Soils Photo Project!

Olivia Cavalluzzi
Spring 2021
Amazing Soils
I love to mountain bike, and one
of the best things about being at
home for the year because of the
pandemic is that I get to
mountain bike in the beautiful
Grand Forest on Bainbridge
Island every week! A photo
cannot capture how beautiful
and green it is, and it is amazing
how all this life can come from
soil.
Life in Soil
Throughout my entire life, my front yard has
been filled with periwinkles. During most of the
year it is a blanket of green tangled vines over
the bed of soil in my front yard, but during the
beginning of spring it bursts with a brilliant
purple. I have always been fascinated how the
yard comes to life so suddenly during this one
time of the year, and how such a brilliant purple
can come from soil so brown.
Erosion
Both these pictures were taken at the same
stream, not too far from where the stream leads
into the Puget Sound. One of these (top) is a
footpath used to get down into the stream, and
you can see the roots and rocks that have
become increasingly exposed over the years
from use. The other photo (bottom) is the side of
the stream that does not contain footpaths but is
steep enough that erosion is occurring without
human interference. You can see a layer of
rocks present in this area while the rest of the
stream bank is vegetated.
Soil as a Building Material
Although humans frequently use soil
(and organisms grown in soil) as a
building material (such as a clay
pot), we are not the only species to
do so! This ant hill is an example of
another species using soil to build.
There were thousands of ants atop
this mound when I visited it, and
many of them were carrying bits
and pieces of organic material to and
from the openings in the hill.
Soil Development
The Pacific Northwest is home
to some of the most striking
nurse logs. When a tree falls
down, new organisms
(including new trees) can grow
on top of them. As the fallen
tree decomposes, it provides
nutrients to the soil and to the
new growth. Nurse logs are a
way for dead matter to develop
back into the soil it came from
while supporting new growth.
Bonus slides (just for fun!)
Life in Soil (cont.)

Trilliums are some of the most beautiful

flowers I have ever seen! I can’t wait for
them to bloom in the forest I mountain
bike in every year. This trillium is the
first one I have seen this spring, and it
was such a wonderful surprise to find. It
is amazing that the same soil that grows
the enormous cedar trees can grow this
beautiful flower.
Extra Amazing Soils (not taken this quarter)
I took this photo when I was interning at a wildlife
conservation research center in the Limpopo region of South
Africa. In the soil you can see a leopard print! I was at the
center to learn how to conserve these leopards in tandem
with the local community, and it was such a privilege to
get to see their prints!
While I was there, I was told that there is a legend that
explains the striking red color of the soil. According to
legend, so many wars have been fought on South African
soil that the immense bloodshed caused the soil to turn red.
The camp I was at constantly presented me with amazing
pieces of history, such as a mortar and pestle and
arrowheads that were created when multiple humanoid
species occupied the area at the same time. I thought of this
story and the history that went with this soil every day I
was there. Although I didn’t take this photo this quarter, I
still wanted to include it in my bonus slides because this
story stays with me whenever I look at other soils and
consider their history.