Entry 2: October 11th, 2016

Tuesday, October 11th, 2016

Sunny, no clouds, occasional breeze

61 degrees in the sun, definitely cold in the shade

2:40 PM 

Part I

I've realized that my central spot is a little too close to the trail, but it does serve as a good starting point. I'll use the patch of moss at the buttress of the Cedar tree as a reference point for the phenology photos, but I will make sure to venture behind the tree more in the following entries. 

At my central spot, everything feels droopier, like it's receding or wilting. 

The lady ferns are more sparse, and have browned and curled at the edges. The leafy marsh-plants that I haven't been able to identify are turning yellow and breaking at the stalk due to their inability to support their own weight any longer. 

I think the salmon berry bushes have lost more of their leaves, and seem more brittle than they did last week. The leafier moss seems to be getting browner, as though the brown Earth is slowly overtaking it. There are no more mushrooms on my sitting spot, which may be, and I suspect that it is, due to human interference. 

Many of the Big Leaf Maple (Acer Macrophyllum) leaves are decaying, as newer and more brightly colored ones littler the floor atop them. The Earth doesn't smell as strongly as it did last         week because it hasn't rained in the past few days. However, it does seem muddier. I got my foot caught in the mud several times.

Last week, I failed to notice all of the beautiful moss that was hanging off of the Pacific Yew to my left. I know now that it's a Pacific Yew (Taxus Brevifolia) because of the little berries growing on the underside of the tips of the branches (Thanks Allen!). 

When I walk behind the Western Red cedar (Thuja plicata) at my central point, I enter an area that is sloped, with marshier plants accumulating towards the bottom, where the creek is located. Two small (really small) waterways flow down the hillside on either side of me. 

(Overview of the area behind the Thuja Plicata)

  

(Water flowing downhill to my left)

(Water flowing downhill on my right) 

Also, I failed to notice that much of the landscape is being choked out by the invasive morning glory vines that Allen showed us in class today. In fact, my focal Western Red cedar is being overtaken!!

Part II

This week's journal assignment involves a lot of sketches. I definitely have a lot of intent, but am millions of miles from perfection. It was also very cold in the shade, which may have had some impact on my drawing ability.  

1.) The first sketch is a memory sketch, which is exercise #3 in the Leslie's article

 2.) Next is the contour sketch that requires you to avoid looking at the paper. This was hilarious. (exercise #4). 

3.) The previous sketches were basically gestures sketches, so I decided to pick a patch of Red Alders (Alnus rubra) to do the gesture sketch exercises for. Having a larger scope for the following drawings 

seemed like a better idea than drawing the minuscule sample again. 

The 5 second gesture sketch 

The 10 second gesture sketch 

The 30 second gesture sketch 

The 60 second gesture sketch 

Then, for reference, here is the actual patch of Red Alders

For the last two exercise sketches, I decided to pick  a lady fern.

4.) Diagram Sketch 

5.) Detailed sketch

Then, I did some sketches of random plants I found. I really enjoy the horsetail one.  

This is not for those who are unfamiliar with the smell of trodden earth, who have never lied supine towards the trees, who have never seen them write secrets on the ground with leaves. This is not for those who are lulled to sleep by flivvers and whispers and footsteps above them. This is the secret I keep from the trees- get out while you can, before your soul is condemned.