Whoops.

Let me start off by apologizing for misinforming all you fellow bloggers. In one of my earlier posts, "The Change", I tried to identify what kind of tree I was observing. Well, I have been claiming that the tree that I am observing is an oak tree; but upon further research, I have come to the conclusion that it is a sycamore tree.

This is a picture of a sycamore (Sycamore).

This is a picture of an Oak Tree (Gopixpic).

This specific tree I am observing is categorized as an American Sycamore. American Sycamore are native to American (clearly) and have some very distinct feature that are hard not to miss. It's leaves are thin wide and pointy. These trees also have a bark with a unique coloring; at times, they appear as a "camo" color (Sycamore (American Sycamore)).

This is a picture of a Sycamore leaf (Mason)

The seeds are spherically shape with structures that are fragile. These brown seed balls are packed tightly and carry around a lot of seeds. The actual name for these seed are achenes. Achenes are dry, hairy fruits. These seeds are a source of food for gray squirrels, beavers and other animal (American Sycamore).

This is a picture of an achene (Mason).

"When I was younger, I used to love stepping  these seed balls." Field note 11/17/14. At the time, I didn't know what they were, but they would burst and the seeds went everywhere. Every block I passed, they were there. Like a game of hopscotch, I would bounce the day away.

Citation

"American Sycamore". American Sycamore. www.fcps.edu. Web. 20 Nov. 2014 <http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/american_sycamore.htm>.

Gopixpic. www.gopixpic.com. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. <http://www.gopixpic.com>.

Mason, Jim. "Sycamore." Sycamore. www.gpnc.com. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. <http://www.gpnc.org/sycamore.htm>.

"Sycomore." Texas Tree Planting Guide. Texas A&M Forest Service. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. <http://texastreeplanting.tamu.edu/Display_Onetree.aspx?tid=67>.

"Sycamore (American Sycamore)." Sycamore (American Sycamore). Oplin. Web. 20 Nov. 2014 <http://www.oplin.org/tree/fact pages/sycamore/sycamore.html>.

The Cycle

As you may have already noticed, the days are becoming short and nippy. The seasons have begun to change. We experience this change four times a year. These seasonal change are part of a cycle that happens each and every year.

(Picture provided by Graphicriver.net)

The seasons aren't the only thing that change during this time, everything around us does. Trees experience one of the more dramatic and noticeable changes. The tree I am looking observing is going through such change. It is transitioning from summer to fall. 

The leaves are beginning to change. The leaves are losing the pigmentation from the chlorophyll. This is caused by shorter day. As the chlorophyll is lost, carotin particles become visible giving the leaves a yellowish, orange appearance. This is preparation for the long winter season that awaits them (information cited from https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s7qTx2l7bvo). 

The trees are are doing what they always do, adapt to their environment; just like us. We change our dress habits based on the weather and trees kind of do the same thing. "The are leaves beginning to yellow and slowly drift away; the Fall season has begun." 11/05/14 Field notes.

The Gatherings

Every morning, as I walk to my first period class,  I see them stop by the oak tree. I do not speak of the couple smooching on a near by bench every morning; I am talking about the birds. The diverse group gathers each morning under the array of branches, on the moist grass. Geese, black birds, small brown birds with black and white spots and the occasional crow are there pecking and eating the grass. The verity of birds are there resting tranquilly as they get set for their long journey; not worrying about the characteristics of the birds around them. Field notes October 21, 2014. "The birds seems to be like a small community, despite it is the first them seeing each other."  Maybe we as humans should be more like birds. We shouldn't worried about the physical appearances as much as we do. We should accept each other so we can live on.

The Change

I have decided due to change what I will be observing due to the lack of time I have to observe with my two parakeets. It has been hard to find time to observe my birds because I am never home and when I am home, it's never at a set time. This was causing inconsistent obervations. I will now be observing an area that I am around a lot. It is a grass area in between the tennis courts and the gym at Wooster High School. In that little area, there is a tree that I will be observing to see how it change as the seasons pass. I will also be looking at how thing around the tree use it. The tree is an oak tree.

It's there day after day, night after night, motionless, but not life less. The oak tree that I am observing  is a protector. The tennis teams, uses it as protection from the sun on hot after noons. It protects birds perched on it's branches from predators and the weather. The tree does a lot, but I have never taken the time to look and admire it's beauty. I have sat under the tree countless times and never took the time to explore it. On Thursday October 9, 2014, during my observation, I noticed that I didn't know what kind of oak tree it is. I have not had the time to observe the leaves that it has but I will know soon. I did some research on oak trees and discovered that there are approximately 60 species of oaks in the U.S. They are categorized as a white oak or a red oak (ehow.com). I am curious to learn more about this oak tree and what it does for people and things at Wooster.

A Connection

I have two parakeets, one male and the other female.  The male's feather coat is a sky blue color with it's wings distinctly underlined with white feathers.  The female is a mirage of colors, mostly blue and and yellow with an intriguing pattern of black spots on it's back/wings.  This is where the name "The Yellow and Blue" comes from.

The power of a bonds can do many things, or maybe in this case, it is just a matter of communication.  I don't know (yet), but it has a clear connection with an event that occurred during one of my observations.  My two parakeets are seemingly in love; or that's what I assume.  They have a close bond; I'd almost go as far as saying they have a relationship with one and other.  Placing both birds at each end of my house, I put that relationship to the test.  At first, all I heard were these chirps, as if they were talking to each other. In a flash, not even five minutes since I had separated them, "like magnets, the two were together once again" -observation 09/23/14. This moment was truly shocking because of how fast the were able to locate each other in mid-air! Maybe it was communication, or could it have been their bond?  We'll all have close bonds, and they drive us to do better and do things that we didn't know we could do. I have a hunch that this might be one of those times.  The fact that this happened is still mind boggling to me, even after two weeks.