A lot has changed since my last visit! As you can see, the mushroom tree is still standing. I was concerned that it was going to rot away under the snow during winter break, but today I was pleased to see it standing strong. There were several phenological changes that took place in the past two months. For starters, when I left, there were just a few flakes of snow nestled between the mushrooms. Today, there was at least two or three inches of snow on the ground surrounding the tree, as well as some climbing up the base. I didn’t realize as many squirrels or birds as I usually do, and I couldn’t find any minnows in the river. The river was running smoothly due to the melting snow, though some parts were frozen, but the turbidity was relatively low.
Tracks
I found several tracks in the snow around the tree. They were difficult to identify, seeing as many of them were old. I used my pen or my foot as a scale in many of the photographs. Explore below to see the tracks and other signs I observed!
Many overlapping squirrel tracks. These tracks were going back and forth from the bottom of a tree to the surrounding area. I believe the squirrel’s nest was somewhere in this tree.
A squirrel footprint found at the base of an oak tree,
It’s hard to tell in the picture, but at the time of the pen, there’s a hole in the ground where I believe a squirrel buried an acorn.
I believe these tracks were made from another squirrel or another hopping animal, like a chipmunk or shrew.
It’s difficult to tell, but I believe these are domestic dog prints due to their size and the toe pads, pointing in the direction of the pen.
This is a deer track to the left of my foot. You can tell because of the hoof shape and the straddle walking pattern. I believe it was walking in the opposite direction of me because the hoof is wider in the back.
Twigs
Twig #1: I believe this is honeysuckle because of the leaves and the shape of the buds.
Twig #2: I believe this is the Black Locust because of the color and the thorns.
Twig #3: This is a twig from a hemlock tree. You can tell because of the flat, green needles and the alternate branching pattern.
