I was excited to contribute more work in the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge this week. I figured that it would be a similar day compared to last week, but this was proven to be untrue. The day began the same as last, with gathering our supplies and beginning to sort through the brush. I got caught in some strong, thorny vines that almost tripped me a few times. My thick skiing pants and boots kept me save from any possible dangers of the wilderness. I spent minutes grabbing long privets with lots of branches attached, contemplating whether I was able to bear more weight or not. It amazes me how many invasive plants an environment can develop over a short span of time.
As the sun beat down on us, the wood chipper sputtered multiple times and eventually stopped working, resulting in us stopping in our tracks and waiting for a solution. Eventually, we resorted to cutting down privet and carrying it to the roadside. I personally thought I was more helpful with collecting privet, so this is what I spent my time doing. I walked deep into the brush, away from the road and encountered many tangled branches that we had not yet addressed. Quinn and I worked as a team to get each other untangled--this was a difficult one man job. Maneuvering a twisted, thorn-covered branch while trying not to trip or get poked in the eye with a twig was a multitask job I'm not sure I could ever master.
I am always shocked by the lack of wildlife within our working area. We never encounter any squirrels or common bugs, besides the unfortunate fire ants and bees. Today, however, we discovered a bright green caterpillar, crawling along an old beer bottle. This fluorescent colored creature caught our attention against the faded hues of the branches and leaves. I thought to myself, maybe our work will encourage the migration of more creatures to inhabit this area.
After a decently standard day, a shocking turn of events caught me off guard during our drive back. The wood chipper caught onto a tree, which ended up falling on us in the back of the truck! Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt so we jested at this incident. Ironically, the wood chipper seemed to do everything today but chip wood! Following this, I discovered a caterpillar crawling along my ear. It must have fallen out of the tree and thought I would be a good new home. I am eager to see the progress we'll make next week as we disintegrate all the wood we collected today.
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