Final Post

Part One:

Ode to Corydalis:
I heard you wore a scowl
But I found otherwise
Instead you wore a tall pink crown
capping that gaping smile
that looked so inviting

Ode to the Pacific Wren:
I heard you singing from far away
a song meant for another
I still enjoyed being let in
on your intimate little tale
I even gazed your jumpy nature
but then you swooped off
to collect some food
food for another
won't you feed me?

Ode to the starflower:
A single burst
of white among the green
guiding me along the path
like a sailor among the stars

three is a magic number
although anything big is too

You are so small.


Part Two: Final Reflection
 1) One of the largest ways my perception of my site has changed is actual species that compose that community. Given that Discovery Park is one of the largest parks of Seattle, I thought that it would be dominated by native species. However, I frequently found the park overrun by invasive species. In fact, well over half the species we found were probably invasive. I've come to believe that many people tend to idealize nature without having any basis for understanding it, and thus assume that these parks are an accurate representation of what "nature" is, or what was there before human intervention.

2) As the quarter progressed, one of the major things that I had impressed upon me was how diverse the Puget Sound Region is. For some reason, I believed that since I lived in Seattle, I had seen most of what the Puget lowlands had to offer. This actually makes no sense, given that I have not gone hiking in this area that much and have very little field experience. Many of the species that I had heard of, such as orchids and violets, seemed to be exotic and foreign, things to be found in faraway places, but certainly not on this side of the Cascades.

3) To intimately know a natural place means many things. First, it means creating a natural history foundation by developing the most important skill of observation. Observation is a skill that will allow the user to become familiar with other places as well, without going through the trouble of developing that skill again. Secondly, to know a natural place intimately means patience. Many things only flower during certain times of the year, and once per a year. Discovering where all the good fruit is takes time through trial and error. During winter when everything is gone, all you can do is wait for many things to come back, while waiting to watch the intermittent vagrants that pass through the area.