Continued Adventuring + Projects! – Serena Yu BFA Illustration ’27
Would you believe me if I said that my time working with the Dennis Conservation Land Trust just gets awesomer and awesomer?? It is crazy how quickly time has been passing, and I’ve fallen a little behind on these blog posts. Here are some relevant recent happenings:
Tree Coring
A really fascinating project I have been involved with is the coring of rare old growth Atlantic White Cedars growing in the DCLT’s newest conservation area The Plashes. Terracorp members Lydia and Charly walked me through the coring process, which extract cross sections of these trees for scientists to study. These cores are labeled, mounted, sanded, and examined, and tell us all sorts of information on the tree, area, and weather patterns. From the width, texture, and markings we are able to deduce how old the tree is, whether there was a wet or dry season, any disease in the area, and so much more. Cross-examining this information across the trees in various parts of the wetlands provide a broader perspective of the entire history of the area.
Above you can see the tool that is used to core the trees. Under the microscope, on the left are wider rings, which indicate a wet season. On the right, a dry season must have struck, meaning a shorter growth. I helped with the tedious job of counting the rings under the microscope, and our oldest cored tree is around 200 years old! This process is so fascinating, and is a great example of how conservation science preserves more than just species and ecology, but the entire history of the land. I am hoping to illustrate aspects of this process and the old growth White Cedars to be printed on trail signage down the line.
Life Grows at the Farm
Around Not Enough Acres Farm, it is crazy how things have sprung to life in a few short weeks! The garden is thriving after these recent downpours and sunny days. These past weeks, we had our first major harvests from both our veggie garden and flower garden, all of which are harvested by the community and donated to local food banks. Check out the garlic scapes (middle picture)! I’ve never actually heard of them until now, they’re the above-ground ‘fruit’ of the garlic plant. I got a handful to gift to my host family, and they are super delicious.
When I first arrived at the farm, I was greeted by the swooping and soaring of dozens of barn sparrows that live in our barn. Over the weeks, I’ve watched little baby birds appear in the nests adorning the barn ceiling (left). This week, they have left the nest! Sitting on the floor in and around the barn are adorable, clueless fully fledged teenage birds, who stumble around and look lost. At first, seeing them out of the nest, we were worried that they had been disturbed by the 4th of July fireworks or thunderstorms. However, they seem to be doing okay on their own. Unfortunately, as nature goes, there were several baby birds who did not make it past their first flight, and were laying lifeless on the ground beneath their nests. 🙁
Projects and Art Making
Of course, I didn’t come to the DCLT to just frolick around in nature, though I have been doing a lot of that. We have worked out some concrete projects that I have begun planning and working on. While we have been stewing on trail signage this entire time, my immediate first project is developing several illustrated designs to be implemented on shirts and other merchandise, which plays a big role in funding and marketing for the land trust. I am creating one for the farm, and another one for the Plashes property. With these designs, the goal is to encapsulate the diversity of species and how they, and us, interact with one another. I am super excited to complete these (hopefully this week!! so much to do aahh!!!!) and wear them on a shirt. Here are my sketches, research, and planning:
And here are more field sketches + experiments! I may be making some wood-burned signs for the Plashes, so I have been practicing and honing my skills. Stay tuned! More to come! Catch you on the flip!
