Since my last visit to my Phenology spot on November 7th some small changes have taken place. All leaves have fallen off of the various deciduous hardwoods in this stand. The one White Oak and two Red Maples lay empty, no leaves left straggling around just bare branches for the rest of winter. That being said the majority of the trees in this spot are Northern White Pines and Eastern Hemlocks. All of these species continue to have all of their needles and are thriving into the oncoming winter. The vegetation on the floor of the forest is also coming to a close, as the Ferns that rule the forest floor begin to wilt and stay dormant for winter. The leaf litter has also not changed much, most of the forest floor was frozen with snow on top when I was there as well, preventing any decomposition.
This log is the epicenter of my phenology spot, it is what attracted me to it the first time I stopped and it’s where I sit do observe my phenology spot. When I visited it was COVERED in little footprints from what I know to be red squirrels that completely fill Centennial. Little piles of White Pine pinecones were also present on the log where some Red Squirrels were going ham. From what I can tell it appears that animal activity has increased in thus area as there has never been pinecone piles on this log like before. A better picture of the pinecone piles can be seen below.
My favorite part about my phenology spot was getting to go into Centennial woods every so often, escaping from my loads of schoolwork and providing some time to clear my head amidst a busy life. This time always served me right as I always felt better about myself whenever I would leave these woods. There is something special about connecting with nature like this, and I hope to do more next semester.