This past week I visited my phenology site and noticed many changes. Now that we are well into the month of May, the forest is much greener, there are more plants and overall more signs of life. I saw numerous plants including, trillium, fiddlehead ferns, jack-in-the-pulpits, and wood anemone. The small seasonal wetland located in my phenology site has reappeared. I could hear birds chirping the entire time I was in the forest and I even saw and heard a woodpecker.
Nature and culture are two very important parts of any location. At my phenology site nature and culture intertwine, but they do this in minimal ways, as the cultural history of my location is mostly unknown. My phenology site is a forest located in my backyard in Barre Massachusetts, currently my site has no evidence of human interaction, besides a few narrow trails, because of this there is no current evidence of culture. But, this land was once occupied by Native Americans of the Nipmuc tribe. The connection that this tribe once had to the land is now represented by the wildlife, the plants and animals that they had relationships with and that were used in their culture for food, medicine, clothing, shelter, etc.
I see myself as a part of my phenology site, I have been exploring it since I was just four years old and have been able to make special connections to the land. When I was younger my dad built my brother and I a tree house in one of the oak trees located within my site. We would spend hours playing here, using the sticks as wands, making pretend food with leaves and rocks, watching birds fly in and out of the trees. Since I was younger I have felt a connection to the wildlife in my site and I still feel that connection today. I see myself as a part of my phenology site because I are up in it, it has provided me with peace, joy, comfort and has fueled my endless curiosity.