Indian Mounds

           The Ocmulgee Indian Mounds located in the fall line city, Macon, GA, is an ancient civilization that consists of seven mounds and associated plazas. Fall line cities are on areas where the upland region of the Piedmont meets the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The people believed to have built and occupied these mounds were believed to be Muskogean speakers and were later named Creek Indians by Europeans. According to a migration legend passed along by the Creek Indians, they originally came from a place farther west that had many earthquakes and some of the Indians decided to leave and travel further eastward to find where the sun rose. They traveled until they reached a volcano and decided to settle down in what is currently known as Macon after meeting three nations that taught them about herbs and other things.

            My experience at the Indian Mounds was very relaxing. I certainly did get some walking in but it was worth it to reach the top of one of the mounds. It was a beautiful day and I even saw a few classmates whistle with a piece a grass. It was not something I tried but it was interesting to watch. I could see all over Macon from the top of the mound. It reminded me of the first time my O-group went up to the tower in the Administrative Building at Mercer and we had this beautiful view from everywhere in the tower. I would recommend the mounds as a place to relax. For anyone looking to further explore the mounds, visit http://lostworlds.org/ocmulgee_mounds/ .

Negative/ Positive Feedback Loops

Feedback means that the results of a process feed back into the system to change the rate of that process.

 2 Feedback Loops

-Negative Feedback Loops are systems that respond to a change by returning to its original state, or at least by decreasing the rate at which the change is occurring.

- Positive Feedback Loops are systems that amplify changes, whereas negative feedback loops resist changes.

Negative  feedback loops usually predominate.

Example of Negative Feedback is the body's Insulin Response

Time	Blood Sugar Levels
0	104
5	145
10	180
15	185
20	132
25	20
30	108
35	105
40	104
45	105

Community Gardens

           
              In this week's lab we visited a community garden located behind Centenary United Methodist Church that is sponsored by the Macon Roots Organization. One of its founders,Mark Vanderhoek, told us a little about the work that some of the residents of Macon as well as students of Mercer are doing in the garden. We learned about the advantages of having a community garden and what has to be considered in the planning of it. A community garden can be very helpful in the world of environmentalists and environmental scientists because gardening is environmentally friendly. More people raising crops helps to balance the negative effects of over population and pollution from factories if people mainly eat the food they grow. When the participants of a community garden finally find a garden site they must make sure the soil is not contaminated and that the land and soil they plan to use will be fertile enough to grow their crops. For this reason, it would probably be a good idea for one to know the twelve soil orders of the world and how to recognize them so he or she can determine whether he or she needs to build wooden boxes like those shown in the picture above to avoid contamination .

Plant Identification

Ilex Opaca (Ilex Holly)

 Betula Nigra (Birch)

Magnolia Grandiflora

Platanus Occidentalis (Sycamore)

Castanea Mallissima (Chinese Chestnut)

Phlox Subulata

Ruellia Angustifolia (Mexican Petunia)

Loropetalum Chinense

Zinnias Elegans

Brugmansia Arborea (Angel's Trumpet)

Liriope Spicata (Monkey Grass)

Colocasia Esculenta Illustris (Elephant Ear)

Cycas Revoluta (Sago Palm)

Rhus Radican (Poison Ivy)

Nandina Domestica

Clam Watching

                During this lab we focused on measuring the dispersement of clams based on the speed of the currents in the Ocmulgee River. We also looked at the amount of live clams found at different depth levels. In the first picture, the white numbers represent the number of live clams found in each particular area at level one. The number of clams found in level two is shown in red. The speed of the current around a certain area is shown in blue and the high foliage is represented in green. The second picture shows the elevation from riverbank to the riverbank on the opposite side.

Butterflies :)

I am not much of an animal person but I have always
been interested in butterflies. I guess what attracts me to them is their different color patterns and my love for bright colors. I know a few basic things about butterflies. I know they start off as caterpillars that eat and shed their skin constantly until they are ready for metamorphasis. Once the caterpillars wrap themselves up in the sticky silk they produce from their mouths and go through complete metamorphasis they break through their cocoons as fully grown butterflies.

Isarithmic Map