Nature Observation: Part 1

For my first nature observation I decided to describe my time on the Trinity Trail. Since the second semester of my freshman year, I have spent my Saturday mornings running from Texas Christian University to either Press Cafe or downtown Fort Worth using the Trinity Trail. Although there is a lot of nature alongside the trail, my favorite part is the nature within the river. There are several times, depending if you head towards Press Cafe or downtown, where you actually cross the river. My favorite part of the trail is about halfway between TCU and Press Cafe. It actually takes you the longer way because you have to loop back to get on the right side of the trail but it is well worth the extra time. The crossway is unlike any other crossway I have seen. Unlike the traditional concrete pathways across the river, this one in particular is made of large stones that you have to jump from one to another in order to cross the river. I often find myself sitting on one of the stones in the middle of the river just looking at the life around me. The water is murky so it is hard to see anything deeper than a four or five inches. However, my favorite part of the river is the turtles which are often sitting alongside the river or on one of the stones in the pathway. As long as you are quiet and do not make any quick movements, the turtles usually sit still and continue to sun themselves. I used to own turtles as a kid so I enjoyed getting to see the familiar streak of red on the neck of the Red Eared Sliders and the yellow underbelly of the River Cooter. Over the course of my time spent on the river I saw close to 25 turtles. Many were going in and out of the river as my movement across the pathway scared them into the water. At first glance, all the turtles out sunning themselves all looked the same. After further investigation, I learned that it was because all the turtles were covered in a layer of sludge dried into a light tan color making their unique markings.