My Observation Location: A Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa) Tree in My Backyard
The location begins on a slope, as I live on a mountain in Vernon, BC, coordinates; 50.2590913,-119.2552557. So, it rolls backwards with the endpoint being this tree. The general area is large, about 30 feet by 45, and mostly sloped, but not steep about a 20-degree hill rolling to 10. Many trees border the yard, and this chestnut is at the far end, covered in grass, with a large grapevine that wraps around the trees on the backside near the chestnut tree, and a crab apple tree which is closer to our house. I visit this tree every day, as it is a reminder for me of my dog who passed away, and today was the first day I analyzed it – 22-01-2024. Time: 10:44 AM. Weather: +2 degrees, fog/misty, with light drizzle, and about 20cm of snow turning to ice.
Potential Subjects:
There are a variety of animals that exist in our yard, but mainly deer and birds. Another subject could be the season changing, and all of the small but important changes happen just in the ecosystem of my backyard.
Observation questions:
- There is a flock of birds, I am not certain the species, that gravitate every single day to this chestnut tree, and I don’t know why – they stay regardless of season, why?
- The scent comes from this chestnut tree, and finding out when it develops, as I originally thought it was just the fruit, but the leaves also smell like the odour, and the branch also smelled similar – so I suppose does the tree scent change as the seasons pass?
- Lastly, there are deer that are always in our yard, but I don’t know which attracts them more, the chestnut tree, the grapevine, or the crab apple tree, and why?
First visit information:
Date: 22-01-2024
Time: 16:57 PM
Weather: +2 degrees, fog/misty, with drizzle, and about 20cm of snow turning to ice
Season: Middle to End of Winter, just after arctic air
Hi, backyards can certainly be used for this study. One thing to think about is scale – you need a large enough area for what you are sampling and you need to be able to have some replicates. As you work through the experimental design and hypothesis tutorials in the next few modules you will likely start to think of additional questions and narrow down into something for this course. Do you have a gradient in your backyard? You mention that we are at the start of changing seasons, from winter to spring, perhaps you can ask a question across that gradient.