Trees and Shrubs

We took a walk around campus and explored different kinds of trees. Here is a list of a few.

1. Crepe Myrtle - These trees are well-known for their colorful blooms during the summer months. The colorful flowers come in different shades of red to white. The flowers last for longer periods of times than most other trees, which makes them unique. These trees can vary in height, from being as tall as a shrub to growing over 100 feet tall.


2. Yoshino Cherry - These trees are incredibly popular in the Macon area. Yoshino Cherry trees produce pale white to pink petal flowers that give off a distinct fragrance when in bloom. These trees will flourish best in full sunlight and require soil that can drain easily. The Yoshino Cherry is originally from Japan, but were brought to North America in 1902.


3. Sugar Maple - These popular trees are known everywhere for their production of delicious maple syrup. These trees are easily able to be spotted because of their bright foliage during the fall season. The Sugar Maple can grow to great heights and is commonly found in the Northeastern region of the United States.


4. Weeping Willow - These trees are easily identified because of their droopy appearance. The Weeping Willow have long wispy branches with thin leaves that give the appearance that the tree itself is actually weeping. These trees have inspired many great pieces of art throughout the years and the wood from the willow is typically used for wicker. These trees have a large need for water and typically grow in places where water is nearby.

The Mystery of the Megaflood

The movie started off talking about scientist stumped by the Channeled Scablands. None of the knew why they looked the way they did or how they were formed. They thought that it may have happened because of erosion. There were boulders scattered throughout the Scablands and they thought that there was no way the normal river processing could have moved the boulders. They came to the conclusion that ice was the only way that the boulders could have been moved. One scientist claimed that it was not formed by evolution or erosion, it was a catastrophe that essentially happened over night. The people didn't believe him because it was too "unbelievable". They did research and finally decided that he wasn't wrong.

They discovered through experiments that Glacial Lake Mizzoula was the reason for the scablands. The water in the glacier would travel through small cracks and eventually melted the glacier causing an explosion of the glacier. The water traveled through the scablands just carving the landscape. The pressure of the water from the glacier carried the boulders around. The water pressure also cause ripples on the floor of the scablands, which scientists were perplexed by.

Ocmulgee River Lab and Ocmulgee Heritage Trail

The lab we did was to find the elevation change from the bank of the river down to the actual water and also the water flow rate in the river. We did our testing at Ocmulgee Heritage Trail located near downtown Macon. One group took a measuring stick and measured the slope of the hill that leads to the water. Another group placed an orange into the water on each side of the sandbar and timed how long it took to get to a designated stopping point. The picture below shows the elevation change at the part of the river where we crossed and measured.

The Ocmulgee Heritage Trail is great for a city like Macon because it allows people to go out and relax and just enjoy the river. It is a nice peaceful environment in which you can just go out and have a good time near the river. It also helps the city of Macon because it gives people something to so they can enjoy their community. It also improves the quality of the community because it gives value to the city. Police often navigate the park to make sure that it is a safe place to go and do whatever you please. Importance of Parks

Topographic Map of Irvine, California