by Cassie Broberg Phenology Project

Description of Vegetation

The plant species at my location are very diverse. In the forest’s overstory there are sugar maples, shagbark hickories, paper birches, yellow birches, northern red oaks, black cherry trees, white pines and more. Trees in the understory include, striped maple, white ash, American elm, sugar maple, etc. In the herbaceous layer there are numerous species of vegetation enveloping the ground. There are hundreds of ferns, spotter jewelweed, poison ivy, partridge berry, Virginia creeper, and more. 

Wildlife

There are many different species of wildlife that occupy my location. I have seen birds like cardinals, robins, chickadees, hummingbirds and more. There are porcupines, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, bears, deer, coyotes, etc.

Most Common Woody Plants: 

• Sugar Maple
• Northern Red Oak 
• White Pine
• Yellow Birch

Birds Eye Map

Event Map

Autumn

Changes Over Time

As autumn approached and the weather started cooling down there were many changes in the phenology of my location. The leaves on the deciduous trees started to change from green to shades of yellow, red, orange and eventually brown. The leaves gradually fell off the trees and created a layer over the forest floor. Another change that occurred was in the vegetation. Much of the vegetation began to die as it got colder out. It snowed on my sight a few times which killed most of the vegetation.

New Phenology Location – Moose Brook Wildlife Management Area, Barre, Massachusetts

My new phenology location is located about a half mile away from my original location. Because of this there isn’t much of a difference in the phenology. The main difference is in the types of vegetation and the physical environment. My new location is called Moose Brook Wildlife Management Area and it is a part of the Mass Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. This location is a public conservation area, which is very different from my original location which is a private area which is preserved by my family. Hunting and fishing are allowed at my new location which can alter animal population and behavior. At my original location there is no hunting or fishing permitted.

Unlike my original phenology site, the dominant tree species at my new location are black cherry trees. At my original site the dominant tree species is sugar maple. At the new phenology site there is an abundance of oriental bittersweet, which is an aggressive invasive species. This plant was surrounding the trees and, in many cases, it was covering the tree canopies and strangling their trunks. There is very little oriental bittersweet at my original phenology location. Another difference was in the animal habitats. The new site has dense thickets bordering the access trail and the fields on the property. These thickets create a habitat for animals like mice and rabbits. The thickets are comprised of multiflora rose, blackberry bushes, and oriental bittersweet, which creates a perfect, safe habitat for small animals. There were signs of animal life on the trails of my new phenology site such as multiple deposits of coyote scat on multiple rocks. There were also birds like cardinals and robins flying across the path and a red-tailed hawk was flying above the fields looking for potential prey.

Human History

Before my phenology spot became part of my yard, humans lived on it and used it as farm land. There is evidence that the landscape of my phenology location was once a farm, there is a stone well, which was used to retrieve water for the farm animals. There are stone walls which show where the pasture land was divided and where the livestock was kept. Even before all of this it is very likely that there were Native Americans living on this land. Many of the towns in my area are named after the tribes of the Natives who used to live here, so it is very likely that they occupied the area, or at least crossed paths with my phenology location.

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