It’ll definitely be strange to finish out this blog away from my site in Centennial Woods but as with everything we will persist, and so will the blog. I’m very lucky to live in a wooded area that’s also close to the beach; I’ve been able to escape the confines of my house and venture around nature.
For my new site, I decided to focus on my backyard. The first thing I notice upon going out there is the moss! I’d guess that the moss covers around 65% of the ground but once it gets warmer it tends to become less noticeable with the planting of new grass seeds. I was walking around barefoot and as I stepped I noticed the moss was wet, reminding me of the rainfall we had the other day.
There are several different kinds of plants out there, including this Hollybush that retains a similar look throughout the duration of the year. Upon further inspection of this one I noticed what looks like a hole left over from a bug eating away at a leaf.
A sign that it’s spring! This beautiful plant is a Camellia and has been blooming the last couple of weeks. Some buds are still in bloom or are getting ready to start. Below the Camellia is a Rhododendron and its buds are slowly beginning to develop and I’m guessing that they many bloom within the next month.
Most of the trees in my backyard are oaks and thus there’s little tree cover this time of year and an abundance of leaf litter throughout the year. There’s often squirrels and birds that create nests in these trees but I don’t see any at the present moment.
Oak
Another prominent feature of my backyard are the sounds of frogs croaking in the distance. After some research, I believe that these are Spring Peepers. This would make sense since Spring Peepers live in wooded areas near ponds (which we have near our house) and are known for their chorus that begins around mid-March to signify that winter has ended and they’re ready to mate (National Geographic 2018).
My Notes:
- recently rained
- flowering bush- some still buds
- floor cover is predominantly moss with some patches of grass and bare areas
- **research what kind of shrubs are out there
- leaf with a hole in it from a bug
- hear frogs croaking
- dead leaves still around
Work Cited
National Geographic. (2018, September 21). Spring Peeper. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/s/spring-peeper/