Trudging through the snow, I come to my favorite forest at home. On a hill surrounded by Eastern White Pines, a hardwood White and Red Oak forest sits. With a sparse understory of pine and hemlock this forest has wide open spaces where leafy blueberries and small prickly raspberries grow in the summer. I love this place as it shows how great natural barriers are with preventing erosion, and it was a perfect place for a younger me to learn about hydrology.
Comparing this forest to the one of my original phenology spot is comparing two different types of ecosystems. My spring temporary favors sun and hardwoods over my original which favors soft pines and shaded areas of undergrowth. They’re both found on hills which speaks to how well-drained and composition of the soils needed to hold roots. My original spot showed tons of evidence of mammals higher biodiversity, than my spring temporary spot which only shows signs of Turkeys passing through and the occasional song bird heard through the trees.
