Anthropology Major - University of North Texas
At the end of my small, fairly new neighborhood, there is a long and narrow, nice-sized, low-lying area of land with a pond and a small playground. It is actually the beginning of a branch which flows into Big Fossil Creek and where our neighborhood's, and adjacent neighborhood's, run-off water collects. Only part of this area is maintained, equipped with water sprinklers; the part of the field around the playground area, and a little bit around the pond. However, the pond, which is on the far left of the field, is not maintained. Around the pond there is a border of about three feet to fifteen feet or so of unmaintained grass and weeds. Other areas around the pond are full of tall grasses, flowers, plants, and trees. It is like a mini thicket and a nice "nature reserve" for insects, birds, plants, and small animals to thrive. On one end of the pond, by a cul-de-sac, is a maintained area with crape myrtles and a sidewalk that follows along the houses that are about thirty or so feet away from the pond. This is the area I chose for my mandala observations.
Day 1: There is about a three to four foot area of tall grass and plants between the pond and I. The cattails (Typha latifolia) in and around the whole pond are about six feet tall and block my view of the water, but I get a glimpse in-between the cattails, especially when the wind sways them. This area is very lush with rich, dark grey, almost black soil, which either means a high organic content or a lack of oxygen, due to the soil being submersed in water for long periods of time. The plants seem to love this area because the trees are tall as well as the flowers and grasses. One tree I see is the bois d'arc (Maclura pomifera), the tree the Caddo Indians used to make their bows and arrows, which also offers a type of fruit for animals to eat. This beauty, however, was not the first thing I noticed. The grasses up against the pond rim were full of litter including Styrofoam cups, grocery bags, plastic bottles, papers, and even a soccer ball. The trash, apparently blowing around in the wind from the nearby homes, was caught by the thick grass, like a fly in a spider's web, before it could blow into the pond, at least. However, some of this litter was probably cut up by a lawnmower because there were tiny pieces everywhere. It just rained and there is a cool breeze in the air. There is not much activity except the very loud and busy blackbirds, which I presume to be Brewer's Blackbirds (Euphagus cyanocephalus). They are small, and by the hundreds, flying in flocks in-and-out of the pond's cattails, into the trees nearby, one being a weeping willow tree (Salix babylonica). The blackbirds migrate in the spring and the fall, so with it being October, they are on the move. Every time a car goes by or I walk close to the pond they fly up and around, landing on the trees or roofs of houses. And did I mention how noisy they were? I do not know exactly what they are saying to each other, or to me, but they are all speaking at the same time. What strikes me is when they get startled they quiet down, and then when they settle down somewhere they start chirping again. Other sounds I hear are a loud dog barking, a person in a nearby house banging on something outside, an airplane flying overhead, and crickets and/or grasshoppers. I also see and hear another type of bird with a distinct call, but I can't see it closely. As I walk around I hear a small splashing into the pond but I did not see what it was that made the sound. I see dragonflies, a spider web but no spider, mosquitoes, ants, and pill bugs (Armadillidium vulgare) under a tree limb I turned over. There are two different kinds of yellow flowers, sunflowers, and some purple morning glory that apparently escaped from someone's garden. One thing that is very noticeable is it looks to be that a beaver lives in the pond. On the side of the pond and up onto the grass is a large pile of logs, sticks, grasses and packed mud. I am not sure why it would be here, halfway on land. Maybe a human did this, but that would be odd, and why would they?
Day 2: It is overcast and a cool sixty-six degrees out. It is pretty quiet at the pond with only a few birds chirping, and nowhere are there any Brewer's Blackbirds. The level of the pond is higher, due to overnight rain. The tall grasses around the pond look to have been pushed down in some areas. It looks like there has been more trash accumulated in the grass. Looking closely at the litter, I noticed one piece was actually useful. It was a ten dollar bill! An airplane flies over again, and a truck makes a loud noise in the distance. I hear the sounds of the crickets and/or grasshoppers again, but this time I actually saw them. As I walk through the grass they take their turns jumping out of my way, some small and some very large. A large, grey and white bird suddenly flies out of the grass a few feet away from me and startles me. There are dragonflies (Anisoptera) and damselflies (Zygoptera) flying around, as well as small and large yellow and brown butterflies. I see one dragonfly chasing after another. I come across two dead Monarch butterflies, torn apart and am puzzled. There are bees pollinating in the yellow flowers. A pill bug climbs up a stalk of grass. I see a small cactus plant and make sure I do not step on it. I find a big pile of cat food, and I wonder if there are stray cats here or if it is for some other small animal. There is more activity going on now than last time. More insects are out and about. I hear the splashing sound again I heard last time, but still do not see any animal.
