On this cool crisp fall day, I took about 20 minutes to sit in the center of my phenology spot. The area that I chose is densely populated with different species and so, sitting flat on the ground surrounded by tall trees made me feel disconnected from the road that was not even a quarter mile away. Sitting on the ground I heard the chirping of many birds; however, I was unable to catch them on inaturalist to see what species they were. A big barrier in capturing a recording of the chirping of the birds was the constant sound of airplanes above with the presence of the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport less than 3 miles away. Although sitting with the trees of the overstory towering over me could make me feel like I was sitting in the middle of a deep forest disconnected from human world, that fantasy was quickly erased by the consistent sound of several planes up above. In fact, I counted about 3 planes in the span of 20 minutes.
Regarding the place itself, one thing that I noticed while sitting in silence for these 20 or so minutes was that this was the time that the leaves were falling. The ground was fully covered with leaves, mostly from American Beeches. But there was still continuous leaf falling.
Bird’s Eye View Map of Phenology Spot
My phenology spot is the area on the map pictured to the right. I included the area to the left as it still plays a key role in the entirety of the phenology spot. The white space dividing the two areas is to indicate the difference between the two areas as my phenology spot is on a hill and the stream and surrounding vegetation is at the bottom of the hill. And due to this, I find it important to note the other area as any runoff or changes in my area could have a direct impact on that close by area. These two areas are divided by a human-made path that go straight through them.
As showcased in the map, my phenology spot is very fern heavy. The entire ground is covered in fern species. There are two fallen trees at the tip of my area but then the rest of the area is covered in Eastern Hemlocks to the far right to American beeches and maples dominating more of the left side of the area.
Changes in Vegetation
At this point in the season, almost all the leaves off of the American Beech Trees and Maples have fallen. In general, conifers have the most leafage/needles on them but many of their needles have still fallen already.
The ferns that were observed last time I was here are still prominent in the area.