This first box can be found in one of my favorite locations in a nearby Story County Conservation Park in Ames, Iowa.
It’s in the heart of one of nature’s best tricks: the recycling of nutrients. Here, decomposers, such as shelf fungus or polypores, find purchase, animals, such as raccoons, find home, beetles make galleries, and carbon is sequestered. Too often people see sites of decomposition as disorder and feel the urge to clean it up. But, if we look closer, we can see the usefulness of these sites, the importance of nutrient cycles, and notice the life that still exists in what initially appeared as “dead.” Nature knows how to make use of all elements and keep connections alive. I am eager to hear what you find here and see what you sketch!
The GPS coordinates for this geocache sketch box are: 42.09675˚ N, 93.57464˚W. Good luck and enjoy!