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As I have observed my cherry tree throughout the past weeks, I have come to love nature. I love being outside, seeing all types of trees, smelling flowers, and realizing how beautiful earth is because of nature. Sadly, not everyone else loves nature.

This past week I was driving around my neighborhood and noticed one of my neighbors sawing through his tree. This was upsetting to see especially because it is so close to home. I know many trees are cut in forests everyday,but it is different to see it happen nearby. I do remember when I was younger that my dad cut down a tree from another house we lived in. I didn't think much of it until today. I have noticed how much nature is damaged on a daily basis. By littering to polluting to cutting down trees to even killing animals. Also as buildings are being built where trees were for the longest time. I wish it wasn't like this because we are living on earth and slowing killing it. It isn't alright to be damaging what we live in. Eventually earth won't have as much nature left on it. I really fear that nature will continue to be taken for granted by many and lead to earth being killed by people.

picture taken by me
11/6

I really love my cherry tree and all the other trees I have been aware of.  I hope after the many years that my cherry tree stands in my front yard, that it won't be cut down. I know that this might not be possible, but I still hope that people don't find any use for it other than to enjoy its beauty.

Leaves on the Ground

With the weather changing everyday, more and more leaves pile on my grass and in the streets. The wind has a huge effect on this, but I question why some trees still haven't lost as many leaves so far. My cherry tree is average height with many leaves and has only lost a couple that mostly end up on my grass. On the other hand, I have a small and tall tree in my front yard that has lost a lot of its leaves. The remaining leaves on it are already orange and crispy. A few days earlier I took a quick picture of a tree in front of the Lowes at Legends. It didn't look too much affected by the weather. Barely any of the leaves had a change of color. Looking at the three trees it could be because of their contrasting sizes,but I'm not sure.

My cherry tree standing tall with most of its leaves.
picture taken by me 10/31

Small tree with a few leaves left standing in my front yard.
picture taken by me 10/31

Unordinary tree in front of  Lowes at Legends with some of its leaves changed in color.
picture taken by me 10/26

I did research on why leaves change color and why they eventually fall off. It turns out the that leaves change color and fall off for the same reason. Based on the website Asheville  the leaves on trees are compared to human beings. Just like human beings have their own needs to prepare for the upcoming winter, trees do the same with their leaves. The tree knows that once the frost comes it will kill the leaves, so the tree itself gets rid of the leaves. First, the tree absorbs the "useful nutrients into the twigs" , then the leaves fall. This all depends on the weather. Once the tree feels like the weather is getting too cold it will do this process. Before the leaves fall they are still trying to gain energy. This is the cause of the change of color in leaves. All of this depends on the kind of tree.

This explains why all the trees I have observed all have different characteristics on the leaves they have. Each tree will eventually know when to lose their leaves before the cold and frost.
I really like how I found this out because I thought that trees just lost their leaves as a sign of  the leaves dying. But the tree is actually protecting them and itself from the cold. Trees are, for example, like mothers, caring for themselves and their children. In this case the leaves would be the example of children.

 Works Cited

"The Science Behind Fall Color." Asheville . N.p. n.d. Web. 2 Nov 2014

Blue Birds on My Cherry Tree

Birds have never seemed interesting to me. I have often seen them in the summer, picking at my green grass, maybe for worms. Also these birds have most always been a dark color, maybe gray or black. I have never seen many birds on my cherry tree, until a few days ago. It was around two in the afternoon; it was quiet as always. The quiet didn't last long because I heard a couple birds, almost as if arguing, branched on the highest branches of the tree. As soon I heard them I got my phone out and recorded them.The birds were blue and white ( not sure what kind they were and didn't find the name online .) This is what they sounded like: http://youtu.be/9DIa2BmcgOU
                             " The birds communication sounded irritated. " Field Notes 10/23

Here is the picture of one of the birds.
picture taken by me
10/23


Once the birds kept up with their communication, I began to get annoyed. They wouldn't stop at one point and at another point they were quiet for a few seconds,waiting. Although, as the birds kept whining at each other, I wondered what they were saying to each other. Just like dogs, cats and many other animals that are able to speak, they have to be saying something. It would be amazing if we could understand what they all say, but then again it would be so different. Maybe at least they would have rights, instead of always being killed without justification. Or animals would be able to speak up on what us humans are doing wrong, like how to stop the extinction of animals. The list could go on, but I don't think that we will be able to understand animals anytime soon.

As I started thinking about what the blue birds could be saying, I did a little research on this. Based on the web article "Bird Communication: An Introduction" birds are saying a few things. It explains that birds can be marking their territory, seeking mates, looking for food, scaring off an intruder, warning other birds of a near predator,etc. It became interesting to me that some birds don't just communicate with chirps or squawking, but also by beating their wings. Also on the way their feathers are appealed. Of course this could be on certain birds only, yet it is still fascinating.  By watching birds closer, the communication of birds to other birds of their own species and birds that are another species, will become clearer.

I wonder if all kinds of birds like specific trees? Do these birds like my tree? I will most certainly keep an eye out for them.

Works Cited 

Tkaczyk, Filip. "Bird Communication: An Introduction." Alderleaf Wilderness College. Alderleaf Wilderness College, n.d. Web. 26 Oct 2014

Cherries

I love cherries! But the cherries that my tree has grown each summer are different: mostly in color. My cherries are closer to a black and purple than a bright or dark red. My sister has tried them before and she describes the taste as plain with a hint of sour. Although I've never tried them they are a lot different than the cherries you buy at the grocery store. Of course they are grown from another type of cherry tree.

