My phenology site has changed rapidly within the last several weeks and I’m
sure will continue to change as time progresses. The plants that I found around
my sight thrive where they are because of the direct access to water from the
stream right there. Also, my spot is special because there is a clearing from
the trees which means that these plants get direct sunlight access and can grow
without competition from larger species. Although not directly at my sight
because my sight is on a bridge, I can see squirrels and chipmunks running
around scavenging to store as much food at they can for this year’s winter.
When I first started coming to my sight everything was green and thriving but
now the leaves have turned from green to red to gone and you can feel the
ecosystem beginning to hunker down for winter. Due to a recent rainstorm the
limited amount of soil around my sight is currently mud and getting washed away
by the stream. I believe that once the water level lowers, I will see more
erosion within the riverbank and see the effects of flooding on this area. The
bridge connecting the side of the streams together was washed away in the storm
and pushed down into the marshy area. I am not sure what is going to happen
with that or what management will do but I am excited to see because it will
affect my location greatly.
Mapping my site was an interesting experience for me because it really made me think of where I was standing from an aerial level. It was challenging for me to seperate what I was seeing around me to what I was physically standing in and figuring out a way to translate that onto paper. I felt that my mind changed from a peaceful view to more a scientific view while doing this because I was really analyzing the area instead of just sitting there an observing it.
