Noticing The Unnoticed

When I watch the spider in my garden or in the past I have come a crossed many other creature that aren't necessarily my favorite things to be around I try to consider reasons for their importance. Most recently I've considered it more because of one of the poems we read in class. It was about the life of a mouse and how everyone takes one look at it and wants it dead, but is it really doing wrong if it's doing exactly what everyone else is, surviving. I found a little worm the other day which blew my mind because I rarely come crossed worms anymore. Anyways I retured it to some dirt instead of leaving it in a pile of rocks. I feel that now I look at everything in the way that I have continuously looked at my garden like. The idea of potential of everything makes my mind go crazy. Mrs. Farias and this project completely change how I look at things. Looking at the big picture is great, but there's so much more to everything in this world. The smallest things change the beauty of the world. 

Field Notes Nov. 12, 2014 "The nights seem to be approaching much faster now, chasing the sun away before my very eyes. The crickets chirp faster and my breath is visible. That spider is no where to be found tonight, but it seems every other night it's so aware that I am sitting here just watching. I never get too close to it, but it remains still in the same place, same position every night. Does it know I am here? Am I a 'threat' to it? ... It really makes me wonder the extent of an animals knowledge, like how is it that we coexist and it seems that before these observations our paths had never crossed. Never noticed it and I sit in this same spot occasionally, but now so much more... So friend or foe ?"

One other thing I had also noticed is the nights also bring morning frost, which I find interesting. How it sticks to the grass  like a crystallized jewel, it's just beautiful.

Taken by me Nov 9, 2014

Frost is the leading thing to snow I would say, before we know it the snow will hide what's left of the garden. Chase the rest of the birds away and hopefully force the spider to begin its hibernation so I can observe it's egg sack ! That's probably gonna scare the crap out of me if I watch so many spiders coming out and entering the world, but it is the beautiful cycle of life.

That One Spider

My very first blog I had mentioned a spider, specifically a small orb weaver spider. Throughout my observation time I've run into it about 3 or 4 times. Each of those times I found it doing some pretty extraordinary things that I've never imagined I would ever get to see. I'm far from a "fan" of spiders, but gosh they are amazing creatures. 

Oct 27, 2014 Field Notes "As occasionally I run into the spider, today happened to be one of those days. Eyes so focused, the eyes of a born killer. The pattern on its back is interesting and beautiful. I'm wondering how long it's been here before I even noticed it? How many flies and bugs has it killed. Why did it choose this spot? .. A fly gets stuck in its web, but instead of getting stuck it moves crazily and frees itself leaving nothing, but a hole for the spider to repair. Is this what nature is really made of ? .."

When I was younger I always asked what we really need spiders for? Why couldn't we just kill them all?

Then I found out that they are actually really important to the environment in the way that they control the insect population. (Animals,The Importance Of Spiders In An Ecosystem) So I May not have noticed, but this spider could have been the reason why I rarely saw flies or other bugs in the garden.

One interesting fact I also got from this source was that Spider silk has been proven to be the strongest thing in the world. This is AMAZING ! I Never would have guessed that.

This is the spider I have noticed in my garden. I was able to recognize it due to the distinction of the web pattern.

Since I have been really focusing on the weather changes effect on the garden I Had begun wondering if my ugly little spider will be hibernating this winter. I found that there are some spiders that do hibernate, but not the Orb Weaver. This spider dies when the cold comes. In order to reproduce it does leave behind an egg sac behind before it dies. Which survives until the next season. (Animal Questioning, Do Spiders Hibernate?)This really reminded me of Charlotte's Web because she left behind an egg sac before death. This is a beautiful process & if my spider is a girl I'm hoping to come crossed the egg sac. 

                 Works Cited

"Do Spiders Hibernate?" Animal Questioning. N.p. Web. 30 Oct. 2014

"The Importance Of Spiders To An Ecosystem." Animals. N.p. Web. 30 Oct. 2014

A crunch in my walk,  leaves stuck in my hair when the wind blows. The breeze rubbing against my face when I walk. The snail I loved, but hated is gone, its eggs have completely vanished. Leaving the mystery of if they made it or not. Did an animal eat them? Did the windy nights carry them away? Did they make it? Then theres the flowers ... The flowers that used to stand so still now dance with the wind, capturing the change of the world around them and the change that is beginning to show in them. Changing more and more as the nights grow colder, and the days get shorter. Noticing change is great, but the question of why is so much greater. The power of letting the imagination run wild with new discoveries.

The ladder Back woodpecker I used to watch has disappeared. Such a mysterious creature, yet fasinating and very very annoying. The pecking against anything is pretty distinct and well known to me by now.

But why is it that wood peckers peck?

They peck because they are creating a home for themselves and also they peck in a certain rhythm to attract mates along with establishing their territory. Something interesting about this bird is that they also nest in cactuses which is why they usually are found in the desert ("All about Birds"Ladder-backed Woodpecker). which is interesting and I don't think that a lot of people to take the time to care about why they do the things they do more than saying that they're annoying and loud. I've always wondered this, but never cared enough to look it up, but now I'm glad I did.

Another question I've come to wonder was..

