Welcome back to my phenology site blog and happy 2024 to all!

This is the first post documenting the changes and features at my phenology site nestled deep inside the Centennial Woods Natural Area of the new semester! Since I last visited and posted regarding my site, things have changed in certain ways. For one, the average daily temperature has dropped by a considerable amount as the season of winter has officially set in, leading to consistent freezing conditions, which has greatly altered the environment at my phenology site. Despite temperatures creeping up the past couple of days and there being clear evidence of melting, much of the Centennial Woods Natural Area is still covered in a layer of snow, or in the case of the trails, a thick sheet of ice that makes things quite slippery! Interestingly enough though, the persistent layer of snow seemed to be lesser at and around my specific site, which I chalk up to the fact that my site is on a hill, thus it gets hit with more direct sunlight and is therefore more prone to quick melting. In terms of seeing what signs and tracks the wildlife around my site has left thus far, I was able to find a couple different examples despite the snow having melted a decent amount. In what was left of snow around my site, I was able to find evidence of quite a few dogs who had made their way along the path, and in terms of non-domesticates species, I was able to see what I thought might have been some deer tracks, as well as a pile of nutshells that seemed like evidence of squirrel activity. Hopefully, as we progress through winter, I am able to find many more different pieces of evidence left by the creatures that call my site home!

Until we meet again!

Abel Murphy