December in Centennial Woods
The Changes of Early Winter
Centennial Woods is now experiencing winter and colder temperatures! There are many changes associated with the first snowfall and dropping temperatures for any environment. In Centennial Woods, all trees have now lost their leaves and any that were still hanging on, such as the Red Oak leaves pictured, are now on the ground due to the snow. One change I noticed was that the White Pines that seemed to be missing a lot of needles back in September now appear to be much fuller again. Overall, The woods are barren now that nearly all leaves are gone and the plants on the forest floor are now dead.
Tracking Photos
Tracking Observations
I had to walk into a less-traveled section of the woods to find any tracks. I came across a pattern of tiny tracks that were in clusters of four. I assume this is front and back legs of an animal that appears to be a squirrel. I was able to follow its path for some of the trail and could see when it stopped and walked around on a log. It looked like it was bounding through the snow because of the distance between the clusters, but it traveled in a direct line to conserve energy. When it was on the log the tracks were more sporadic and it may have been looking for nuts or seeds.
Other Observations
Many animals hibernate at this time but there are also many visitors in Centennial Woods. There were lots of human footprints and dog tracks from people who use Centennial Woods for recreation purposes. Also, next time I would like to go right after it snows before other people can walk to see if I can find other animal tracks such as fox tracks. I heard bird sounds clearly this afternoon but besides that there was little rustling like there is in the fall. I look forward to seeing how Centennial continues to change next semester.