Why is it that plants change color?

old.wallcoo.net - fall leaves

The answer seems simple, like the change in weather, but its so much more. This is due to chemical processes that occur inside the plant. The days are shorter which means less sunlight and coldness. After this occurs the leaves stop their food making process. This caused the color to go from green to the fall colors we are experiencing and noticing right now. The chlorophyll breaks down and this is the thing that is a green pigment found inside the choroplasts of plants. This is the molecule that obsorbes sunlight and when there is hardly any sunlight to absorb the plant will lose its color. Weather and sunlight are a big factor, but it's really whats inside the plant that creates an extravagant change from the inside out. 

Field Notes Oct. 20 2014 -

Green to yellow and yellow to nothing. like a disease it spreads around the garden. Reaching certain spots faster than others. The once lively plants are becoming a new death. The woodpecker is in the sunflower munching away on the seeds that occasionally drop to the ground. I have always failed to notice. The red crown on his head is fasinating and unique. Watching me closely in the corner of its eye to be sure I'm not a predator... The sunflower was a beauty in the summer and has now become food for this little guy.

Something I still womder about, but couldn't find is do the choroplasts become active again in the summer?  Is that hiw some plants "regrow" in the following spring? 

Works Cited

"Why Leaves Change Color." Environmental Informational Series. 2014. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.

"Ladder-backed Wood Pecker." All About Birds. N.p. n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.

Disappearing Beauty

Fall has settled in and its beginning to become colder and colder out. The green  colors that were brought with time, sun light and water are becoming crisp and changing colors. It's a beauty as well, but it also slowly sucks the life out of the plants leaving nothing. The hard work and time, gone. Everything will be gone. It will leave new ideas and wonders for next year when spring lifts the seeds out the dirt sprouting brand new life and wonders. The unspoken beauty of creation and life. Until then, I continue to watch what's dissapearing in the garden with the same fascination as the way I looked at it from the start. Like true love, the ability of two people to always look at eachother the same no matter how much they change. That is true beauty.

         Taken Oct. 11, 2014 by me.

Field notes Oct. 16, 2014: "The sprout that I had thought had so much potential and hoped would become something has began to wilt. Although it didn't make it very far in its journey of life it did good... Hope. Life, the greatest journey ever. Something or nothing, still amazing."

When I was younger I was always told that things turn ugly before they can become pretty. Change and time drag the process along they way. 

Take A Look Around

As I had hoped this project has opened my eyes to a new way of looking at things. The smallest things seem to fasinate me and they bring new questions to my mind and my minds runs wild. It's amazing and I absolutely love my new look on things.

This week I found myself paying more attention to the surroundings around the garden. 

Field notes 10/4/14 : " the neighbors birds have never caught my attention until today, when I did my observations much earlier. Loud,  annoying,  poopy. This bird just yawned!  I've never seen a bird yawn before,  so this is weird and cool!... One of the birds has missing fautures where it looks like it was cut or injured. It Continuously picks at it. Makes me womder if there is cones for birds? "

The birds where most interesting to me because I have birds as well. So observing other birds made me wonder more about mine.

I had mentioned this plant in previous entrys and it has again caught my eye. Lemon sented like lemon pledge Sort of rough against your hand but a sent like no other. Bright green color and interestingly shaped leaves. A quite distinct plant. This is a Citronella,  which is a mosquito plant . "Sometimes called citronella, but actually a citrus-scented geranium. " When I reseached i also found out that the leaves have some ability to repel against mosquitoes they are mostly used for there refreshing sent.

Life & Death .

Every beginning must come to an end at one point. The circle of life is beautiful, if the life opportunity is taken and lived out to the absolute  fullest. The life of a plant is much different than human life, but the transformation can be wilder than ones wildest dreams. A small seed with water, time, and care will become something new , something unique and something worth watching.

  Taken October 3th, 2014 by Ericka

  ( bean sprout )

This bean is new in the garden and came very late, but I think it can still become something special even  with the cold weather fastly approaching. I believe that sometimes the latest bloomings can be the most beautiful things. Field notes October 4th , 2014 : "a new sprout , new life form ... Unusual timing in the season, but everything has potential in this garden. The seeds that we thought would never grow have become an endless jungle of vines . "

   October 2 , 2014 photo by Ericka

Lastly this poem makes a connection to the garden in the sense that nothing lasts forever. I know that this is a poem that describes a mans life but I find it beautiful in connection to life and how sort yet beautiful it is for a plant. 

Same View From a Different Perspective

This year my family started something new , which was a garden. Watching small seeds breathe life into the yard and  complete it was interesting, but I've never looked passed the outside of the garden. So far I'm finding so much I've never noticed deep inside the wonders of this garden. Seeing things come to life is beautiful but there are ugly things as well.

Last week I found an orbiter spider in my garden which was quite fascinating but a spider up close is ugly & creepy. I'm definitely not a fan of spiders but looking at its web made my mind go wild with fasination. I've never looked close at spiders cause they scare me, but I'm glad I looked. The web is so complex & beautiful, yet put together so well. Its just amazing. "The hose has left trickles of water on the strands of web which have fallen into place so interestingly... Such a hideous creature, but this creature can form a web that is so exquisite. " ( Field Notes Day 4)

Another interesting creature I've come acrossed in the garden was a snail. Very slimy & weird creature . During my observing I noticed this snail had laid eggs ! They're like grey tiny balls & are hidden in a damp dark place . so far im really anxious to see if they will hatch with the weather turning cold .

     www.arkive.org Search Snail Eggs 

This is exactly how the eggs look but a slightly darker color. They are hidden pretty far back under the tomato plants , which fit the profile of a snail where they live in a moist hidden area.