It’s been a while since I last visited my site down in Centennial Woods, but this afternoon I gave it a visit. It snowed today after a week of brutal cold, so I was able to note some changes from the early thaw conditions of my last visit. I was able to note some buds beginning to break in preparation to Spring, but as was the case last time, most plants understand their time is still to come and are waiting out the rest of the season. With the early thaw came melting snow, ice, and the stream was beginning to trickle. Today, following a week of freeze, the stream is no longer running and sits completely frozen over underneath a light blanket of snow. Because my site lies at the bottom of two steep hills, water flow interacts greatly with the land and soil supporting my site. When the thaws begin to be more and more frequent, the water flow can enter the ground and then hold moisture to help the vegetation throughout the spring. Additionally, as Spring runoff continues, there will be more and more sediment deposited near the stream bed, as the steepness of the area leads to erosion. As a result, this could lead to a rearrangement of the substrate in months to come.