Monday, January 21, 2013
Walking through the Harvard Forest
In the morning we all went to the Fisher Museum to meet David Foster. And after looking at the maps of the Harvard Forest -- a 2-D representation that cannot fully explain what we saw in our explorations, our day began. Throughout the day, not counting stopping for some lunch at the Museum, we saw what the dioramas from yesterday and the maps from today only told us of. It was amazing to see them come to life. I think some of the most interesting things that we saw were the remnants of old farmhouses. You could see a large opening where the house once was and old wells with giant rocks covering the opening. It's quite interesting to imagine how previous generations lived on the same grounds, but used it for different means whether it may have been farming or milling at the river. I also enjoyed spending ten minutes walking by ourselves and getting the chance to explore. During that time, I saw two pine trees intertwined, dependant on each other. It drew me back to when David Foster described the artist-in-residence and how he likes to take photos of trees to depict the individual story of each tree. I wonder what story these two trees had to tell?
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Hemlock Wooly Adelgids
Today was another chance to explore the intricacies of the Forest. We first had an insightful lecture about hemlock trees and the hemlock wooly adelgid, an invasive pest that lives on the underside of a hemlock leaf. The relationship between adelgids and hemlock trees illustrates how intricate a forest can be. When looking at a hemlock tree, one might not notice a dozen adelgids on a leaf -- it almost looks likes flakes of snow. A tree is much more complex than how it appears on the surface; it has its own mini ecosystem. The highlight of the day would probably have to be when we climbed the tower to see the tops of the trees. What I found most fascinating was being able to see adelgids on leaves near the top, acres away from our first sighting of the pests. It is incredible how far these small bugs have traveled.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Creative Writing
Wednesday was quite different from the previous two days, but just as interesting. We all had to write short writing pieces about anything relating to nature, whether it may be a history of themselves, a riddle, a description of a photograph, or a tumbleweed. They all had the author's personality embedded in it and they helped me understand the group much more than before. Writing is different from walking through the woods and experiencing it through my own point of view; the imagery the writings provoked gave me the opportunity to view nature through someone else's eyes.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Today was art and media day. The two instructors were great, especially because it was clear they loved their professions. On a side note, it's interesting to see how many ways you can work in ecology whether it may be a biologist, a photographer, or an artist. In any of these professions, one uses tools to help us understand or portray nature. Using a pencil and a camera as another way to view nature was really fun. It helped me see an individual plant's shadows, depth, and how it interacts with its landscape in ways I didn't appreciate as much before.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Today was quite cold, but fun nonetheless. We spent much of the day exploring highways, small and large towns with a landscape ecologist. Each day illustrated a new way to look at a landscape and today was no different. Learning about how the slope of a highway road might negatively effect the river nearby illustrated the impact our man-made landscapes have created. It'll be interesting to see the roads of Boston again and see how they compare.
This weeks has been insightful and a lot of fun. I'm going to miss living at the Raub house. I think we've all learned much through this experience and I hope we'll have another chance to come back to the Harvard Forest.
Walking through the Harvard Forest
In the morning we all went to the Fisher Museum to meet David Foster. And after looking at the maps of the Harvard Forest -- a 2-D representation that cannot fully explain what we saw in our explorations, our day began. Throughout the day, not counting stopping for some lunch at the Museum, we saw what the dioramas from yesterday and the maps from today only told us of. It was amazing to see them come to life. I think some of the most interesting things that we saw were the remnants of old farmhouses. You could see a large opening where the house once was and old wells with giant rocks covering the opening. It's quite interesting to imagine how previous generations lived on the same grounds, but used it for different means whether it may have been farming or milling at the river. I also enjoyed spending ten minutes walking by ourselves and getting the chance to explore. During that time, I saw two pine trees intertwined, dependant on each other. It drew me back to when David Foster described the artist-in-residence and how he likes to take photos of trees to depict the individual story of each tree. I wonder what story these two trees had to tell?
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Hemlock Wooly Adelgids
Today was another chance to explore the intricacies of the Forest. We first had an insightful lecture about hemlock trees and the hemlock wooly adelgid, an invasive pest that lives on the underside of a hemlock leaf. The relationship between adelgids and hemlock trees illustrates how intricate a forest can be. When looking at a hemlock tree, one might not notice a dozen adelgids on a leaf -- it almost looks likes flakes of snow. A tree is much more complex than how it appears on the surface; it has its own mini ecosystem. The highlight of the day would probably have to be when we climbed the tower to see the tops of the trees. What I found most fascinating was being able to see adelgids on leaves near the top, acres away from our first sighting of the pests. It is incredible how far these small bugs have traveled.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Creative Writing
Wednesday was quite different from the previous two days, but just as interesting. We all had to write short writing pieces about anything relating to nature, whether it may be a history of themselves, a riddle, a description of a photograph, or a tumbleweed. They all had the author's personality embedded in it and they helped me understand the group much more than before. Writing is different from walking through the woods and experiencing it through my own point of view; the imagery the writings provoked gave me the opportunity to view nature through someone else's eyes.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Today was art and media day. The two instructors were great, especially because it was clear they loved their professions. On a side note, it's interesting to see how many ways you can work in ecology whether it may be a biologist, a photographer, or an artist. In any of these professions, one uses tools to help us understand or portray nature. Using a pencil and a camera as another way to view nature was really fun. It helped me see an individual plant's shadows, depth, and how it interacts with its landscape in ways I didn't appreciate as much before.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Today was quite cold, but fun nonetheless. We spent much of the day exploring highways, small and large towns with a landscape ecologist. Each day illustrated a new way to look at a landscape and today was no different. Learning about how the slope of a highway road might negatively effect the river nearby illustrated the impact our man-made landscapes have created. It'll be interesting to see the roads of Boston again and see how they compare.
This weeks has been insightful and a lot of fun. I'm going to miss living at the Raub house. I think we've all learned much through this experience and I hope we'll have another chance to come back to the Harvard Forest.