martafi's Journal

On Sunday, 10/10, I went for a thirty minute walk on a nature trail right outside my backyard at my home in Connecticut. I have done my last two nature walks at locations near BC, so it was nice to have a change of scenery and observe someplace new. It was quite overcast outside, but it was not too cold and in my opinion, was the perfect weather for a walk. I observed many different plants on the trail and a few still had flowers on them; however, many were just leaves since it is October. Nonetheless, it was still a very beautiful walk especially since many of the leaves on the tress are changing colors.

Yesterday (10/3/21), I went for about an hour long afternoon walk around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. It was a little chilly, overcast, and windy, but I enjoyed the weather and it was a nice way for me to clear my head for the week ahead. I went to the Reservoir for my first nature walk and observed a lot of weeds and greenery, but on this walk I looked specifically for fungi and noticed a lot of life that I did not notice last time. I saw many different kinds of mushrooms. I noticed many of the mushrooms were dried up and no longer growing in the ground, which I would assume is because it is no longer so humid outside. I also saw lichen on the trees and Stereum which I found very fascinating to observe because I have never really looked at it closely before. I was unsure if I would be able to find a lot of fungi on this walk, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I found!

Today I went for a late afternoon walk through the Pine Tree Preserve and around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. It was sunny and there was a cool breeze. I really enjoyed this walk because it felt the coolest it has been outside since we arrived on campus this year and it was nice to clear my head and observe the nature around me since I have been spending a lot of time studying for my upcoming exams. I did not see many flowers, but I saw a lot of weeds around the reservoir and a lot of fungi in the Pine Tree Preserve. I also saw a ducks, swans, and geese in the water.