June 21st: Ecological Self Maps and Natural Areas Observations

  

June 21st: Observations at Ijams

June 21, 2024

The STEM Society class went on a field trip to Ijams Nature Center to enjoy and observe the natural environment while taking notes and thinking about the happenings around us. Ijams had multiple trails that observed large bodies of water and other unique natural structures. Additionally, many different insects and animals were interacting and moving around in their smaller ecosystem. Walking through the river trail, I saw lots of very green nature, heard birds and insects chirping, and smelled a smoky and dirty-like scent in the air and surroundings. I spent most of my time at the lake. Here, as I sat down next to the quiet waters, I started to notice many small details in the surrounding environment. My feelings started to reflect the quiet scenery as I felt my body relaxing and calming down. 

I was then given the assignment to observe a specific animal and an artifact of the animal. I decided to observe a spider. Occasionally wandering around its large web that spanned across a large cold rock and the edge of the bridge, I noticed that the spider would move in a jerking motion after I tapped on the wood next to it. The spider displayed some sentience and self-awareness as it also trapped the smaller animals that flew into its web, storing and eating them for prey. The web was very carefully weaved and lightly disturbed the environment around it. 

This spider's web was made out of spider silk and was created through careful weaving from the spider. Although it seemed completed, I noticed that the spider consistently "upgraded" the web because it would sometimes reweave and add to the web. The overall purpose of the web was used for a home and resting place along with a trap for food.

These observations could also be changed through the perspectives of the observer. In an anthropocentric view of the spider web, the spider creates a web because humans allow it to. The spider web is a minor nuisance and distraction from a perspective that centers around humans. The spider web captures minor insects and can be easily removed if it bothers humans too much. However, in a perspective centered around natural selection, the spider's web has another purpose. This time, the spider's web is created so it can survive in its surrounding environment and continue its species through reproduction. Lastly, in an eccentric perspective, the natural selection and anthropocentric view seemingly collide in a more nondisturbed fashion. Humans become other interacting characters instead of being the "main" player inside the environment. Humans and animals co-exist in an environment. In this perspective, the spider and humans are not exactly dependent on each other, but they are important through various small connections that eventually create a large deal. If spiders were no longer in the environment, a larger influx of smaller bugs may increase and the entire balance of animals may be upset. 

I also reflected on how my afternoon class, math, fit into nature. Although I was perplexed at first, I realized that mathematic discussions of dimensions, physics, and abstract ideas fit into how nature functions. At its core, mathematics tries to explain the unique circumstances of nature through means of numbers and logic. 

For more information about these perspectives, check out these links:

https://www.ecologicalcitizen.net/what-is.php?t=ecocentrism-definition

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/anthropocentrism#:~:text=Anthropocentrism%20literally%20means%20human%2Dcentered,or%20in%20their%20instrumental%20value.