Winter is well on its way as the semester comes to a close. Although snow has been infrequent up until this point, soon the landscape will be frigid and snow-covered. Long Pond will freeze over soon, and park-goers will be able to skate out on the ice and sea the sea caves. During my visit today, it was very clear that winter is quickly approaching. The trees were almost all completely leafless, except for a few lone American Beech trees as well as the coniferous Eastern Hemlocks. Leaf litter was thick on the ground and was already beginning to decompose in the lower layers.
Despite the muted tones of the landscape, there was still some activity to be observed. I could hear a few faint chirps of birds, although most birds have already migrated south, to avoid the harsh Vermont winter. I also observed some Guelder berries, a bright red berry, which will help to sustain some of the wildlife through the winter. I could not observe any animal tracks as everything was muddy and slippery, however I hope that once snow cover is present I will be able to see some.
For this semester it is time to say goodbye to my phenology site, and it looks quite different from when I first visited it in October. It has been a great experience watching the changes in the landscape through the last few months.