pretty calm and the sun is mostly out, but sometimes it gets party cloudy and gloomy. Right now, looking out of my window though, The sun is shinning very bright and nice. It’s nice to see sunshine being at home most of the time.

These are shots of the view out of my window. I live above a restaurant so it isn’t the prettiest view, but we do get a view of this nice big tree, which looks to be growing very well!!

PLANTS

This plant has leaves that are thicker at the base and become wide in the middle but narrow towards the ends. This is also known as a lanceolate shape. The color of the leap ranges from different band widths of dark green, light green, and some white. The leaves have a waxy smooth touch to it and the edges of the leaves are smooth as well.

The plant on the left:

This plant is a type of succulent. It is a very very tiny plant, about the size of my pinky and is predominately dark green color. Its leaves are very sturdy and linear, they are all kind of bunch in together, although they so seem to taper down the ends. The leaves have a white bumpy textured feel to it. There are repeating horizontal lines of each of its leaves.

The plant on the right:

This is my friends air plant. It is also very tiny in size, about the same size as the succulent. It has very thin and linear leaves. As you can see from the picture, it is a very light green color, and you cannot really see from the pictures, but the texture of the plant is soft and there are little tiny hairs on it.

Other remarks…

Unfortunately I could not go outside this week, but I hope I will be able to go on a walk this upcoming week. I found that little things like looking outside of my window to see the sky and see nature helps relieve some of the anxiety and stress I feel, and its always good to just sit down and observe your surroundings and think to yourself about whatever it may be 🙂

Date of trip: Saturday March 21, 2020

Location: Golden Gate Park, San Francisco CA, 37.7723° N, 122.4588° W

Site description: Due to not being able to enter the actual building, the outside area had a lot of foliage, trees and native plants and flowers surrounding the building. It is a very open and slightly hilly area.

5 different species found:

Natal Lily (Clivia miniata)

Bush Lilies (Clivia)

Poppy family (family Papaveraceae)

Primroses (Primula)

Different dogs (Canis) (unable to retrieve pictures)

Specific organism account:

Pembroke welsh corgi (Canis): small/medium sized about ~20lbs, light brown/tan and white colored, very energetic and running around, eating and playing with the grass surrounding the plants, multiple encounters in the dirt either just laying there or digging holes. Vocalizing/barking at other dogs. Would rest in the sunny and grassy areas.

Narrative:

My friend and I walked from Geary to the Conservatory of flowers and on the way there, the streets were pretty empty for the most part. It was party cloudy with some sunshine in particular areas. It was a bit chilly with soft winds. But when we got to the park, it was pretty crowded, a lot of people were having picnics just relaxing and taking a stroll through the park. A lot of dogs were present. Considering the circumstances we are under at the moment, I thought it was very interesting but also very refreshing to be able to go outdoors and see people having a good time with one another.