As I walked down into Centennial Woods I could tell that Spring was beginning to unfold. Mostly because I was sliding down muddy, wet slopes.

Reaching my spot, I found Centennial Brook moving swiftly through the forest. The snowmelt and rain from the other night have the water much higher than I have seen it before. Because of the speed the water was moving I didn’t find any signs of amphibians. There were not many slow moving spots in the brook that would allow for eggs or tadpoles.

After searching the forest floor I was unable to find any spring flowers poking up through the leaf litter, The only life I found on the forest floor were the green ferns beginning to cloak the hillside along the brook.

Although my phenology spot is not right along the edge of Centennial Woods, it is also not deep in the interior of the forest. About 200 yards away, through trees and hills, there is a house in sight. I would describe the spot has having a medium edge effect because it is not right along the edge nor deep in the interior.

I believe that my phenology spot most likely hosts a number of interior species. But because it is somewhat close to the edge of the forest, noise pollution may effect some species such as, such as birds.

Bud Drawing (Scannell,2017)