1st Nature Walk 10/2/2022 - BC Campus and Chestnut Hill
Kicking off my first nature walk! I was excited to get out and do this project. The weather was chilly but mostly sunny, and a brisk wind was giving the leaves on the trees a hard time staying on. I chose to focus on the area around BC to find wild growths that either made me ask questions or I saw were growing against the manicured background of campus and chestnut hill to give attention to the weeds that we try to kill in the name of "groundskeeping." When I think of flowering weeds, I often think of how the main response to their existence is usually "let's kill them" instead of admiring how much beauty they add to the environment. I'm reminded of the cultural ecosystem service and how organisms in an ecosystem can bring aesthetic benefits to humans within them, which is what I believe happens when flowering weeds break up the mundane landscaping of the suburban environment.