It is now nearing the end of the first month of the year 2023 and I decided to return to my phenology spot from last year. This was an exciting visit because it was my first visit where there was snow on the ground! This made getting to my spot a bit of a challenge, but in my typical fashion I decided to run there. I was dreadfully unprepared as the path to get there was a sheet of slippery ice and snow, but I enjoyed challenge. Since my last visit about a month and a half ago there have been several phenological changes. The biggest change is the layer of snow that now covers the ground, concealing the grassy plants and undergrowth on the forest floor. Now all of the trees are bare except for the evergreens dusted with snow. The lake is not yet frozen, but there are large icicles forming on the sides of the rocks where the waves hit. The forest is significantly quieter as the snow acts as a sound absorber and the birds are not chirping as much. I did not observe any creatures, only the tracks they left behind in the snow. I am not yet a master at identifying tracks, but I think I picked out squirrel, deer, and raccoon tracks in addition to the human and dog footprints on the path.
