# data[].attributes.body
-I notice how peaceful this ecosystem is because it inhabits so many small creatures. I notice how each plant grows upward and hugs each other.

-I wonder how the leaves in the tree turn from solid to completely transparent depending on the season?

-I know that the leaves change color through the seasons so I wonder if it’s related to that or if they have just died and need to regrow.

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-I notice that the leaves of the carrots curl outwards, as do the leaves of the weeds.

-I wonder how some weeds are still able to grow right against the wood when it gets no full sunlight, since the other weeds of it's species seem to thrive in full sun?

-I know that some plants only need shade or partial sun to survive, so maybe this particular weed is very hardy and can survive with little sunlight.

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-I notice that there are many large gaps in the hedge that don't have many branches or leaves in them.
-Why do leaves and branches not grow in certain parts of the hedge?
-In the past, I have seen cases in which a Christmas tree is healthy on top but sparse on the bottom. This suggests to me that the tree and the hedge are experiencing a similar situation in which some parts of the hedge do not receive adequate sunlight and fail to perform enough photosynthesis to obtain the ATP necessary for growth. It also brings the question of how far the bush distributes glucose throughout itself.

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-I notice that the leaves near the bottom of the succulent plant are dry and dead, while the leaves more towards the top are healthy and thriving.

-Why did the leaves near the bottom of the plant die as the plant grew taller?

-I have seen something similar to this happen before on a flower, when some petals were already withered and dry while others were just starting to grow. This makes me think that maybe for this succulent plant, as it grows taller, it essentially “leaves behind” its old leaves and grows new ones. This reminds me of continued new leaf growth on the plant, and that the leaves always stay near the top while the stem grows longer.

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- I notice the rocks surrounding the river have moss growing on them, as do the trees.

- How exactly is the moss able to grow without an immediate source of water?

- I can infer that the moss is able to grow due to the humidity of the air, because there isn't another way for them to get the water they need. I predict that moss only grows in very humid climates.

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- I notice that although only one strawberry plant was originally planted in this area last year, they have spread and the ground is now covered in them.
- I wonder what allowed the strawberry plants to spread and cover more area without human interference, especially over such a short period of time
- From examining at the area, I think the roots from the strawberry plants are spreading above ground and allowing for more growth in other areas.

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-I think that both the plants are the same. I also notice that the leaves on the plants have a white/yellow substance. Another thing I noticed is that the leaves are pointy at the end. The last thing I noticed is that the leaves on the bottom are darker than the leaves on the top.
-What is the yellow substance on the leaves and where did it come from?
-I have heard before that leaves turn yellow when they do not receive enough water. These plants are not really taken care of so I think this must be the cause of the yellowness.

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- I notice that there are a variety of different kinds of plants that are able to co-exist in the same environment. Also there doesn't seem to be an overwhelming amount of a singular species, they're all growing rather equally in terms of size with the exception of the flowers
- How is it possible for all of these plants to be thriving equally with almost no decay?
- Maybe it's because there aren't any large trees or structures that prevent these plants from obtaining energy to grow, so they're able to all gather an equitable amount of light, water, nutrients, etc.

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-I noticed that these flowers were much smaller than the ones around them.
-Why are these flowers so much smaller than their counterparts, even though their stems and leaves are the same size and they grew in the same conditions?
-While I was looking at these flowers, I saw a caterpillar and some other bugs around the plant. Maybe these other creatures that are part of the same ecosystem are eating away at the plant, stunting its growth.

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-I noticed that this particular cactus was much more prickly than others I have encountered previously during my lifetime.
-Why did this cactus develop prickles in this way? It has "stars" which seem to have 10-20 prickles emanating from a central point.
-I know that much like all cactuses, this cactus species developed in this way to shield its precious resource, water, from animals who would wish to have it. Prickles going straight out would be able to be broken by animals who could then access the water inside. However, with prickles in this way, no animal can even get near the cactus so this arrangement guards the water inside the cactus more efficiently.

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I notice that some plants are thriving while others are withering away.
Why are some of the plants dying? Why are the others doing well?
I know that the seasons are changing and that some plants do well in warmer weather. Others do better in cooler weather. It might be because the days are longer and certain plants can't survive with too much sunlight.

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I notice how there are a few flowers scattered across the grass/plants. There are a few different varieties, and more present outside the frame of the photo.
I wonder why those flowers are there, the plant only has a few so I would think they must serve some purpose.
I think one possible explanation could be the grass/bush plant(s) use the flower's benefits from pollination from insects like bees, maybe for it's own good use.

