Avery's Field Study

                                                                                             Field Study #5 Monday, November 17            Monday, November 17, 5:30pm Conditions: Cloudy, cold, not much sun Temperature: 32˚F Length of day: 10hr Organisms seen/heard: One black squirrel Experimental notes/wonderings: The pretty leaves on the trees here have fallen off and now sit in a thick layer on the ground. In order to take my samples, I had to brush away a big clump of leaves, and that got me thinking, will there be a difference in the amount of organic material in my soil because of the increased amount of leaves in my sample area? I guess I'll have to test my soil and find out.

                                                                                          Field Study #4 Thursday, October 30 This is the tree with the barbed wire that I mentioned in my last field study. I'm curious to learn how and why trees grow around barbed wire, fences, or other materials that limit their growth.                                                                           Thursday, October 30, 6:45pm Conditions: Mild day, windy, little sun Temperature: 55˚F Length of day: 10hr 33min Org...

 Field Study #3 Wednesday, October 15 This is a picture of my sample site! Not much has changed since the last time I was here. The ground is still damp, but my little holes from my sample collection seem to have been pretty filled in after each visit. I wonder if this happened because of displacement of soil due to weather or if it was the result of something else. This is a picture of a tree grown around a long strand of barbed wire. For as long as I can remember since I've visited this location when I was young, there has always been barbed wire, but I hadn't ever thought much more of it than stay away and don't trip over it or touch it, but this field study has helped open my eyes to human impact on the natural environment. This picture makes me sad, and made me feel the urge to clean it up. I am planning to go out asap to remove the barbed wire from this area and dispose of it safely. Wednesday, October 15, 6:45pm Conditions: Rained in the morning, dreary, little sun T...

 Field Study #2 Sunday, September 21 I was wrong in my prediction about the leaves in my location changing by this visit. Lots of the trees on the way to my location have changed to golden yellow, brown, and red, but the leaves in this location are still very green. Maybe by my next visit, they will have changed. It's officially my second visit, and drawing my sound map has made me realize how much environmental impact there is around me, and listening to the sounds of the animals, I realize there is so much more living above, around, and underneath me that I don't usually take the time to notice. I sketched plants that were all found in the same area because I wanted to research them, and if they were commonly found together. So far, I know that one of the plants is sassafras, which is known for it's smell when you crush it in your hand. I took this picture to show how my sample site has changed since I was last here. There was bark covering the holes I had created to take...

 Field Study #1 Tuesday, September 9 Sound map: Sketches: Experimental Design Diagram Field Notes: Tuesday, September 9, 3:30pm Conditions: Sunny, little to no wind, clear skies Temperature: 69˚F Length of day: 12hr 46min Organisms seen/heard: White tailed deer, squirrel, cicadas, crickets, birds Summary of today's trip: At my field study location, I noted many things that pertain to this pre-fall season we find ourselves in, I noticed decaying leaves beneath my feet crunching when I walk. I heard cicadas, crickets, deer, squirrels, birds, road noise, and I could smell the dirt beneath my feet. I collected my three soil samples for my experiment to answer the question,  "How does the amount of organic material in the soil change throughout the seasons". The leaves are still green, but I'm expecting that by the next visit or the visit after that, the leaves will have turned golden brown and fallen to the ground. As the season changes, I can expect to find more and more...