Month: October 2018

I visited my site again this past weekend and found that the ground was covered in a layer of norway maple leaves and a few pine and hemlock needles. Most of the ferns that I had seen a few weeks ago were completely brown and dead. There also seemed to be more fallen branches in the area, possibly from the rain we’ve experienced in the past few weeks. Most of the tree coverage seemed thinner from the leaves falling for the winter.

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I also came across some evidence of wildlife using my area as a habitat. A dead eastern hemlock tree near the center of my area showed evidence of termites in the bark. There were also slugs under logs and branches near the water, as well as some small fish in the stream. I could hear some bird calls but I was unable to identify them.

 

Finally, here is a birdseye view of my phenology site!

 

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/2/edit?hl=en&mid=1vjbXp07eyWmVPwiTJn1MkTakKUMjnPaN&ll=44.47829998947827%2C-73.18579999999997&z=18

(I’m not sure if you can see the embedded map, it says it is embedded yet I cannot see it. Here’s a regular link: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/2/edit?hl=en&mid=1vjbXp07eyWmVPwiTJn1MkTakKUMjnPaN&ll=44.47829998947827%2C-73.18579999999997&z=18 )

Hello and welcome to my phenology blog! Here is a quick view of my site.

 

 

 

 

 

To find my spot, enter Centennial Woods through the entrance on Bilodeau Ct. Continue straight down the path over the wooden bridges placed on the ground. Once you reach a small clearing with a trail to the left and a trail straight ahead, continue straight. You will pass over a wooden bridge near a creek. Continue straight down the path. After a short walk, you will reach a small clearing where you can either go up a steep hill to the right or continue straight downhill; go downhill. You should see a stream on your left. Walk a few meters down this path and turn left to reach the stream. There is a small area of land that is covered in ferns and fallen trees that sticks out with the stream curling around it. This is my site! It is roughly .6 miles from campus, or around a 14-minute walk.

I chose this place because it was close to the water and was covered in ferns, which are one of my favorite kinds of plant. It also contained some mushrooms and interesting fungi that I wanted to track as the seasons change.

The vegetation was thick but mostly consisted of dead or dying plants. The majority of the area was covered in ferns, but it was difficult to identify the species since they were already dead. There were 2 fallen trees with some strange fungi growing on them, as shown below. I’ve uploaded a photo to iNaturalist to try to identify the species. (Update: the fungi is called Wolf’s Milk.)

The main species in this area included sugar maples, eastern hemlocks, buckthorn, ferns, and daisy fleabanes. There was one plant that I was unable to identify that I’ve posted below. I uploaded these pictures to iNaturalist and am currently waiting for a response. (Update: The flower is an American aster.)