TERRENO
Organism Of The Year Come and dig into some poems, stories, photos and more! All found in this new edition of Terreno!
Organism of the Year The greatest thing that happened this year was the saprophyte fungi. What is the saprophyte fungi you ask? Well, they are a type of fungi that converts dead organic material into wonderful fertile soil. In order to break down the tough material found inside the dead organic material using cellulose and lignin, which is found in wood. Saprophyte fungi break down the dead organic material and change it into CO2, fungal biomass,
small molecules, and organic acids which are beneficial to us. Right now on earth there is a great deal of soil degradation happening, and we need to do everything we can do to protect it because it is such a vital part of the world. We need soil in order to provide food, be the foundation for buildings, preserve artifacts, and allow life to develop. These are only some reasons soil matter, there are still many other reasons. It is not only soil that
helps with all of these things, it is also because of the many organisms inside of it too. Some organisms living inside of the soil are mites, worms, moles, bacteria, and saprophytes. Some causes of soil loss are soil erosion, desertification, salinization, pollution (or acid rain), and artificial fertilizer. Soil erosion happens when the top part of the soil washes or blows away. Desertification happens when once productive lands turn
Organism of the Year into deserts. When
deforestation. Many
them into new rich soil
there is too much left
trees are dying or
for more generations
over from some sort of being cut down and
of trees, organisms,
salty water, it is called causing a lot of forest and other organic salinization. Pollution
to die. This causes
materials to grow and
can be natural
many organisms to
thrive.
pollution like acid rain, lose their homes and or it could include man possibly die, also, it is made products that
one of the main places
cannot be recycled
fertile soil is found. If
back into the soil that
the organisms die, the
somehow get into the
soil will too, but
soil. Believe it or not,
saprophytes have
but there are still more been and will reasons we are
continuing to fight
beginning to lose our
against this problem. It
soil.
is eating the dead One other thing
causing soil loss is
leaves, organisms, and trees, and turning
Barbaric Yawps The Soil Around Us Emma How do we give back to the thing that made our life? We stomp it, we smash it, and we trample right through it We disregard it and just plain ignore it We dig and we rip things right out of its core We throw our trash and unwanted things right on to its surface It gives us food and we give it disrespect It gives us oxygen and we destroy it The earth, the soil, it is time to give back Why haven’t we before?
This Land is Our Land Jasmin I burrow my toes into the ground The soil in which the saprophytes creep The berries grow The worms rejoice I run my hand across the land Land Land where the bees hum and the willow trees weep This land that I will return to once again
Barbaric Yawp Life Newtrients Annika I’ve been waiting to leave my mark on this square world. Of war Of concrete Of gaseous fumes The ocean rises and crashes each day, a resounding crescendo of voices. I stand in the sand, watching everything i’ve ever loved fall apart. But I am not square. The dynamics have weathered away my edges, rounding my grainy sides. My world, Of fertility, Of minerals, Of chrysanthemum and lilac petals. I have saved everything I've ever loved, rooted them deep in the earth for me to find long after I have bloomed and wilted time and time again.
One Wild and Precious Life Poems Nature Emma Looking closer, I see everything around me Above me, clouds block the rays of the sun In the distance a red vested teacher patrols the garden The woodpecker pecks away at the large pine tree The cars driving past are only a mere whisper An old rocking chair, with chipped green paint and a missing arm rocks back and forth A sweet smell of mulch and flowers fill my lungs Succulent leaf petals are scattered along the floor A birdcage with plastic eggs and rubber ducks sways in the wind A plane drones overhead and muffles the birds Hummingbirds flit from flower to flower Ants run single file towards their home I am back where I belong, nature
Life Jasmin
Above me sits a tranquil finch facing violet flowers So beautiful it's as if it is a part of Monet's paintings Surrounded by the buzz of jubilant bees And the joyous melody of bird song My hand glides across a succulent textured like an armadillo's armor Bumping into a waxy leaf on the way to the lumpy ground Lively plants growing from a dull withered fountain Bees dance among the flowers slurping up the nectar with their resilient tongues The Suns scintillating light bursting through the dreary clouds How is it that we live in such a wondrous world
Everything my Heart Adored [it needed more] Annika Nothing is silent, nothing is still my head is a platter for only the brightest and infinite delicacy, for the earth knows its power, and its power to share, “persist through the hardships, and I will grant you the greatest happiness and warmth.� A piercing ground only sharpens and powders the hand, how it touches the mind. You shall not live in the bland behind you, drift only in the greenest that forever lay ahead.
I stood and all beyond me glistened, but the sky was still no brighter, so I sat. It kissed me! and it curled back as I looked up, Its entire form stooping down over me. The desire to grasp its outstretched arms was so strong, though I knew I could not. So I continued to the center, the high point holiday of my stroll. I begged humanity to hush!-I am sailing And I saw that not water, but stones made up my vision. A disappointment was planned but I had seen far more than my heart desired. I will never see enough. I am foolish, for all I have wanted, I never knew that one could want. But do not scream, for the birds shall mock us all. For Nothing is silent, nothing is still.
