Field Observations:
Today
I went out to the Lowland forest in order to gather four new species to
identify and for some relaxation.
Heading into the lowland forests allows me to find a place of
relaxation, a place where I can sit and enjoy the sounds of nature. All around me I could hear birds singing,
animals running through the treetops and the leaves of the forest rustling in
the wind. It was a great day to observe
the forest, sunny and in the seventies with a breeze rolling through the
woods. Today, sunlight was reaching
further to the forest floor, emphasizing different aspects of the woods. Immediately I noticed just how dark the soil
was, from all the decaying organic matter and the moisture. I also noticed that the soil was a bit dryer
than last week, it was still moist, but in some areas it had begun to dry a
little. 
As
I walked a bit longer, I happened to look up towards a tree and saw something
that I wasn't expecting. When I looked
up, I saw a willow that had grown almost horizontal to the ground, making an
arch and up on the tree was an adult groundhog.
The ground hog was taking advantage of the sunshine as well, it was
laying on the tree taking a nap. I was
able to get close enough to the ground hog to take a few pictures of him, but
as I approached he awoke and eventually ran back to his den. It was neat to see a ground hog, almost every
week I am able to spot a different animal in the lowland forest. In addition, to being able to see animals, I
saw a Ruby Medowhawk which was the first dragonfly that I've seen in the
lowland forest. New Species:
Buttonbush
(Cephalanthus occidentalis)
The buttonbush is a multi-stem shrub
that can grow around six feet to twelve feet and sometimes even taller. The leaves of the buttonbush grow in pairs or
in whorls of three; the blade is up to eight inches long, ovate, pointed tip
with a rounded base. The leaves also are
dark green, having smooth edges, a glossy upper surface and the lower surface
is dull. The flowers are small, dense,
spherical clusters and are long lasting, usually white or a pale pink in
color. There are subsequent rounded
masses of nutlets that persist through the winter. The branches grow in a twisted form, as a
small tree like shrub with many branches.
This plant gets its name from the flowers that look like small buttons. The buttonbush grows very well in wet soil,
along wetlands, temporary wetlands and lowlands; this is why it is found in the
lowland forest.
Cephalanthus occidentalis. (2012, December 7). In Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Retrieved July 27, 2014, from http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CEOC2
Sycamore
(Platanus
occidentalis)
The sycamore tree is a common tree in
Indiana, one of the largest in the eastern deciduous forest. It is also referred to as American sycamore
and the buttonball tree. It is a fast growing,
long lived tree that grows well in lowland forests. The leaves are palmate, with three or five lobes;
the edges of the leaves are wavy and serrated.
The top of the leaf is bright green and the underside is a pale
green. They also have long
petioles. The trees have large, strait
trunks with pealing bark and spreading crooked branches, creating a wide crown. The bark is smooth, whitish and peels off in
large flakes; it looks splotchy where the bark has peeled off. Another identifying mark is that the twigs
looked zig zagged. The sycamore is found
in forests that are along edge of streams, lakes and pond, they enjoy wet soil
and this is why it is found in the lowland forest. It commonly grows in groups with silver
maple, red maple, and black willow. Ruby Meadowhawk
Species: rubicundulum
The ruby meadowhawk’s range is from the Great Plains to Maine and it is commonly found around Merry
Lea. The head of the dragonfly is yellow/brown, the thorax is deep red to brown, the abdomen is red to brown as well, and the wings are veined. Their hunting strategy is known as, “sit and wait” approach to hunting; they sit on plants and then dart out to catch insects. This strategy allows for much less energy required while hunting. This dragonfly will use the sun’s rays of light to warm themselves and often bask on the ground out in the open. The adults will die when winter hits and the newly hatched nymphs are able to survive the cold winter under water. The preferred habit for the ruby meadowhawk is wetlands and lowland areas; this is why I was able to find this in the lowland forest.
Hartzell, T. (n.d.). Ruby Meadowhawk Dragonfly. In Natural History of Northern Indiana. Retrieved July 27, 2014, from https://naturalhistoryofnorthernindiana.wikispaces.com/Ruby+Meadowhawk+Dragonfly+-+Tom+Hartzell+(Group+KLT)
Groundhog
(Marmota monax)
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
The groundhog is also referred to as a
woodchuck; it has course fur that is brown to yellow brown, with gray or yellow
tipped guard hairs. The feet of a groundhog
are dark brown to black. It also has a
stocky, low compact body with a broad head and a short bushy tail; the ears are
small, rounded and inconspicuous. After birth
and being weaned from the mother, they will mature at eight weeks of age and
able to live life on their own. It doesn't fully reach adult size until about two years of age. The groundhog is a diurnal forager that feeds
mostly on grasses, green plants and leaves; at sometimes it will feed on invertebrates. It lives in burrows that they make themselves;
they can be deep in the ground and can have several entrances for safety. The main entrance of its burrow has a mound
of excavated soil that serves as an area where the groundhog can bask in the
sun and keep watch for predators. The average
lifespan is around five to six years. Predators
include: fox, coyote, eagles, hawks and owls.
The groundhog is commonly found along ecotones, along rivers and
lowlands, this is why I was able to find it in a tree near its burrow at the edge
of the lowland forest. 
GMNH/gawildlife/index.php?page=
speciespages/species_page&key=mmonax
Ecotones:
“An ecotone is a transitional area between two different ecosystems, such as a forest and a grassland (Graves 2010)." When observing the ecotones surrounding the lowland forest, I am able to notice a few
 |
| Diffused Ecotone |
 |
| Convoluted Ecotone |
Graves, R. (2010, May 24). Ecotone. In Ecology Theory. Retrieved July 28, 2014, from http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/152345/
Creative Piece:
The Road Not Taken
By: Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
