Exploring through smell
The first thoughts that came to mind after smelling the
surrounding area of our tree were words such as, damp, moist, wet, fresh and green.
Rainfall from the previous day most likely explains why my senses picked up
on these characteristics.
As I got closer to the tree I noticed that the sensation of dampness and humidity increased slightly and there was also a musky scent in the air. I could also
smell freshly cut grass, which is
most likely explained by the adjacent fairway of the Mawson Lakes Golf Course.
Exploring through touch
As I ran my hand over the trunk and thicker branches of the
tree I noticed it was quite smooth, almost
like very fine sandpaper. In some areas the older bark had begun to flake away and the texture of these
pieces were crumbly and crunchy. The older bark that had
flaked off was crunchy under my feet at the base of the tree. There were
strange ‘knobbly’ bits on the
thicker branches where it looked as though some branches had been pruned. Where
the larger branches bent upwards, the surface of the tree was wrinkled like old skin.
Leaves
Ground Leaves
The leaves
that I observed and collected from the leaf litter at the base of tree all
differed in shape, size and colour. The differentiation in the leaves suggests
that some may be from a different species of tree and have been blown towards
our tree by the wind.
Touch and
sight: The older,
brown leaves felt much more delicate
than the yellow and ‘greener’ leaves. The tips of the
longer leaves appeared to be decaying
and were grey in colour. The texture on the surface of these leaves
resembled very fine sandpaper. These leaves also crumbled and snapped
under very little pressure.
The yellow
and green leaves found on the ground were much more durable than the brown leaves. They could be bent over on themselves
without breaking. The ‘greener’ the leaves were, the more durable they seemed.
The yellow ones were still durable but not as firm as the green leaves. The difference in colour most likely
suggests the age of the leaves and how long they have been on the ground.
Branch Leaves
Touch and
sight: The leaves on
the branches all seemed to be a similar length. Some were more rounded and others were pointy. They all felt leathery to touch, aside from the lumps and bumps, most likely caused by feeding insects.
The insect
bites on the leaves were most prevalent
on the outside edges of the leaves. The
reason for this is most likely because this area of the leaf would be thinner and less fleshy, thus easier for a small insect to bite through.
Bark
Touch and Sight: The bark on
the tree ranges in colour from a light grey to a light chocolate brown. The
older, chocolate brown bark appears to flake away in long strips exposing the
lighter grey colour underneath.
There was an
assortment of textures, gradients, shapes and sizes in the bark collected at
the base of the tree. The colours ranged from dark brown/almost black, lighter
browns and reds. There was a link between the darker colours and the
‘curliness’ and ‘delicateness’ of certain pieces which suggests the darker
pieces were older.
As you can
see from this photograph, the bark towards the base of the tree turns a reddish
brown colour before it flakes off. We can assume that the pieces resembling
this colour are much ‘younger’ than the darker pieces found in the litter.
Effects on Neighbours
It appears
as though our tree has a negative effect on some of the surrounding neighbours.
Because of its height, the canopy blocks out much needed sunlight for smaller
neighbours and they are unable to thrive in the conditions. There are stumps
surrounding the base of tree where some neighbours have suffered fatalities,
and by the looks of things, this tree in the above photograph may suffer the
same fate in the near future.
2. Exploring the physical environment
Topic 1. Weather and Place
22/05/12
22/05/12
Temperature in the open - 18° Celsius
Shade - 17°Celsius
Ground Level - 17°Celsius
Wind speed - 0-5 knots
Direction - South Westerly
Cloud type - Cirrocumulus
Height - 5-6 km
Cover - 70%
Topic 2. Soils and place
PH: Level 6
Moderately neutral
Colour: The soil at the base of the tree was a milk chocolate brown colour resembling that of cocoa or other drinking chocolate. There were small particles of rock found in the soil which were dark grey in colour.
The soil approximately five metres from the trunk appeared to be a lighter colour. Upon closer inspection, it was just the surface colour that differed, most likely explained by increased moisture directly under the tree.
The soil approximately five metres from the trunk appeared to be a lighter colour. Upon closer inspection, it was just the surface colour that differed, most likely explained by increased moisture directly under the tree.
Texture: The texture of the soil differed depending on the size of the 'clumps'. Larger clumps were much like the texture of clay but when put under pressure, they crumbled into a fine sand-like texture.
Inorganic/Organic: I did not find any inorganic matter in the soil samples. Organic matter included rocks, leaves, twigs and bark particles.
Moderately neutral
3. Meeting the residents, plant - animal relationships
Predictions Findings
Predictions Findings
|
Animals
|
Where you think they will be
|
Where you found them
|
Evidence of presence
|
|
Earthworm
|
Underneath soil
|
-
|
-
|
|
Ants
|
Surface of
tree
|
Surface of
tree
|
Sighted
|
|
Sparrow
|
Branches of
tree
|
-
|
-
|
|
Magpie
|
Branches/grazing
nearby
|
Grazing
Nearby
|
Sighted
|
|
Caterpillar
|
Branches of
tree
|
-
|
-
|
|
Fly
|
Surface of
tree/flying nearby
|
-
|
-
|
|
Spider
|
Surface of
tree/leaf litter
|
-
|
-
|
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