STUDENT HIGHLIGHT: Further Explorations of Harvard Forest

By Julianne Henry
Outreach and Communications Intern

On Thursday, I noticed that we were running low on our cache of blog posts. Based on this observation, I concluded that it was once again time for me to bust out my camera and go adventuring. And by "adventuring," I mean "cow visiting."

Upon exiting the office I share with Aleta (an REU proctor) and venturing into the hallway, I was confronted by a curious sight.

[...what?]

At first I thought it was some sort of experiment, but it turned out Maryette (another REU proctor) had set up a tent in the basement hallway so that it could dry.

[An informative note.]

Making my way past the tent obstacle, I ventured outside to the field where I had found cows on my previous excursion. (Since that day, I've been informed that they were technically "beefalo" - bison/cow hybrids.) But today, I was in for a horrific shock.

[A field empty of beefalo, but full of shattered dreams.]

With no cows to visit, I turned with a heavy heart to walk up Prospect Hill Road, mostly because I had never been up that way before and wanted to see what there was to see.

[In case you doubted the existence of Prospect Hill Road,
have some photographic proof.]

After a short walk up the hill, a glance to the left showed me that my grief was unwarranted.

[Cows! You've returned!]

Not only were there cows, but there were NEW cows. Regular cows had been introduced to mingle with the beefalo.

[Left: beefalo. Right: "Oreo."]

Eventually, I had to tear myself away from my bovine friends and head back to the office. On the way there, I stumbled upon an unusual anomaly.

[...double what?]

Yes, the parking lot was full of antique (vintage?) cars. I counted at least eight, there may have been more. I'm still not sure what they were doing there. The Engine Show was this weekend, but that takes place at the airport, not Harvard Forest. So I remain confused.

Thankfully, photos of cows tend to help me forget my confusion.

[D'awwww...]