Summer Rain at Yangjaecheon

After just three and a half weeks of break, I am now back to the buzz of school life. They weren't all dazzling sunshine and dreamy strolls across white sand or the greenest grass; it was the heavy monsoon season instead. Still, I was able to catch up on the little things that make me happy, one of which was exploring the various places near home.

My first day of freedom with the rain:

                  All I see are foggy skies with alarmingly huge grey clouds, puddles deep enough for my feet to bathe in, and the inevitable tiny beads of perspiration on my limbs. I decide to walk along Yangjaecheon, a stream that runs through Gangnam. The sound of the flowing water can refresh me up on this sweltering day.

                  The first thing I notice is the angle at which the grasses are. The thick rains overnight have flattened the various plants and have completely covered the stepping stones from view. The waters are quick and strong; no wonder a chain has been placed around it.

                  It’s no surprise that some plants, including bamboo grass, have withstood the force to a certain extent; we all know how strong bamboo is. I've even heard that bamboo can be “stronger than steel”. Really? So I research a bit and find out about the fascinating structure of Bambuseae.

                  And Bamboo IS as many times powerful as steel if measured just the right way! The internode is the area in which it is the strongest – tests for compression and tension are taken here. The strength of bamboo is very directional; fibers are bundled within the internode parallel to the axis of the pole. These fibers are surrounded by lignin – waterproof with cellulose – hence the powerful resistance to external forces. It is important to note that the ratio of bamboo being 11.2 times stronger than steel is calculated by weight. One kilogram of steel is tested against one kilogram of bamboo. Bamboo is much lighter than steel (Density of 0.5g/cm³ compared to 7.859g/cm³). Bamboo is much weaker perpendicular to the axis of the pole. That is why it can be easily split – another feature that makes it a very good building material. It also has fast regenerative characteristics: A pole of bamboo can regenerate itself to its full mass in just six months! There is a lot of controversy surrounding its being transported all around the world as a green material, but that’s another long story. (http://blog.bamboofencer.com/bamboo-poles/bamboo-stronger-than-steel-really/)

                  I meet countless earthworms of all lengths on my way. Looking closely, I see that those directly exposed to the sun seem dry, hardened and stiff. I wonder if they are alive? They’re not moving, at least when I’m around. Other ones, though, are moist and moving. One quivers violently when a loud noise erupts around it.

 
   

                   The winds that came with the rain have exposed the bits of trash that have been lurking under the thick bushes and behind trees. I have never seen the usually pristine Yangjaecheon strewn with garbage like this before. This is a clear example of why we should be cautious with the packages and various materials we carry, for we never know whether they will end up as a hazard to the small organisms, not to mention a sore sight. 

                  Looking closely at the ground and the holey leaves, I discover many arthropods...then to my horror, I find a dead rat, bony but with flesh and skin intact, attracting many flies. 

                There are yellow and blue strips of plastic hanging onto small branches in the bushes. One side is covered with an adhesive which I find by noticing the sticky surface. There are many small insects stuck onto it. Questions spring up to my mind. Are they for killing them? Or are they part of an investigation?

                   It’s about time I go home. I look on around me, this time at the people. As always, there are pedestrians walking their dogs and having chats on benches, but there is also a little girl catching dragonflies with her mom. A KBS news crew is taking videos of the stream and the clean-up team is using water from the stream through their hoses.

 

                  What many things I saw in just half of an afternoon! Sometimes, when we go out in the nature to have a good time, we pass the tiny details because of our carelessness, ignorance, and indifference. But they’re always there, the exquisitely beautiful: smooth segments of an earthworm, water drops tangled among the grass, two delicate pairs of wings of a grasshopper. I’m eager to come back another day. We all know nature is all around us, even if it’s just a small length along a local stream surrounded by an urban setting of towering office buildings and apartment blocks.

*I found out a day later the purpose of the sticky sheets of plastic that hang in the bushes! 

These are natural traps that have been introduced to this area for the first time in the nation. Emitting the smells of rose, lavender, strawberry and green tea, they attract mosquitoes and other dayflies, particularly the “Apgujeong Bug”, the Asian dayfly. This is an earth-friendly and economic solution: the threats to the environment usually caused by chemical pesticides are eliminated, and the cost of such a measure is greatly reduced.