This week, as part of our ongoing phenology site project, I had the chance to revisit my original site nestled deep within the Centennial Woods Natural Area. While it was definitely quite snowy given the weather that Burlington was hit, there were still signs that spring was in the air! While walking over, there were quite a few birds out and about despite the wintery conditions in the woods, as I heard multiple robins and cardinals while at my site, both of which are very common species in Centennial Woods. Along with the recognizable bird calls and activity in and around my phenology site, I could also tell that a few of the buds on the maples around my site have just begun to swell, a surefire sign of the spring to come. From what I could tell, it looked like a few of the oak and maple trees around my site had begun to show some swelling in their buds which I included in the photograph attached to this post, however my site is dominated by coniferous species like white pine and eastern hemlock, so they are not as common as in other parts of Centennial Woods. In terms of spring tracking, the fresh cover of snow made the search for amphibians like spring peepers a bit challenging, although there were still many tracks left by squirrels and field mice that abounded the snow all over Centennial Woods. Overall, while this weekend may have allowed winter weather to temporarily reclaim Centennial Woods, I could definitely see the signs of spring poking through the snow and am sure that the next time I visit, spring phenological processes will be in full swing.

Until we meet again!

Abel Murphy