Participant Observations

write a three-paragraph reflection. Paragraph one should focus on relaying a summary of the people and social interactions you encountered during the hour. (What did you see, hear, feel, touch, taste, etc?)

Paragraph two should focus on what you found interesting, surprising, or
unexpected, and your ideas about how you might interpret that data.

Paragraph three should provide some reflection on your own positionality/ relationality vis-à-vis this group. In what ways were you an “insider?” In what ways were you an “outsider?” How might that have affected the way you were able to observe and/or participate?

Paragraph One: Summary of Social Interactions and Sensory Experience

Throughout October and into early November, I observed how people interacted with the changing landscape as leaves shifted from green to brilliant shades of red, orange, and gold. Walking through parks and neighborhoods, I saw families pausing to take photos, children gathering leaves into piles, and joggers slowing down to notice the colors overhead. The sound of dry leaves crunching underfoot became a shared rhythm of the season, while the crisp air carried the faint scent of woodsmoke and damp earth. I felt the coolness of fallen leaves as I picked them up, their textures ranging from brittle to soft, and even tasted the season through warm drinks like cider that seemed to accompany these outdoor gatherings. The sensory environment was communal—people and trees together shaping the atmosphere of fall.

Paragraph Two: Interesting or Unexpected Observations

What surprised me most was how the leaves seemed to act as social catalysts. They were not just natural phenomena but became objects of play, memory, and ritual. Children turned them into games, while adults often spoke nostalgically about past autumns, linking the leaves to cycles of time and personal history. I interpreted this as evidence of how trees and their seasonal rhythms create opportunities for human connection and reflection. The leaves’ transformation was not only visual but relational, reminding me that multispecies interactions can be subtle yet powerful—trees shape human practices by marking time and offering material for sensory and emotional engagement.

Paragraph Three: Positionality and Relationality

In observing these interactions, I was both an insider and an outsider. As someone who also delights in the colors and participates in seasonal rituals—taking walks, collecting leaves, sipping cider—I shared in the embodied experience of fall. Yet I was also an outsider, consciously documenting and analyzing these moments rather than simply living them. My positionality as an observer shaped how I noticed details others might overlook, such as the way leaves mediated social interactions or how their textures invited touch. This dual role allowed me to participate while also reflecting critically on how trees and humans co-create meaning during the season of change.

This reflection frames the changing leaves as multispecies participants in social life, while also acknowledging your role as both participant and ethnographer.

FINAL: 

As the leaves changed from green to vivid colors of red, orange, and yellow during October and early November, I saw how people engaged with the shifting scenery. I saw how the leaves changed over time. gradually descending to the earth as the temperature begins to drop. The cool air brought the aroma of burning leaves around the neighborhood, and soon the sound of dry leaves crunching would become a common seasonal pattern. I felt the chill of falling leaves as I picked them up, their textures varying from brittle to soft, damp and old, to bright and lively; and I could taste the season in the warm drinks, such as apple cider, thanks to Tanner Apple Orchard. The sensory environment was shared, with people and trees working together to shape the autumn feel.

What intrigued me the most was how the leaves appeared to function as social stimulants. They were more than simply natural events; they were objects of play, memory, and ritual. Children transformed them into games, while adults often reminisced about previous autumns, connecting the leaves to time cycles and personal histories. This, to me, demonstrated how trees and their seasonal cycles facilitate human connection and introspection. The leaves' metamorphosis was both visual and relational, teaching of how multispecies interactions may be subtle but powerful—trees impact human activities by marking time and providing material for sensory and emotional connection.

Observing these conversations, I felt both insider and outsider. As someone who enjoys the colors and engages in seasonal rituals such as going on walks, collecting leaves, and sipping cider, I felt a part of the embodied experience of autumn. However, I was also an outsider, intentionally documenting and dissecting these events rather than just experiencing them. My position as an observer influenced how I spotted things that others may miss, such as how leaves moderated social relationships or how their textures encouraged touch. This dual function allowed me to participate while also critically thinking on how trees and humans co-create meaning across the changing seasons.

This reflection views transforming leaves as multispecies players in social life, in addition to recognizing the position as both a participant and an ethnographer.