Life...

From website http://thefamilyfarm.ie/forestry

There has been a couple of days when it has rained. Most of the times when it rains it happens during the night, so when I wake up and go outside I notice that the dirt is always wet. Days can pass and the dirt still seems to be wet. I began to wonder during my observations, how long does it take for the tree to absorb all of the water and how does the water travel through the huge tree. Sure, it seems like a simple answer, right? Well, turns out that there is a whole big process trees go through to get water in themselves. Water doesn't just go up the roots.

Most of the time trees look to be healthy. With the research I have done I was able to learn a great deal of how trees seem to maintain this look thanks to the article "How A Tree Absorbs and Uses Water" by Steven Nix. The first step is getting the water into the trees which is by the roots, but after that "Any dissolved mineral nutrients travel with it upward through the xylem" (Nix). The leaves are the ones that get most of the water, so they can be healthy. The atmosphere is actually the enemy in this case because it's the one who steals all of the tree's water through a process call evaporation. During the summer a tree can "lose several hundred gallons of water through its leaves"(Nix). As for the winter it's the opposite because it doesn't lose any water (Nix). The way the tree can absorb all the water to keep itself living is fascinating. To read more of the article just follow this link http://forestry.about.com/od/treephysiology/p/tree_water.htm.

Trees are humans as well. Either if we are plants, trees, animals, or humans we all depend on water. Water is life because it is what keeps all organisms alive. And even if some of us can't walk such as trees they are still able to get it one way or another. After reading the article I actually felt guilty because on hot summer days I barely water my tree. I know right, what a jerk. When I read that trees use that "10% [of water]that remains keeps the living tree system healthy and maintains growth," it actually blew my mind(Nix). Trees hold on to that little bit of water for dear life. Think about this during the hot summers when that tree is looking healthy and strong, but only has that tiny percent of water in them. Looks can be deceiving.

From website www.britannica.com

                                                                 Works Cited

Nix, Steven. "How A Tree Absorbs and Uses Water." about education. About.com. 2014. Web. 7                           Nov. 2014.

Birds!

Tweet! Tweet! That familiar sound that comes out of my apple tree as I observe in the evenings. Every time I go to observe I go under my tree and look up to see if I can find what bird is making that noise. I usually never find them. When I'm under my tree it feels like I'm playing hide-n-go seek with these birds because as I get closer to the sound they become quiet. I feel as if the birds are just playing around with me. It's like when humans think it's funny to play around with animals. Either way it's so frustrating because I always want to take a picture of them, but they won't come out to smile. When they do come out they end up flying to my neighbor's little tree and hide. On one evening I was lucky because I finally saw the pranksters in my apple tree.

From the website www.allaboutbirds.org

Turns out the ones who have been driving me crazy are tiny Chipping Sparrows! I was able to get more information about these adorable birds thanks to my teacher, Ms. Farias. The resource book, The Sibley Field Guide To Birds of Western North America, by David Sibley was a great tool that I used to help figure out about the birds that were creeping around in my tree. These birds are "common and wide spread" all over in North America. They may look familiar because they are usually seen in "suburban parks and lawns." When it's winter time they are located in "trees or bushes." For more information please look at the amazing resource book, The Sibley Field Guide To Birds of Western North America.

After I found out about these birds, I went back to my field notes when I first began to observe. I believe in the very beginning I said that there was a nest in my apple tree. Well, I started wondering if these birds were the ones that have been nesting in my tree. I haven't gotten my answer to my theory yet, but that's my mission as of now. Hopefully I can get my answer.

Field Notes 9/12/14

Works Cited
Sibley, David.  "Chipping Sparrows." The Sibley Field Guide To Birds of Western North   America. New York: Alfred Knopf, 2003. Print.