The History of Arlington Gardens By:Emma Arlington Gardens is the only garden in Pasadena that is a dedicated public garden. In April 1902, John Durand bought 10 acres of property that was known as “Arlington Heights”. When it was first laid out in 1885, Arlington Drive extended 1,012 feet, which was from South Orange Grove to Pasadena Avenue. After the purchase, a team of workers spent 3 years reconstructing an idea made by F.L. Roehrig. Almost everything was handcrafted, and by the end it was the largest house in Southern California with 50 rooms and 3 stories. There was about 600 feet of empty space left, so architects created a “tropical paradise” with palms, cacti, and flowers. The property remained in the family until John Durand died in 1960, and the mansion was destroyed. The 3 acre lot was supposed to be a staging area for the construction of the 710 Freeway, but had been vacant since 1961. The inspiration came from a book by Jan Smithen, Sun Drenched Gardens: The Mediterranean, and the design came from Mayita Dinos. The goal of Arlington Gardens is to develop a garden that needs little water and has a Mediterranean climate. The colors in the garden help to attract birds and butterflies to the formerly empty lot. It is the home to about 350 trees, thousands of Mediterranean climate plants, California natives, and South African and Australian natives. Arlington Gardens also promotes the conservation of rare plants by growing rare California natives. Arlington Gardens helps bring serenity and education to the surrounding communities.
On the History of Arlington Gardens I chose the article about the history of the Arlington Gardens because I have always been interested in the Arlington Gardens and I wanted to learn more. One of my first times in the garden, I met the owners of the property, and they told us a very brief history of Arlington Gardens. Once I heard the brief history, I wanted to know the whole history, but I never got around to finding it until now. On the internet, the entire history was not available, but much of it was. While learning the history, I decided to also research more on what Arlington Gardens does that helps.
Ron Finley and His Garden By: Jasmin When I was on the bus heading towards Ron Finley's house, I wasn't sure what to expect. I had a series of ideas running through my head about what he, his house, and his plants looked like. When I did arrive I was surprised to find out that it was just a house on a normal street with a beautiful humongous garden open for all to use. Ron Finley taught us many valuable lessons about plants, the area he lived in, and different ideas he held about a better future. The first thing we did upon arriving was gather towards the center of the garden and talked about the different types of plants surrounding us. He told us how most of the animals and plants that were in his garden got there by themselves. Surrounding us were vibrant fruits and vegetables growing in the middle of a food desert. He also taught us about composting and what he did to make a compost bin. Ron Finley then told us about his neighborhood and how it is considered a food desert. A food desert is an area where people need to travel more than a mile to get to fresh food. In South Los Angeles, finding fresh food is a major problem that Ron Finley is trying his best to solve. Many people in South Los Angeles are obese and eat fast food as an easy filling meal. Ron Finley has a solution to all these problem. He believes that if at least one building on a street should be growing a garden open for everyone, so that we all can have fresh food. The garden also adds beauty to the area. With his idea less people will be obese and everyone will be happy.
Ron Finley and His Garden It started when I found out about how many people lived unhealthy lives because they lived in a food desert. The people who have the unhealthy lives may pass their lifestyle down to their children, causing them to also be unhealthy. The people don't notice that this is happening to them and even if they did, they are unable to fix this problem because they are living in a food desert. I believe that using Ron Finley's ideas can help change this problem. If I help by telling other people about it then it will spread and we can change the world.
Photo Manipulation By Annika
On Photo Manipulation So far, you’ve heard and read about ways to care for your environment. You’ve seen ads, you’ve watched it happen. Caring for the environment is extremely important, so why not start at the base, soil? Soil is shown in the mouth, representing food for the plants growing in and on the arms because of its nutrients and minerals that are good for the plants and will help them grow. There are mushrooms, or saprophytes as well as sunflowers growing on the body, showing that every person can be strong and rooted when they grow for themselves and can still give back to the soil after taking in its riches. Sunflowers have many purposes, as do eyes of a being. They attract the eyes of others because of their intricate beauty as well as turning to the sun and being able to sense light. Plants and humans are similar, we also depend on each other for the other species to live, so start protecting and growing your own plants.