From the very first day I started observing my cherry tree, I searched for cherries. I took a good look at all the branches I was able to reach, but I never found one cherry. The highest branches looked the same, too, having nothing but red and green leaves. The cherries must have gone somewhere as the cold weather had been approaching. So I looked further away from the tree, near the small bushes and the bricks that lay close by. These are some cherries that I found:

dried up cherries on bricks
10/15
picture taken by Me 

I don't know how I missed them the first day but dried up cherries lay on the bricks, rocks, and under the bushes. I wonder how long have they been here? Wouldn't other animals have eaten them? Or were they just not edible anymore ? Can they be poisonous to some animals?

I did research on what the Schubert Chokecherry tree cherries are used for nearby. According to this website, (http://plants.classiclandscapes.com/11050016/Plant/11143/Midnight_Schubert_Chokecherry), they are often used to make jams and jellies and even wine. This information got me thinking that one day I would like to try a jam or jelly made out of these specific cherries. I have already enjoyed watching and realizing how my beautiful my cherry tree is. Now I want to know what the taste of cherry jam is, specifically from the kind of cherries I have. However I'll  have to wait till summer time for the cherries to become ripe, I am planning to pick them and make some jam.

I wonder how many different types of cherry trees there are in the world?

A Different Point of View

As the days pass by my cherry tree always has something that impresses me. The tree stands with low branches stretching out to the sky sideways. This is how I have become aware of tiny spiderwebs sitting on the corners where some branches meet. I find this very interesting because I have never thought of spiders living on trees. I can only imagine them on corners inside houses. Capturing a picture of them wasn't easy, but I would have thought that these spiderwebs would be a little bigger? I have yet to see any spiders but because it is fall, spiders might be starting to move into places where it is warmer (like the inside of houses).  I wonder if these spiders ever caught any insects that have chewed holes on the leaves ? How long will these spiderwebs stay in place ?


Not only have I found little spiderwbs, but also the leaves of my tree have become a variety of colors. I think its because of the weather and how fall is already here. The colors vary from red to orange with brown, and others still green. From a point of view away from the tree the leaves are just the dark maroon, but it's all about perspective. From a point of view from under the tree it looks like this:

point of view from underneath
"The leaves look so beautiful combined with all the different colors."
Field Notes 10/10

 point of view at a distance

both pictures taken by me (: 10/10

This reminds me of the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover." The trees leaves are slowing falling and changing, making the tree look dead and not as interesting as it is in the summer. We tend to look at something from a perspective and not be intrigued to it. This could be anything a person or an object. I think people look at all trees as just trees and take them for granted. Trees can be thought of as an obstacle for buildings or just a waste of space. Trees are helping us breath , but that doesn't matter to most people beacuse it isn't the first characteristic that comes to mind. I wish people could see how beautiful trees really are. Trees are all unique within themselves just like my cherry tree. Not only are the leaves beautiful, the tree itself is special. It looks so much different from a view underneath it and I'm glad I had a chance to see it this way.

I have learned to look at many things in a different perspective now. I thought that perspective only mattered in a couple of things, but not anymore.

My Cherry Trees Name is....

So for the past couple days, I've been focusing on the leaves of my cherry tree. Each day I kept finding leaves that had various holes of different sizes. Therefore I did research on what insects could be eating the leaves. As I was researching, the name Schubert Chokecherry popped up. This is the name of my tree to my surprise. Now that I knew what type of cherry tree I have, I found out the insects that could be eating the leaves.

Based on the website  http://www.prairie-elements.ca/chokecherry.html  there is a variety of insects that could be eating the leaves :beetles, sucking insects, moth caterpillars, and sawflies.
When I first notice the holes on the leaves, I did think about caterpillars. It reminded me of elementary school, when the class had a set of caterpillars growing into butterflies. The thing is I haven't seen any caterpillars or insects on the tree. There is a couple of small spider webs but no spiders either.

This could be because it is fall but the weather is still nice so I'm assuming there are a couple of insects left. Sadly each day that I observe my tree there is no sign of insects.

I wonder if the insects like to eat the cherries during the summer ,too ? Could these cherries be edible to these insects? Are they edible to humans ?

Here is a picture of one of the many leaves with holes:

" Some of the leaves are ripped, then others have small holes on them. I think of caterpillars eating green leaves during the summer. " Field notes 9/30

Red and Green

A few years back, I discovered that one of the trees in my front yard was a red cherry tree. I have never really paid much attention to this specific tree. I had never even seen cherries grow from it. Once I knew it was a cherry tree, I still wasn't intrigued to it.  It has never really caught my attention to take a real good look at it. I haven't even attempted to try the cherries when summer comes around. The only change I have ever seen is the color of the leaves slightly change each season. Also, by summertime, it also grows tiny light pink flowers, making it look so pretty.

As fall season has started its color has become a dark maroon, but is that really the only color each leaf is ? No, for the first time since I've known that I had a red cherry tree, I took a closer look. The cherry tree has always stayed in a red color zone but as I took a closer look at the leaves they aren't just red. Amazing, I think to myself because we take many things for granted and ignore them. Each leaf is different than the other. "They look  different. They are a weird green color in the middle and are surrounded by the dark maroon color on the edges." Field Notes, 9/12

 

Field Notes, 9/12



Why would a red cherry tree have green leaves ? How is the green not seen easily, even from a close distance to the tree?

I am really looking forward to observe my cherry tree. I love nature and I would like to get something out of this. I want to begin looking at the trees I have in my front and backyard, and also other trees I come upon on.