Wildfire: A Great Event for Many- By Jack Maraziti

-
Warm orange flames danced amongst the treetops as darkness approached.  The setting sun was darkened by billowing black smoke that emerged from the forests of Northern California.  In complete silence, the distant crackling of brush burning could be heard coinciding with the sirens of the panic within the human population.  However, as many homes were evacuated by both people and animals, we started to converge on the fire with a gathering excitement. The excitement built with each increasing degree of heat.

As we neared the fiery destruction, a wave of black emerged from the forest, chased by licking flames.  We swooped down and feasted on the crunchy insects as if it was Thanksgiving! Weighed down with delicious food, we returned to a safe nesting area in close proximity to this wonderful gift.
After several days of waiting, nature finally dialed back the intensity of the flames.  With the flames extinguished, it was time to feast again, but on a different delicacy. This time it was the seeds of lodgepole pines.  These species of pine can only release its seeds when there is enough heat to melt a protective resin. Now, with the seeds freed, we dive into the delicious food.  This treat will last far into the future since new lodgepole pines can now grow. After a few years of growing, we will be able eat the needles of this wonderful, forever giving tree.

Although the event of wildfire can be harmful for many species, these masses of amazing destruction also allow for the survival and prosperity of many others.
***

The prospering species mentioned in this piece are grouse.  Grouse are a type of bird that inhabit areas of dense forests such as those in Northern California.  It is also true that they eat insects, seeds, and the needles of lodgepole pines. Grouse are just one of multiple other species that actually benefit form the event of a wildfire.  Although the majority of us (including me before this research) think that wildfires are just a horrific natural disaster, there are many positive outcomes and aspects that can occur such as this one.
Image result for wildfireImage result for grouse
Pictures from:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grace vs. the Tortoise - by Grace McDonough

-
Image
I haven't formed my thoughts about this school year yet because it's only the second day but my first day was straight fire. I got to reunite with the friends and meet my teachers and all the good stuff but I did burst into tears after school because I realized that I do actually have to go back every day. Not mentally prepared yet. I may have also just started sobbing because I woke up at 5:30 a.m. but I'm sure I'll have worse states of delirium as the year progresses. In all honesty, every first day of school has been the same for me since I became a sentient being somewhere around the second grade. All of the teachers ask if I'm related to my siblings who graduated long before me and have apparently left a legacy for me to fulfill. It does get a bit stressful, considering how my new teachers might adjust to me just not being as funny or creative or talented as my older brother and sister. School does have it's charming though. I desperately wanted summer to l...
Read more

Not Fate, Just a Coincidence - Sila Paniker

-
Image
The idea of fate confuses me. I don't really understand how something will happen no matter what you do. It just seems very unlikely. I think we're constantly making choices that lead to occurrences. We make so many decisions a day that it seems impossible that fate can find a way around it all.  Awhile ago, I saw something called the Butterfly Effect, which doesn't exactly relate to fate but it makes sense to me. The idea is that a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a tornado on the other side of the world. Essentially, small changes can have large impacts. In my head, this connects with the thousands of tiny decisions we subconsciously make each day. There are people I've met or things that have happened and it feels like it was meant to be but they're just a bunch of coincidences that had the ability to change everything. Thinking about it, there are reasons that can explain everything. For example, I met one of my closest friends a few years ago a...
Read more

Effects of a Positive Mental Attitude on the Student Populace -Jack Maraziti

-
Image
Many kids, including teens, often second guess themselves either in school or on the sports field.  But what good comes out of that?  Recent studies prove that when people have a positive mental attitude toward a topic, it will increase the effectiveness of the brain and probability of success. In 2018, Stanford School of Medicine conducted a study with 240 students ages seven to ten.  47 students were analyzed using an MRI while doing basic math.  The results were outstanding!  Students who had a positive attitude toward the subject of Math were found to have a more active hippocampus.  The hippocampus is a part of the brain responsible for memory and learning.  Lang Chen, leading author of the study stated, "...the unique contribution of positive attitude to math achievement is as large as the contribution from IQ."  This reveals that when students are have a positive attitude toward a subject in school, they are more likely to retain informat...
Read more