Letter from the Editors Dear Readers, Over the past week and a half, our seventh grade class has been exploring the ‘soil unit,’ an educational, hands-on, exciting, and educational experience with soil as well as nature and humanity’s benefits from it. Many of the lessons have consisted of benefits of rich soil, food and health education, and how to educate others. During the soil unit, we also explored the Arlington Garden, visited Ron Finley and his garden, and much more. In the beginning, I anticipated that the soil unit would be much harder and less exciting than it really was in the end. We took several field trips which helped me learn better than sitting and staring at a screen all of class. On the first day, when we walked to the Arlington Garden, we collected different soil samples for a bacteria experiment while observing the different areas of plants and soil types. During another rotation at the Arlington Garden, we spent a long period of time simply observing the garden in peace and quiet for details to write a poem [see pg.5] about. Before we left, the last rotation I visited was the labyrinth walk, which succeeding calmed and emptied my thoughts and worries of that morning, proving [to me] that nature is entirely capable of inner healing and good distractions. Also while I was walking, I really focused on steadily pacing myself, feeling my feet in the soil beneath me with every step. At times when I was able to feel very comfortable with my walk and balance, I closed my eyes, really trying to connect myself to the quiet outside world I usually don’t get to experience very often. The next day, we visited Ron Finley’s home garden and had the opportunity to meet him as well. He talked to us for a while at the beginning of our visit, and he said many extraordinary things about his experience with his garden and gardening overall, and one of the things he said stood out to me. “There’s no thinking outside the box, there’s no box, just think,” he chuckled, and I realized that besides gardening, there really are no limits to soil’s aid to the world, there are many things it does for the earth. A garden couldn’t grow without the soil
itself, for starters. He mentioned that many of the vegetables were not planted on purpose, they just showed up, and that a garden doesn’t have to have complete organization, it’s art in itself. Later on, he pointed out his sunflowers and the fact that they have a ‘stacking effect’ on the world, starting with their bright color and size bringing smiles to everyone who sees them, then attracting bugs and birds to the garden, then attracting more people as well as providing seeds. The small yard that Ron was able to grow a garden in made me excited, I had just recently moved, and my empty yard is huge, with plenty of room to try my hand at gardening. After having learned about food deserts and the reality of obesity reasons in organic education deprived areas as well as the layers of soil and how it is made, we did many hands on activities before wrapping up our soil unit. My group first took a tree walk, learning about how unsafe and ill the trees on our school campus actually are; it was totally surprising and extremely devastating. We then observed rich and healthy soil versus dry and unhealthy soil under different microscopes. The dry soil was entirely dead and light colored, whereas the rich soil was a dark brown, moist, and contained living organisms. In California, water distribution has been a problem, because of our drought, so during our next activity, we weeded flower box areas and mulched them as well as weeding the native plant gardens. These past days have been a new experience for me, but probably one of the most interesting and intriguing experiences i’ve had in school. I will definitely bring the lessons I have learned during the soil unit through the rest of my life. After these hands-on activities and unique classroom discussions, I feel more enriched, as if the teachers were enriching soil of their own in us so we could continue to grow with this information in the world outside of school. Not only to our readers, but to our teachers as well as our guest educators: Thank YOU, Annika
Dear Readers, During the last two weeks, my class and I have gone on various field trips, met a variety of people, and have learned many valuable lessons. When it was a day before the soil unit started, I wasn’t sure how fun it would be for me and was a bit stressed out and nervous about what to expect, but after a while I found out that this is a magically journey in which new things wait at every corner. I was surprised to see two very inspirational people whom which i idolized very much. I worked with Leigh and Ted once again! Leigh and Ted both work at the Arboretum and have taught me very important things to know about caring for plants. Leigh actually walked a group of seventh graders (including me) throughout my school and showed me trees where simple mistakes like getting too close to the trees withe the weed wackers. Certain things like that could later be the end of the tree. Ted helped us mulch planter beds around my school campus to help enrich the soil. I also went on many field trips. One field trip I went on was to a canyon. All of the seventh graders cared for baby oak trees that were planted there four months ago. We weeded then and then put mulch around the base of the trees. After, we brought water buckets all the way to the trees. It was hard work, but I was happy to help these beautiful baby oaks. I learned about the many wonderful things about soil and how it helps provide food, be a home for organisms, and helps regulate water flow. I also learned more about my organism of the year, saprophytes, which I found out that they are a type of fungi that converts dead organic material into fertile soil. I have had a great time in the soil unit and have learned many things, been on many field trips, and have done Thank You, Jasmin
Dear Readers, These past two weeks in the Soil Unit have been phenomenal. We have learned so much about the soil and the organisms that live in it. We have gone on so many amazing field trips and met many wonderful people. We have gone on field trips to Ron Finley’s house in South Central LA, where we learned the importance food has on people. We went to Rubio Hills in Altadena, where we picked weeds and watered baby trees. We have also had an on campus “field trip” where we walked around campus with different people. With Leigh we learned about healthy vs. unhealthy trees. With Ted we learned about mulch and how it helps store water for the plants. With Aisha we learned about composting and worms. With Emily we learned about birds. With Rishi we learned about the difference between healthy and unhealthy soil. And with Taherah we learned about weeds such as grass and why they are a nuisance. Before the soil unit, I didn’t really think about the importance of soil. I thought of it just as what plants grow in, not the many other importances. When I thought of plants I didn’t think about how they are one of the starting components of the food chain. They feed everyone and everything else in someway or another. If the soil is infertile, the plant doesn’t grow, if the plant doesn’t grow, the food chain has no food. I also did not think about all of the organisms that live in the soil, there aren’t just gophers and worms, there are moles, bacteria, ants, fungi, and so many others. They all play important roles in making soil and giving back to the earth. Fungi, for example, are decomposers, they break down organic waste and return it to the soil. Overall, the Soil Unit has been very memorable and enjoyable. I have learned so much about soil, the organisms in it, and I think now I have a greater appreciation for soil and everything it does. Thank You, Emma