On my visit to my phenology spot this week, there were many hopeful signs of spring. There was abundant leaf litter, and the ground was extremely moist, indicating mud season is in full swing. Unfortunately, wildflowers were not one of the signs of spring I viewed, but not to worry, there were many other signs. I found loads of fungi and moss growing on decomposing logs and standing trees. There was also an extremely noticeable increase in down trees, especially over Centennial brook. This is most likely due to the heavy winter storms and high winds we’ve been having recently.
Several of the trees in my phenology spot has started to show buds. Boxelder Maple, Green Ash, and Honeysuckle all were sprouting buds. Additionally, there were two separate trees that showed burr holes in them, indicating that a Pileated Woodpecker had been there. These burr holes were too big, and not abundant enough like the overwhelming sapsucker holes were viewed on Basswood trees during lab this week. Overall, my phenology spot was sure showing signs of spring. The brook was much more active than last time I was there, the water was rushing. The snow is finally melting, and the rain is finally coming. Signs of spring are here in Centennial Woods.
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