Small Field Due East of McMahon Hall, University of Washington Seattle Campus, 2012/4/4

Small Field Due East of McMahon Hall. 13:25.

I had not been back here since I was a freshman, but strange weather (cold showers, gusts of wind and breaks of sun), and a need to get away from my class readings have all brought me here. I was headed home from south campus not five minutes ago and there was a glint of sun. I decided to capitalize upon it and it brought me here, to a roughly 100 x 60 plot of meadow near McMahon Hall. This was a favorite spot of mine as a freshman, when I was nearby more often, but living on the other side of the University District for a year and picking up a job have cut down on the amount of time I am able to simply enjoy sitting about in the grass. Then again, what a perfect opportunity to learn more about the environment than to sit in a grassy meadow for ENVIR 280!

Thus far, the weather has not changed much, but the wind is rustling the taller grasses across the field to the east. To the north of me is a patch of Salal (Gaultheria shallon) below some Western Red Cedars (Thuja plicata). A few American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) just flew overhead and I am hearing an American Robin (Turdus migratorius) somewhere above me, although I have not caught a glimpse of it yet. I am unsure of the type of grass that is here in the field, but it is intermixed with Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale), which are in full bloom (I recently heard that they are quite tasty to eat when they are young!) and there is a large amount of what looks to me like hearty and thick Himalayan Blackberry (Rubus armeniacus) edging the fences of the meadow. There is also a thinner variety of Blackberry (which I believe is Pacific Blackberry (Rubus ursinus) trailing amongst the grass spilling further into the meadow. Right now I am sitting under a Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) trying to avoid the cold bursts of air. The clouds are getting darker overhead, which means more rain. I will certainly be coming back here when I have more time and better weather to see how things have changed.

Species:

Himalayan Blackberry (Rubus armeniacus)
Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata)
Pacific Blackberry (Rubus ursinus)
Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale)
Salal (Gaultheria shallon)

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

Publicado el 30 de abril de 2012 a las 09:29 AM por ablevins