Kellis Park is a 16-acre plot with a creek, basketball
courts, walking paths, and a playground for families and their kids. If you
follow the park’s trails, you will end up at Foster Park, the park I
went to last week. I did not know these two parks were connected, but I found
Kellis park as I drove past it coming back from the store with some friends the
other day. When I went, the sky was completely overcast, and some rain had precipitated.
The parking lot was virtually empty; there were two kids with their mom on the
swings on the playground and one person packing up their blanket and picnic
basket when I first arrived. It’s a small park; I could have walked from one
end to the other at a medium pace in about 10-15 minutes. The first picture is
of a tree just as you enter the park from the parking lot. I’ve noticed that I’ve
taken many pictures of trees throughout the semester, and there is something about them that might seem simple to most but has layers to others. Like
how Eiseley found wilderness through something as simple as pigeons in New York
City, trees are fascinating to me. I’m not saying I’m a tree hugger. Still, I recognize their importance as one of the Earth’s greatest natural resources. I’ve taken environmental courses here at TCU that have explained the
complexity of trees and how much is taking place beneath the roots.
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The
second picture is of the creek that runs through the park. The water was still,
unmoving, and you could see the bottom of the creek bed. There is rock sediment
that lines the edge of the creek, as well as some along the bed. There are
signs of erosion as well. There are cracks in the rock bed, rocks are in patches
separated by water, and the creek’s edge is pushed back. I learned through research that the creek connects Kellis Park to Foster Park and the much
larger Overton Park.
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The
last photo here is of a leave I found. I wanted to take a picture of it because
you can still make out the water droplets on the leaf's surface. I learned through some research that the part of the leaf that you see the
droplets just sitting on is called the cuticle and is a protective film that
protects the epidermis of the leaf from environmental stressors. In this photo,
you can also make out the leaf’s veins, vital to transporting water
and nutrients throughout the leaf. I have never really thought of the beauty of
leaves, yes, they may be enticing to look at with all the different colors, but
leaves are more important than that. They provide plants with life. When you
look at a leaf, you might not think it is what one would describe as “wilderness.”
Still, if you look at it from an inverted angle, a leaf allows us to enjoy the wilderness because it helps ensure we have healthy and sustainable
plants in our surroundings.
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