“I notice...I wonder...this reminds me of…”

These words stare me down from their place upon the first page of my Rite in the Rain journal. Its bright yellow binding seems quite out of place contrasted against the muddy, neutral toned background behind it. My field site frames a stream that runs through the center, accompanied by a wealth of plant life and tall, reaching trees that make up the forest off of New Gambier road. Birds and bugs thrive in abundance about the scene. I know that good scientific questions should inspire. Science itself is driven by the cyclic process of asking and answering, generating knowledge of the natural world. But how can this environment produce inspiration? From external observation, the site is its own world full of functioning life. It already is established, how can I take on the position as an environmental scientist and find inspiration?

I inhale deeply and begin where I know to—where a scientist would start: questions. I select a plant type that seems to dominate most of the real estate surrounding the area. It has a brilliant green finish with serrated edged leaves. The leaves have three pronounced central veins, which were the key to my ability to identify it as candian clearweed, scientifically named Pilea pumila (White Flower Farm). The leaves cluster around the upper body of the plant. Questions prompted by my observations bloom from my pencil to the page. I question the origins of this plant, its commonness, and why this plant is so abundant here. Upon further research, I discover answers to my burning questions. Pilea pumila is native to moist and shady places, which explains its inhabiting of the land surrounding the stream. The soil is moist, and the trees partially block sunlight from shining through, which creates the perfect murky, shadowed home for this species (Bebeau). Pilea pumila is native in eastern North America. It can be found spreading from the furthest points of the Eastern coast, to midwestern America, and upwards into Canada (USDA). It is found quite commonly in the states it inhabits, which I believe as it populates most of my site as well as areas extraneous to the site.

Answering questions served to help explore my curiosities and confirm my hypotheses. However, scientists must go beyond asking and answering questions in order to truly engage with their environment. We are equipped with our innate skill set of senses. I return to my field site with the intention to listen and observe. A recent experience in a forest listening room has taught me to fully immerse myself in the soundscape of an environment. Doing so allows for a connection to form between nature and you, and isolates sounds that may have been overshadowed by overstimulation of the senses. The babbling of the stream is the fundamental sound among the occasional chatting of birds above and hum of insects below. The soundscape builds a unanimous setting to the livelihood of the field site.

Beyond listening, a major key to field notes is observation. A particular element caught my eye during exploration of the environment. Radiant orange fungi aggregate around the trunk of a tree, spanning from the roots to the upper bark of the trunk. It is gathered in layers with golden undersides that are flat with wavy edges. It’s striking visual element inspired my interest in the growth. Known as Laetiporus sulphureus, it is a type of mushroom that is common in North American hardwood forests. Laetiporus means "with bright pores" and sulphureus means the colour of sulphur (Smith 33). Also known as the chicken of the woods, it is edible and can be used for human consumption. This mushroom can grow on either dead or living hardwood trees, and here at my site it is parasitic to the living tree it has chosen to reside on, actively rotting the host’s trunk. They grow in a lateral shelved structure with pores on their underside, leaving behind a white spore print. Laetiporus sulphureus most commonly grows in areas surrounding the Great Lakes, making Ohio a notable state for its presence.

One of the most fascinating features of my site is the evidence of primary succession, which is the evolution of species and ecosystems over time from a blank slate. The progression of the ecological succession likely occurred a long time ago on a geological scale. Fungi, similar to the Laetiporus sulphureus seen on the site, and lichen grow on the slate, followed by ferns, mosses, and plants. Beneath the surface, soil forms based on climate, parent material, and topography factors. Decaying organic matter, bacteria, sediments, and minerals settle in the soil, the upper layers containing the organic material and lower containing minerals.

While I couldn’t delve into studying the soil components of the river bank, I could observe the rock composition littering the bed. Sedimentary rocks intersperse along the stream. The pebbles have great variation in sorting, with a multitude of assorted grain sizes and shapes. The sediments are poorly sorted. Sedimentary rocks are often sand or mud stones. They originate from erosion or weathering of sediments, and form a rock when cemented or compacted together. Sedimentary rock can be stratified, meaning they retain the layering of sand or mud. The upholds are called anticlines and the downloads are called synclines. Ohio is overwhelmingly filled with sedimentary rock as a result of glacial movement. The action caused tons of deposited sediment to spread out in Ohio’s landscape. Beneath the layers of sedimentary rock, the Grenville Rocks which “were formed between 1.4 and 1.0 billion years ago during the Grenville Orogeny, the earliest known tectonic activity in the Northeast” (Raymo 50). However, the sediments at my field site seem to be relatively new based on textural maturity. The pebbles are mostly sub-rounded or well-rounded, suggesting forces of pressure that have smoothed their surfaces. Granules and course sand scatter between, and the occasional piece of sea shell.

Ohio’s landscape has been built and sculpted based on glacial movement and ice sheet coverage. Over the past 3 million years, ice sheets have grown and waned over the North American continent. This pulsing behavior occurs due to "our planet's gravitational interactions with the other planets of the solar system, in particular, Saturn and Jupiter'' (Raymo 136). The great movement changed the Ohio land, flattening it and changing its rock composition. However, influence from the Appalachian mountains also plays a role in the Ohio land. The stream found at my site is interconnected from the Kokosing River. The water sources from headwaters that originated in the mountains. In the grand scheme however, they are relatively young, as “rivers come and go. They are younger by far than the rock on which they run” (146 McPhee). The geological time scale goes further back than human life could ever grasp, and will always continue. The landscape itself will never be fixed or set in stone, and it has not been since the departure of the Laurentide Ice Sheet thirteen thousand years ago. The landscape will continuously flow, just as the small stream running off the Kokosing River will continue to. Even the smallest pebble amongst the bank is evidence of the great natural forces.

Works Cited

White Flower Farm. (2020, May 14). What’s That Weed? 10 Common North American Weeds - White Flower Farm's blog. White Flower Farm Blog. https://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/blog/2016/08/31/whats-that-weed-10-common-north-american-weeds/.

Bebeau, G. D., & The Friends of the Wild Flower Garden, Inc. (2014). Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden. Www.Friendsofthewildflowergarden.Org. https://www.friendsofthewildflowergarden.org/pages/plants/clearweed.html

United States Department of Agriculture. Plants Profile for Pilea pumila (Canadian clearweed). USDA.Gov. https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=PIPU2

Laetiporus Sulphureus: The Ultimate Mushroom Guide. Ultimate Mushroom Library. https://ultimate-mushroom.com/edible/38-laetiporus-sulphureus.html

Smith, A. H., & Weber, S. N. (1980). The Mushroom Hunter’s Field Guide (Reissue, Subsequent ed.). University of Michigan Press. https://books.google.com/books?id=TYI4f6fqrfkC&pg=RA1-PA63#v=onepage&q&f=false

Raymo, C., & Raymo, M. E. (2001). Written In Stone (2nd ed.). Black Dome Pr.

McPhee, J. (1984). In Suspect Terrain (Annals of the Former World) (Reissue ed.). Farrar, Straus and Giroux.