Waterfront Phenology 2017

The natural communities in my home town and the surrounding area are devastated right now. A colossal Nor’Easter swept the area and within a matter of hours thousands of trees were split or completely uprooted and thrown. At a glance driving through on might think a tornado had hit. Birds encouraged to return North are now evicted from their woody homes by the brutal winds and tree-chipper crews.

 ( tree branches blocking traffic down the street)  A truck in town catches on a fallen log

Phenologically and ecologically the loss of all ages and species of tree is hugely impactful. Birds are flocking to our feeders, desperate for a place to rest for a second. Black birds dominate, knocking their unwanted seeds to the ground were red cardinals and nuthatches can enjoy the leftovers . The returning squirrels have lost their tree homes and dive wildly into bushes and untouched sapling branches hoping to find a new place to make a nest. Climate-wise the temperature has fluctuated wildly over the course of a week, from snowing and freezing to sunny and mid-40s.

spot: my back yard and the neighboring nature reserve

https://www.google.com/maps/place/65+Pelham+Island+Rd,+Sudbury,+MA+01776/@42.353167,-71.3975915,17z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x89e38f6816a67aa7:0x40efa9930c624f54!2s65+Pelham+Island+Rd,+Sudbury,+MA+01776!3b1!8m2!3d42.3531631!4d-71.3954028!3m4!1s0x89e38f6816a67aa7:0x40efa9930c624f54!8m2!3d42.3531631!4d-71.3954028

Redstone Forest is a pine stand. In terms of determining the type of natural community that I would classify Redstone Forest as, it’s not particularly difficult, since there is very little plant species variance. Even on maps and GPS programs it is listed as “Redstone Pines” instead of Redstone Forest. In that sense it is safe to assume that the soil in the area is of high or relatively high acidity.

General phenological changes are not abundant, since a pine stand experiences very little foliage shift seasonally. With the recent warming weather and snow melt much of the ground around the pine stand has become a muddy, needle-littered wasteland. Any sign of animals present in the area save for dogs and humans is gone. A few brave squirrels have ventured out in hopes of finding food, only to find the mud has swallowed everything. In addition, the bitter wind has rattled the pines, leaving a new layer of dead needles. A few inexperienced hammockers in search of a sunny spot In the nice weather have left scars in the pine bark but nothing major enough to change the trees’ growth pattern.