Spent the day working with wonderful students from Berkeley's Maybeck High School on Oakland Camp's Ropes Course. I had spent all summer at this place, leading nature walks and Ropes Course challenges. The look of the forest never gets old. The blooming wildflowers are mostly gone, and most plants have turned brown. However, I kept staring at tree bark. The mixture of Ponderosa Pine, Douglas-fir, and California Black Oak presented a great variety of bark patterns and growths of lichen, and kept me itching for my camera. When I was finished with the kids, I did grab my camera and take a few photos of tree bark. The ground cover was mostly a rich, red-brown layer of pine needles, and the bright yellow-browns of Dogbane and Mules Ears stood out like yellow lights. This wa especially prominent early in the morning when everything was side-lighted. Also rather haunting, in contrast to the busy summer camp schedule, was the incredible quietness of the place. I highly recommend sauntering through a very quiet place in the forest and staring at tree bark. You will be surprised by the sounds of silence.
Spent the day working with wonderful students from Berkeley's Maybeck High School on Oakland Camp's Ropes Course. I had spent all summer at this place, leading nature walks and Ropes Course challenges. The look of the forest never gets old. The blooming wildflowers are mostly gone, and most plants have turned brown. However, I kept staring at tree bark. The mixture of Ponderosa Pine, Douglas-fir, and California Black Oak presented a great variety of bark patterns and growths of lichen, and kept me itching for my camera. When I was finished with the kids, I did grab my camera and take a few photos of tree bark. The ground cover was mostly a rich, red-brown layer of pine needles, and the bright yellow-browns of Dogbane and Mules Ears stood out like yellow lights. This wa especially prominent early in the morning when everything was side-lighted. Also rather haunting, in contrast to the busy summer camp schedule, was the incredible quietness of the place. I highly recommend sauntering through a very quiet place in the forest and staring at tree bark. You will be surprised by the sounds of silence.
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