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-I noticed that these flowers in our backyard were leaning sideways.
-Why do the flowers lean to the side, especially when it makes them more unstable?
-I know that sunlight is important for these flowers to grow, and since they are planted next to a building, there's not a lot of sunlight coming from that direction. Because of this, I think the flowers naturally grow to lean towards the direction where there is often more sun.

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- I noticed that the roots in the small pot the plant is currently in are somewhat crowded. (This might not be visible in the picture.)
- Why do the ends of some of the leaves appear to be brownish or ripped/cut off in some way?
- I know that crowded roots can cause plants to grow at lower rates or die completely. Some other possible causes could be excessive direct sunlight or over-watering, both of which can kill plants as well.

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-I noticed that this maple leaf tree (on the outskirts of a forest near my house) is currently growing back its leaves from the bottom of the tree to the top, as the lower branches are full of greenery while the upper branches are bare.
-Why would this maple leaf tree's leaves grow from the bottom to the top, in spite of the fact that the top of a tree receives more amounts of sunlight and rain for it to be nourished?
-I know that though the top of a tree receives the most sunlight and rain, the bottom is closest to the roots - which bring in all the water and nutrients needed to help the tree grow and flourish. As a result, I can infer when these nutrients travel up the trunk of the tree through osmosis, the bottom branches will be able to absorb and use them first, causing the earlier bloom of leaves to happen there. The roots and bottom of the tree also provide the support system of the maple, which is why it would be more important for this part to grow earlier versus the top of the tree.

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-I noticed that bamboo has spread from one side of the path to the other.
-How does the bamboo do this, as the two patches are separated and bamboo doesn't drop seeds?
-I know that some plants can sprout from existing roots underground. I think the bamboo roots spread under the sidewalk and sprouted new plants on the other side.

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-I noticed that all the plants seem to be vibrant and there aren't many brown spots. All the plants seem to be living together in harmony as well.
-How do the different plants surrounding manage not to collide and live together in harmony? Why are all the plants so vibrant.
-I know that the garden has bark on top of the soil to prevent weeds and keep the plants in their place so that could be one of the reasons that all the plants are staying in one place and everything looks so orderly. Another reason the plants could be so vibrant and thriving is that there are lots of honeybees that pollinate whenever I walk by. This is an example of a healthy garden every plant is getting equal water, sunlight, pollination, etc. I also noticed that the garden is not under any trees or shaded in any way so it has access to direct sunlight which may be another reason why the garden is thriving.

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-I noticed that a portion of the leaves on this plant were beginning to brown and die.
-Why are the leaves of this plant beginning to die off, but not any of the leaves of the surrounding greenery?
-I know that plants rely on energy from the sun to break apart the CO2 and H2O they take in, and then rearrange those into glucose that can be used for biosynthesis and cellular respiration (and O2 that is released as a waste product). There is a tree directly above this plant, so it is possible that the canopy of the tree is blocking sunlight, which is preventing the leaves from being able to perform photosynthesis to live and grow.

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- I noticed that while nearby sunflower plants are getting eaten by rabbits, these strawberry plants have not been bit or eaten by rabbits.
- Why do the rabbits eat the sunflower plants while not eating the strawberries or strawberry plants?
- Based on previous observations, I know that rabbits have preferences as to which kinds of plants to eat. I also observe that the leaves of a strawberry have a spiky shape which is different than the sunflower leaf shape. So, the rabbits might only be eating leaves of plants that have a shape that doesn't hurt them.

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-I noticed that this bush has more leaves on the top of the bush than the bottom of the plant.
-Why does the top of the bush have so many leaves while the bottom half has almost none?
-I know that leaves are what facilitate photosynthesis, so the plant could be growing more leaves where the plant receives more sunlight. It could be doing this to more effectively photosynthesize.

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-I noticed that on the Japanese maple that grows in my front yard, all of the leaves are a mixture of grayish purple and green, except for this cluster of bright red leaves.
-Why would the color be so different on the same tree in just this area?
-In the spring, the leaves were all redder than they are now, almost as red as the cluster of bright leaves. It is possible that the color of the maple leaves vary based on the season, and this cluster of leaves are either early to change, or late.

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-I noticed that there was a lot of chirping coming from the trees

- Why would there be chirping in the trees but none any where around the area?

- I have seen that most animals don't leave their homes unless they are looking for food, so most of the birds are staying in their habitat.

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-I noticed that the leaves on the bottom of the fern are all dead and withered, while the top half is perfectly healthy.

-Why would leaves on the same plant be in such different states?