Day 3: I cannot help but get disgusted every time I see the litter all along the pond in the grass. If it does not get picked up it will be there forever because many of the items do not disintegrate. I noticed some children playing on the playground by hearing their voices in the distance. A car came by where I was and turned around in the cul-de-sac. A child in a nearby house is jumping on a pogo stick, laughing and talking loudly. There seems to be more human activity today. Today I tried to get closer to the water and see inside. I heard a noise and noticed a small turtle, who quickly splashed into the water. I realized this is the splashing sound I keep hearing. (It reminded me of a time when I had a large turtle scratching at my front door.) I noticed a small grey bird hopping around inside the cattails. There were some small, light-grey snails by the water and I could see minnows swimming around. I see another dam structure, this time in the water blocking a slight drop-off. There must be a beaver in this pond, but there is no sight of him. I see a fishing bob on the ground and realize people come here to fish sometimes. I see the same insects flying around and hear many crickets and grasshoppers making their sounds. I noticed that I can tell where the water starts and ends by where the cattails are, being that they love the wetlands, and where the trees, yellow flowers, and grasses start, where it is dry but still moist.
Day 4: I can already hear the Brewer's Blackbirds chirping as I walk towards the pond. They must love the evening time. It is slightly sprinkling out and a bit chilly. The blackbirds are all in the cattails, and not in the willow tree. I am beginning to think they are finding insects to eat in the cattails. Still, as a car goes by, they fly off in flocks, with half of them splitting off into a group, and then again splitting into another group. They almost look like synchronized swimmers. There are power lines close by, and there are hundreds of blackbirds on them and also on the roofs of nearby houses, as well as in the cattails. They are extremely loud and I wonder if the noise bothers those who live right next to the field. For laughs, I almost wish I had a shotgun to shoot into the air just to see all of the birds fly up and away. Another plane goes by and makes a loud sound. There are two children in the street behind me throwing a ball back and forth, talking and laughing. A mosquito was trying to bite me until I shooed him off. I also saw my first frog, and it was the smallest black frog I have ever seen. I realized today the neighborhood, or the city, did a good job blocking off this green area for insects and wild animals and plants to grow and be left alone. Us humans are able to have our spaces, but we need to leave space for biota to thrive and a nice place for us to visit. I feel at peace when I come here.
Day 5: This is my last trip to the pond, however I will be back, even if it is to pick up this trash. These beautiful insects, animals, and plants should not have this artificial plastic and chemicals to chew on and possibly kill themselves. There is much car noise in the distance. There are butterflies and dragonflies flying around again, and I noticed gnats or some type of tiny insect that flies in groups. Not much has changed from the last time. I hear some birds in the distance but do not see any. I notice slight ripples in the water on the surface of the pond, either from minnows or turtles, or something else. There is a slight breeze and it feels wonderful out here. This must be an area where people from the neighborhood dump their yard trimmings. I noticed a large pile of dead leaves, a pile of cut and compacted grass, and some dead plants that still had the dirt connected to their dead roots from being in pots. These items are degradable trash and I am fine with them being dumped here, but this is something a human is contributing to this area. As I was walking around in my flip-flops, I must have brushed up against a type of burning grass because my ankle is stinging somewhat.
It is important for humans to have a ecological understanding of the environment. Humans need to learn and understand how and what they do, or do not do, affects the biota around them. We can learn from ecology, observing nature, how alike we are to the plants, insects, and animals around us. We all have life, reproduce, and need food and water to survive. The difference between us humans in my culture and biota are that we have evolved to need more stimulation because most Western humans are passed the problem of starvation. We have time to want and need to do other things that interest us. Every action taken by humans affects the world around us. The littering, cutting down grasses and trees, and building of neighborhoods and roads all affected the plants and animals in the mandala. The car and people noises and presence also make a huge difference and affect the biota. A turtle was scratching at my door a few years ago when my house is ten to fifteen houses away from the pond, but this seemed to me like the turtle's habitat, the pond, was not large enough for it and was travelling away to find food or maybe protection. Observation of insects and animals in nature can help us understand about populations and migrations, and can show us problems associated with humans if or when we have issues with populations and migrations and how to handle it. If we do not study the effects humans have on nature then we could destroy what is left of it. We also can benefit from studying nature because we came from it ourselves and have much in common with everything in it. However, humans, being a part of nature, also have a right to use nature as a place of relaxation and recreation like fishing, swimming, or playing games. Humans also use natural resources for survival and medicinal purposes. It is important though that we do not deliberately disturb the ecology or if we have to disturb it, do so with minimally negative effects. We should have a give-and-take relationship with the biota around us.
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