Your Response

     This plot study project was very fun for me. I love the fact that you had to actually go out and do something, in nature. It was a very physical and hands on project, which is my best learning technique. I enjoyed just being in nature, and getting graded on going to one place that I love.
     I learned many things in doing this project. One of them was just how many organisms contribute to an environment. I know I've been told that everything has a place, but I could actually see it happen on my plot; and I saw each thing work together. Another thing I noticed was just the variety of plants and animals on my plot. Through all my observations I could see great amounts of diversity.
      In class, I learned how to map out a food web, and I am now able to see how each organism is connected. I also learned how a leaf under a microscope looks like; I could see each intricate cell making up a bigger plant.
     Another thing I learned was the importance of picking up trash. We are called by God to be stewards of the world he put us in. Also it benefits the environment, because trash can harm animals. If we pick it up, fewer animals will be harmed from humans in this way.
     I feel more connected with nature after this project; not just the fact that I sat outside for much of the days-but because I can now understand what is actually happening right in front of me. I am also more conscious of the things I do in nature, because I understand everything I do, affects something else in that environment. This plot study project has definitely helped me look at the bigger picture, and has also given me a different perspective of the environment around me.

Thanks for the awesome project Mrs. Kits!

Seasonal Changes

Here are pictures of the changes on my plot:

     

My first visit to the plot was on September 4. There were many leaves on the trees, and everything was very bright and green.

 

My second visit was on September 11. Everything was still very green, it was very grassy, but clouds started to darken the sky.

This was my third plot visit on September 17. Leaves were starting to cover the ground, just slightly; and it was still cloudy.

My fourth visit to my plot was on September 29. This time as I sat on a bench on my plot, I noticed that the brush was starting to die and thin out, because I could see farther down the trail on my plot; and there were still more leaves on the ground.

 

My fifth visit to my plot was on October 8. This day was unusually sunny and bright, so the camera couldn't focus well. I noticed the leaves started to change deep colors and continued to fall.

 

My sixth and final visit to my plot was on October 15. It was very quiet, still dark from the clouds, and many bushes were bare-along with the trees. You could no longer see the grass on my plot, because so many leaves had fallen. Everything was very wet and muddy from a previous rain.

Those are the changes in my plot over the past two months!

Food Web

Here is a food web of organisms on my plot:

Organism Color Guide:

    Producer-Green

    Herbivore-Orange

    Omnivore-Blue

    Carnivore-Red

    Detritivore-Brown

    Decomposer-Pink

Producers & Consumers

These are examples of Producers on my plot:

  Trees
  Flowers
  Grass
  Shrubs
  Dandelions
  Poison Ivy

These are examples of Consumers on my plot:

Herbivores:

  Deer

  Squirrels

  Chipmunks

  Skunks

  Mice

  Sparrows

  Bees

  Butterflies

  Praying mantises

  Flies

  Ants

  Caterpillars

  Lady bugs

  Grasshoppers

Carnivores:
  Foxes
  Hawks
  Spiders

Omnivores:
  Humans
  Raccoons
  Crows

Detritivores:

  Slugs

  Worms

Decomposers:
  Slugs

  Worms

Biodiversity-Trees/Leaves

 These are different species of trees that are on my plot. Some of the pictures didn't turn out the best, because it was so bright out.

A small Ash sapling:

Flowering Dogwood:

 This tree confused me; it almost looks like an olive tree, but it's leaves aren't as thin or shiny-so this tree goes unidentified:

Black Maple(the leaves were too high, so I had to find the best fallen one):

Cottonwood(These leaves were also too high, so I had to find the best fallen one):

There weren't too many different tree species on my plot. I noticed since there are is shrubbery, there is a lot of Dogwood on my plot.

Plot Community

These are examples of competition, predation, and symbiosis on my plot:

Competition:
     -Two trees growing higher and higher for sunlight.
     -Two squirrels fighting over certain nuts, that grow only near one's nest.

Predation:
     -Birds searching for worms.
     -Spiders making a web to catch insects.

Symbiosis-Mutualism:
     -Ants pollinating peonies. (Not technically on my plot, but right on the beginning of the trail)
     -Deer eating seeds of plants, and in their scat;they spread seeds.

Symbiosis-Commensalism:
     -A squirrel living in a tree.
     -Moss on trees and plants.

Symbiosis-Parasitism:
     -Ticks and Fleas on mammals.
     -Humans killing and eating animals for food, or taking plants down for clearing trails. 

Taking Action

As I walked up to my plot I saw this sign, saying that the trails have been closed for the past week for hunting. So many of the trails have been picked up for the season, so I didn't find much trash. 

       

The trash I picked up:

     -shotgun shell

     -orange tape

     -gum wrapper

 This is my new trash-free plot: