What’s happened since my last visit?
The leaves are falling, which is reflected on the ground. Floating down gently, not making a sound. The keep piling up, forming into a mound. Observe the season changing, just look around.
Pictured is Centennial Brook. Because lots of the leaves have fallen, there is an abundance of them in the brook and on the banks. The stream is not flowing as aggressively as the last time. I think this is because the last time I visited my spot it had just rained opposed to this visit when the last rain was a few days ago.
This is an Eastern Hemlock. I tried to see if there were any birds that had made any nests in the tree, however I was unable to find any. Since this is a conifer, it doesn’t lose its “leaves” (needles) during the fall; they stay on throughout the year.
On the left side of the picture, there is a Norway Maple, and cutting through the picture just below halfway is a Northern Red Oak. The Norway Maple is still holding on to lots of its leaves, but contrary to what was discussed in class, the Red Oak has already lost the vast majority of its leaves. After taking a closer look at the trees bark, I would say that it is rotting and therefore can’t hold onto its leaves like other Northern Red Oaks I have observed.