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4:30PM
5:50PM
Losing the Forest for a Tree
I arrived today to again be greeted by the singularly grey sky. It was a high thirty degree day and I noticed that the parking lot had more fallen leaves covering it than the week before. It was clear now that summer truly had left. On the twenty-second of September autumn officially began, but most of it had been punctuated with beautiful and warm days harkening back to summer. This time, autumn finally had the bite of winter.
The Stetson Parking lot woods reflected that difference. The entirety of the interior, and much of the exterior of the Stetson Parking lot woods was covered in a layer of loose fallen leaves. The maple, black locust, birch and cottonwood leaves all provided an easy way for me to hear where all the small animals moved.   As a result I could hear almost every squirrel and chipmunk as they walked on the ground. Next, as a surprise to me, I saw three red squirrels. I almost mistook the first red squirrel for a grey juvenile at first, but after seeing a second climbing down a cottonwood I realized I’d just seen my first red squirrel on campus. Keeping tally for the next fifteen minutes, I spotted eight gray squirrels, eleven chipmunks but no more red squirrels.
During that time, all animal activity was high. I also heard a number of different birdcalls bouncing from tree to tree. I identified one as the yellow bellied sap sucker’s trademark falling call, and the other as the Least flycatcher. The final birdcall I could identify was a simple crow’s caw.   Until 5:10 all of the animals were very loud and then suddenly all of the chirping and movement in the wood ended.
After the animals stopped, I set off in search of plants. Many of the trees on the Southwestern side of the woods are of this one species I am currently incapable of accurately identifying. This is thing I noticed was a type of tree I’ve been unable to identify due to the strange shape of the tree’s leaf. I have been unable to find a similar leaf anywhere in the Audubon field guide or online. It is a compound leaf, made up of three to seven leaves and they are oppositely arranged. Strangely, however, each of the leaves appears to be shaped differently. On the tree, the leaves appear to be afflicted with a small fungus which pokes many small holes in its surface.
Today, only four different trees in the Stetson Parking lot woods had colored leaves. Each one of the three sugar maples and had turned a nice bright yellow.  The last tree, a Norway maple was had turned very deep reds and purples, and at some points remained green. Upon closer examination, I realized that a branch had broken off. The large broken arm of the tree looked very strange with red leaves. The Norway maple does not belong with red leaves.
Interestingly, as the branches of this tree reach out, the bark on the trunk quickly becomes similar to that of the wild raspberry bush. Where the branches thin out at the ends, they darken in color and gain a white waxy coating that may be rubbed off.   The bark on the larger trees does not have a waxy coating, but rather a thick, shallowly furrowed outside with a stippled surface.
When I finally had to leave, I suddenly realized that I had spent a high amount of my time absolutely fixated on discovering the identity of one tree in my site. I could not believe that I had suddenly become a walking talking embodiment of not being able to see the forest for the trees.
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Edit: (I’m pretty sure this is White Ash now)