-Since the older, lower leaves will inevitably be covered up by the newer ones, they probably weren't able to soak in enough sunlight and died from that. (Though this does make me wonder how trees and big bushes are able to stay green and not look like this)

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- I noticed that though most of the other plants around it were green, the one on the right is already mostly yellow.
-Why would the leaves turn yellow in no particular pattern, and only to this bush and not to the ones around it?
- I think that many smaller plants under and around it may take most of the water, leaving almost none for the bush on the right to consume. The lack of nutrients getting to the leaves would then shut the leaves down, turning them yellow.

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-I noticed that there are many different species of plants in the ecosystem. There are maple trees, evergreen trees, and flowers in the long grass.

-Why are the yellow flowers not evenly dispersed throughout the field? Some areas are more densely packed with flowers than others.

-I know that plants need sunlight to grow, and the areas with more flowers seem to receive more sunlight. There are large trees on some sides of the field that block the sun. Therefore, it is likely that sunlight has influenced the growth of these flowers.

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-I noticed that one side of this tree’s bark has fallen off, while the other side remains intact and is still attached to the tree.

-Why is this the case, what caused the bark on the left side of the tree to fall off but the right side of the tree to stay on?

-Perhaps the orientation of the tree led to the left side being more exposed to the elements which consequently made the bark susceptible and caused it to fall off. Additionally, I know that there is often yard work around this tree, which may have also had an impact.

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introduction to ecostytems plant photo rotated

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-My grandma used to garden in the side of the land that is closest to us, however, once she moved away, we stopped taking care of the vegetables, so they are now overrun with weeds. There is a fence (not shown in the picture, however it is on the right side of picture) that blocks the upper/higher ground from spreading the seeds of it's weeds to our ground. Additionally, there is no tree high enough on the right side of the fence for the wind to blow it's seeds over the fence and onto the yard.
-I wonder where these weeds are coming from, is it from a tree, from the soil itself, or from somewhere else?
-I know that a weed's seeds are usually spread spread by the wind, so perhaps there was another higher ground or level-grounded land that I missed.
If you look on the far side of the tree, you will see a part of land that is infested with weeds. That is actually our neighbor's land, so my grandma never tilled or cleaned it. This leads me to believe that their weed's seeds were blown onto our side of the ground and then sprouted from there.
However, the weeds could be from the seeds of the tree on the land itself, which separates our neighbor's land from our land (as seen on the top right corner of the photo). But, there are many different types of weeds that one singular tree could not produce on it's own. Albeit the tree's seeds could have contributed to the weeds from our neighbor's ground.

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-I noticed that recently a mounds of dirt have appeared in my backyard.
-I wonder what species the animal is that was making the dirt mounds?

-Before we removed the dirt from on top of the hole, the mounds looked exactly the same as the mounds of dirt I used to see at my old school during the summer and spring months. This makes me believe that the creatures responsible are moles.

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-I notice that there is a large amount of algae floating on the surface of the pond.
-I wonder what (if any) animals in this pond eat the algae?
-I've previously seen tadpoles in this pond, in addition to some frogs in the vicinity. I also know that tadpoles eat algae. This leads me to believe animals are eating the algae, these tadpoles included.

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-I noticed that the plants closer to the camera seemed newer an fresher, and the leaves further down the stem were deteriorating and turning brown.
-I wonder whether they are dying because of lack of sunlight or lack of water, or whether an insect's bite made it die.
-If the latter is true, will the leaves closest (in the picture) also deteriorate or will the sunlight and water it gets will save it since it reaches sunlight and is high enough for water?
-Though most of the other leaves in the bush look similar to the ones in good condition, so I think that the leaves in poor condition turned brown because of access to too much sunlight and not enough water, possibly.

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- I noticed that the flowers on the plant on the left haven't bloomed yet, the plant in the middle has a couple that have bloomed, and then the plant on the right has many flowers.
- I wonder why on the left side no flowers have bloomed while on the right side there is an abundance of them. They have been there for an equal amount of time and have been watered the same amount.
- I know that there are bigger plants next to the left plants which could be contributing to those plants having less flower growth.

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I noticed that there are many different types of plants growing that all look pretty different.  As you can see in the picture there is a pine bush, a plant with very long grass like leaves, a plant with small leaves, and a plant with long branches.

The plants were already there when my family moved in so I wonder if the original owner planted all these different plants on purpose or if they just happened to grow differently. I also wonder if there needs to be different ecosystems fro different plants to grow because I see a pine bush which is seen more in colder temperatures, but I also see a plant with a lot of leaves that does not seem like it could survive in some conditions.

To answer my first question, I think that it could have been a combination of both nature and the previous owners. I know if you plant a seed a plant will grow but I think nature could have also brought the seed to the location and it grew from there. An animal such as a bird or squirrel could have moved a seed to the garden. To answer my second question, I think Washington has very different weather all year which means that many different types of plants are able to grow even if they are next to each-other.

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- I noticed that there are a couple different plant species living there but one of them (the tall grass like one) seems to be taking over.

- I wonder how so many of these plants have gotten here, it's not shown in the picture but there is cement and then another patch of the same variety of plants, I wonder how they traveled underneath the cement to spread to new areas.

- This reminds of tree roots making cracks in cement along side streets to grow and get longer so I think the same process happened here for the plants but they are not quite strong enough to make crack in the cement.

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I notice there are holes in the big spade shaped leaves, but there are no holes in other plant leaves. Meaning the holes are only on one type of plant.

Why are the holes only on one type of plant while similar plants next to said plants are untouched?

I know slugs/small bugs eat plant leaves which could be the cause of the holes. Since slugs and bugs do not eat every plant species, perhaps the white striped green leave plants aren't digestible/edible to slugs or bugs.

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- I noticed that the tops of all the cattails were dying and dried, while the stalk and leaves seemed to be healthy and green.
- I know that cattails usually grow around ponds, but I'm wondering why they usually don't grow around big lakes, or at least don't grow as abundantly.
- I know that the biggest difference between a lake and a pond is it's size and also that ponds are very still in comparison to large lakes. Also, the cattails grew in thick mud, meanwhile most lakes have sandy/ rocky shores which wouldn't be an ideal place for a cattail to grow.

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I noticed that the strawberry plants in my garden have a lot of damage to their leaves, but the rose bush has no damage.
Why is this happening? Is the rose bush fine because of its prickly stem?
This makes me suspicious that the herbivore is a small, land animal that cannot jump, because if not, the rose bush would be impacted. This narrows my list down to a slug, which I know lives in my yard.

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- I noticed that some of the smaller and lower leaves are browning and decaying on the edges. However, the upper leaves are green and full.
- How come the small and lower leaves are decaying when the upper leaves are not?
- I know that plants require sunlight to grow and develop, so I can infer that the smaller and lower leaves are not getting as much sunlight because they are underneath the bigger leaves. It could also be that the lower leaves are older and are dying to make room for new leaves.

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-I noticed that there are three plants of the same variety, but one of them is yellow/lime green while the others are a dark green.
-Why is the plant in the middle such a different color than the ones beside it if it is the same species?
-I know that plants grow differently depending on how old they are, how much sunlight they get, and how many times they have been moved. I think the plant in the middle might be older than the other plants and it could have been moved from another spot that got a different amount of sun than the others.

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- I noticed that the plant on the left seemed less full and more wilted than the other plants that were the same species.
-Why would the left plant be so different from the other two if they are in the same place and have been located there the same amount of time with the same care?
I know that there is a tree to the left of the less full/wilted plant and that due to its positioning it can get less sunlight compared to the others. The lack of sunlight prevents it from growing as full as the other plants.

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• I observered that some leaves on these vines are darker green at seemingly random places. After further observation, I can confirm that this is a single vine, and not mutiple vines overlapping each other.
• Why are some leaves dark green while others are light green when all these leaves are on the same plant?
• I know that spring tends to be a "brighter" season. Spring is right after winter, in which most leaves have already died. In spring, most leaves are still young. This means that younger leaves will have a brighter color than older leaves and this vine is a combination of both.

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- I noticed that a lot of the leaves on the upper tree have holes in them.
-What is causing the holes in the plant? (bug, disease?)
-I've seen holes like these in other plants like strawberry's, usually caused by slugs. Slugs are a part of these eco system so, it makes me think that slugs caused the holes in the leaves.

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- I noticed that a green plant is growing inside the garden box despite the wall separating it from the grass.
-How did the ivy grow inside the box if it is mostly separated from the grass and the soil around the box?
- I know that the soil inside the box connects to the soil in the rest of the ecosystem.  Ivy has a distinctive shape which is similar to what I saw inside the box.  Also, I heard that ivy is able to create more roots throughout the soil which could have grown into this new layer of soil.
-A question that I have about the question that Justin Davies asked is whether the strawberry bush is located near the sidewalk or street because people walking by may damage the bush  on purpose or by accident.
-In response to Charlotte Campau's question, I have seen that slugs prefer damper environments and can often be seen around low lying plants, so is the area that contains holes damp and how low is it to the ground?

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I notice that these two different plants both have a lot of damage to their leaves.

Why is the damage to one plant (holes and missing parts) different than the damage to the other plant (white squiggly lines)?

I know that different herbivores can have different types of mouthparts depending on whether they do chewing, sucking, or scraping to eat their food. This makes me think that at least two different types of herbivores (maybe a slug and a caterpillar?) are in this ecosystem and might have preferences for which types of plants they eat.