The new site that I chose to visit during the Thanksgiving Break was Surf Drive Beach. It is one of the more popular beaches in my hometown of Falmouth, Massachusetts. It was the beach I grew up going to with my family because it is within walking distance of my house. Though much busier during the summer tourist season, Surf Drive is a popular place for sunset-watching in the fall and winter, which is what I did while I visited.
Surf Drive Beach is very different ecologically from Centennial Woods (my phenology site back at UVM). For starters, the beach is a completely different ecosystem than a forest. There are much less trees and most vegetation are small beach grasses. This area is also more “developed” as there is a parking lot right on the beach. A fun similarity that I found, though, is I’ve seen seagulls fly over Centennial Woods, and there are PLENTY of seagulls at this beach. The Cape is also further South and closer to the coast than Centennial Woods, so it was about 10°F warmer at the beach today than in Centennial Woods. The leaves on the surrounding deciduous trees are still present and vibrant colors, whereas in Centennial Woods, most leaves have already fallen.
As my “gift”, I collected a pebble from Centennial Woods before I left campus, and I left it on the stone wall at Surf Drive Beach. I’m not sure what will happen to this rock or where it will go next, but I like that it serves as a small connection between two of my favorite natural spaces.