Visit 7

November 23, 2010

Its a pretty beautiful day today at 5 pm, with an air temperature of 41˚. There is a few wispy clouds in the sky and there isn’t much wind. Everything seems pretty still right now. The length of day is 9 hours 23 minutes and 3 seconds. The pond looks very still and quiet right now. The colors have gotten pretty dull and the leaves are no longer on the trees. I am pretty glad to be done with this project because it is kind of a pain to drive all the way out to Zeeland. It has been kind of relaxing just to sit and observe nature for a few months though.

I did my EDD on a poster so I will bring it to class on Monday!

Week 6

Week 6:

November 14

I am here today and its around 4:00. The air temperature is 45˚degrees. Todays day length is 9 hours 49 minutes and 13 seconds. The atmosphere looks very golden brown for some reason today. The sun is shining very hard and reflecting off the plants to make everything look gold. Despite looking warm, it’s actually pretty chilly out. The wind is blowing pretty intensely and feels cold against my skin. The sky looks very beautiful today. There is a little bit of everything up there. There is a few big dark clouds, a few white clouds, and the shining sun. It’s really pretty and makes me visualize God creating it all. 

As you can see from this picture, the sky is so beautiful. How can you look at that sky and think there is no God? 

"In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind." (Job 12:10)

Week 5 Continued

When I was taking the temperature of the pond, I saw what looked to be a weed at first glance. When I picked it up, I noticed that there was little mushrooms growing off the plant. I think this is some sort of fungus. I thought it was really cool because I didn't know fungus could look like this.

Week 5

Field Study Week 5:
Friday, November 5

It is 3:15 pm at my spot. The current air temperature is 41˚ F. The clouds are very dark and seem to be moving pretty fast. The trees look pretty barren of leaves and look like they are out of a horror movie. The sun is not shining and the wind is frigid. When I was driving here, there were snowflakes blowing into my windshield and the snowflakes are very visible now that I sit here too. Current length of day is 10 hours 7 minutes 43 seconds. The entire atmosphere feels like it is from a horror movie, between the cold wind, barren trees, and dark clouds. I hope that the snow accumulates because I love snow! I also wonder if the pond here will freeze over.

Plant Identification From Week4

I researched this plant and I think I found out what it is. It is a little hard to tell because I think this plant is withered and dead. I think it is a Marsh Cinquefoil. Here is a picture of what it is supposed to look like when it is blooming and alive. 

Week #4

Thursday, October 28:

I am here at the spot and it is 3:50 pm. It is a very chilly and dark day today. The air temperature is 44˚F. The length of today is 10 hours 27 minutes and 34 seconds. The colors look very dull today. The main color I see in the trees is burnt orange. I am not sure if rain has a distinct smell, but if I had to say what it smelled like, I would say rain. It is sprinkling on and off and the wind chill is very cold. I did not see any wildlife today. I think the butterflies migrated for the winter because normally they are all around here. I could hear the gusty winds blowing the grass by the pond. The land around the pond was very mossy and soft. The pond water was freezing cold to the touch. Walking around the fields, the grasses and plants seemed so dark and dry. I saw a certain plant that I thought was interesting. It seemed to have microscopic thorns all over it. It looked very dead and dried up. I took a piece of the plant off and attached a picture. I hope to find out what it is.

Grasshopper Identification

On visit #2, I found a grasshopper. I researched and I believe this to be the type. I think it is the Metaleptea brevicornis; the short-horned grasshopper.

Visit #3

Thursday, September 30:

This is our third visit to our spot. It is 67 degrees out and very windy. The wind is chilly and it’s starting to feel like fall. The trees are getting barer and barer. I see more brown and neutral colors in the field as fall is approaching. There is a lot of algae around the pond’s edges and we saw a white large bird floating on the water. We thought it might be a swan at first. The sun is shining very brightly and it’s a beautiful day to be outside.The time of day is 11 hours 47 minutes and fifteen seconds. I hear crickets, the highway, and wind blowing between trees. I see a bee hive under the wood. Looks like the bees think it is too cold out, I wonder where they go in the winter? I attached a picture of the bee hive. This was a successful and beautiful visit. 

Pics from visit #2

I do not know why they didn't show up.. I will try again

Visit #2

Thursday, September 23:

It is 4:15 in the afternoon right now and this is our second visit to my natural area. The temperature is VERY warm- 84 degrees. It is cloudy and a little windy. The sun is not very intense today because the sky is very cloudy but I can still feel the warmth. According to the internet, the length of today is 12 hours 7 minutes 8 seconds. The only wildlife I am seeing is butterflies flying above the grass. The long grass is swaying with the heavy winds. It smells very fresh again today, with a hint of manure. The crickets are chirping, and I see swarms of birds flying overhead. I start to get itchy eyes and sniffle my nose as allergy season is here. This is a prime spot to make allergies act up. I wonder what the plants are called that are giving me this reaction; maybe pollen and grass. I need to go home and take allergy medicine now. :)... I also found a very cool bug as we were leaving. I added a picture of me holding him. I think he was some sort of grasshopper. 

EDD Diagram w/ NO Data

Hypothesis: If I measure water temperature and air temperature from September to December, then air temperature will have a bigger temperature decrease from the first trial to the last because the air cools down faster than water.

5 Controlled Variables: Same location for air temperature measurement, same thermometer, same amount of time the thermometer is exposed to pond/air, thermometer at same pond depth every trial, measures of variable same every time: degrees in Fahrenheit.

Materials Needed: Thermometer measured in degrees in Fahrenheit,

Step-by-step Procedure: (NEED TO ADD PICTURES)

1. 
   
   
   Expose thermometer in chosen part of pond for 30 seconds. Record degrees in Fahrenheit at 30 seconds.
2. 
   
   
   Repeat two more times and record.
3. 
   
   
   Expose thermometer in chosen plot of land for 30 seconds. Record degrees in Fahrenheit at 30 seconds.
4. 
   
   
   Repeat two more times and repeat.
5. 
   
   
   Average three trials for each variable and record.   

30 Second Blog

Field Entry #1

Map B