During my visit to my site, I found six organisms that characterized the area. The first organism that I feel truly exemplifies my area are the hemlock trees. My spot is right off the main hemlock grove, so there are many hemlock trees of all ages. The spot I sit and observe from on the small path is right underneath many sapling hemlocks. Another species that characterizes my site is pine trees. There are four large Great White Eastern Pines clumped together. There is also a huge Norwegian Maple across the brook that the tall log rests on. Another species that characterizes the area is the honeysuckle. There is a medium-sized honeysuckle on the edge of the clearing in my area. Woods ferns are another species that characterize my area. The last species that characterize my area are spiders. I took a picture of a spider on a hemlock tree next to where I was sitting and it was identified as a fishing spider. 

Since my last visit, most of the leaves on the trees that are not hemlocks in the area have changed color and fallen. In my immediate spot, the hemlocks have lost some of their needles, but not many. The Norwegian Maple across the brook has turned completely yellow, but still has its leaves. The ferns and the grasses look the same since my last visit. The ground is now covered in leaves, forming a new layer of O soil waiting to fully decompose. 

Creating my map made me think more deeply about my place and engrained it further in my mind. I also had a very pleasant time during my last visit and ended up sitting in my spot for an hour and a half when I wasn’t planning on it. Sitting in my spot for a long period and drawing the different species and things on the map that characterized the place for me made me feel more connected and familiar with my spot as a whole.  Now when I go back I know exactly where the main “characters” of my spot are, and will be better at detecting how they have changed.