Evie's Field Study Project

 Hey guys!      Lots of leaves on the ground today. It was also much warmer than normal. Warmer than last visit. There were also short spurts of rain, probably why the squirrels weren't there. I did hear a lot more birds this time around.  Time: 7:08 pm Date: Monday, Oct. 12 Temp: 75 Day hours: 11 hours and 12 minutes Climate: rainy, warm, humid? Animals: didn't see any but I heard birds, squirrels, and insects Other observations: I smelled the after effects of smoke? The sunset was also very beautiful. There were still a lot of white spots on these leaves. (Pictures below!) (P.S. Two of my leaves were chopped by the mower after a gust of wind took them away :( so no measurements today for that because I have to set new leaves up that I collected today from my location).    Panorama Photo! Crazy how much of the tree is bare! Still confused at what these white spots are - on the left is bird poop and on the right it the spot ??????

    Hello again! Welcome back!               When I entered my 30 by 30, I noticed that there were a lot more people than usual. Probably because it was a Sunday afternoon. There were also a LOT of squirrels on the ground and in the trees. Clunks and cracks of branches always followed their footsteps, ending with something plopping on the ground. My guess is that they are collecting food. I was also able to get a picture of 2 squirrels!     Time: 4:35 pm     Climate: cool, small breezes - definitely giving autumn vibes      Animals: 2 squirrels - also heard insects     Length of Day: 11 hours and 55 minutes     Temp: 70℉ - Definitely feels colder than that!     Data & Impressions:          - Feels Cold          - Lots of People          - Saw a tree with red leaves (signs of fall)    ...

  Experimental Design Diagram                 Research question: If I keep leaves in different substrates from my house and my location, will the disintegration rates of the leaves be different? If they are, what does that say about the different soil environments? - I am trying to find out what environments have an advantage in having leaves as fertilizer.                At my location, I can find mature hardwood, evergreen, large American beech, maple, eastern hemlock, oak, and elm trees. That's a lot of leaves. The oak trees are right by the path so I decided to use leaves from that particular type. I am aware that leaves can produce fertilizer for the soil there, which, in turn, improves the trees' health as well. When leaves break down, they turn into rich organic matter that helps the trees and the soil. It also protects the ground and keeps the moister in when all of the leaves are cov...

Tracing of my oak leaf Not a great picture sorry! I will definitely make a better version soon.  I didn't have the best paper on me :(  This is my sound map. I hope it's a clear enough to read! This is my Panorama photo :) There was bench on the other side of the photo that I was sitting on. Suuuuper relaxing.  

       For my tests, I have decided to have oak leaves from my 30m by 30m space put in 5 different substrates. I wanted to test the difference between the space's wood chips and dirt with wood chips and dirt from my house. And, for fun, ash from the fire pit (also at my house).        Each container has 2 cups of the substrate in it. And instead of putting the leaves in right away to measure the disintegration rate over time, I am air drying them first before weighing. Pictures for that later.       I (another thing for fun) have decided to trace the biggest, 'greenest' leaf I could find in my space to see how things disintegrate naturally. I am doing this test by size. At home, with my drawing (more like my tracing lol), I will compare the sizes.        Fall is definitely on its way. There wasn't a single space where there wasn't a leaf. Although woods are usually covered in them.       ...

 September 8, Tuesday (updated September 9, Wednesday)          Welcome to my Field Study blog!       Today when entering my 30m by 30m, I saw a black squirrel fiddling around in the leaves. He didn't seem happy because he started chittering away 😆. I don't think he was very happy to see me. Unfortunately, he ran away before I could take a picture for him (sigh).        The weather was quite warm. Mainly humid I think but I was definitely sweating after 15 minutes. In the shade too! Anyway, here's what I recorded for today.     Time: 6:55 pm     Date: 9/8/2026     Temp: 77°F     Present Climate: Warm, humid, sun set. Breeze was AMAZING!     Length of day (sunrise to sunset): 12 hrs & 50 mins     Organisms: Heard squirrels, all gone by time I was setup. Definitely heard insects and an owl.     Data & Impressions:         ...