When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.
This week in Snapshot of a 21st Century we were asked to find examples in nature of organisms that change in a day, in a season, in a year and in 20 years. All of these organisms needed to be found in the same habitat.
The violet on the left is an example of a plant that at this time of year can change on a daily basis. The beautiful purple blooms are continuous as new flowers bloom and others wither and die, this is plant will look different if observed on a daily basis.
This is an example of a gooseberry bush that will change during the season. The gooseberries are blooming and will soon set and bear fruit. Gooseberries are too tart for my taste but many people look forward to fresh spring gooseberries so they can make pies, jellies, and tarts.
The turtle on the right was well camouflaged. Had my daughter not noticed the turtle sticking his head back into the shell we would not have noticed him/her this morning as we walked the trail.
During the course of the next year the turtle will change and grow. The box turtle's shell will grow and elongate as he/she ages over the coming months.
Finally, we noticed this beautiful oak beginning to leaf out. The photo on the left shows how beautiful the newly emerging leaves are on this oak. Below is the entire tree and as you can see, it is about two foot tall. In 20 years, as the tree grows and thrives, it will be a much bigger specimen.
I like how you included a picture of the sapling in its environment. It may grow to full height, but with trees like that, there are many things that may hamper their growth. The oaks like sun, and I do see the sun shining in the photo. However, f there is too much shade from the bigger trees around it, it may not survive. It may be eaten by a deer or other animal. The change for this particular tree may be hard to predict, but it would be exciting to watch over the years. I hope you can return next year to follow this little tree.
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