After visiting my phenology spot for the first time this semester, much has changed. Once a lively area, overgrown with trees, grass, bushes, and other vegetation, it has now become barren and bare. The red oaks and sugar maples that once provided shade relief from the brutal summer sun are now dead and snow-covered. Unfortunately, since a fresh layer of snow had fallen the night before, there is no sign of any animal tracks to be seen. It is not likely that there were animal tracks in the first place anyway. Since the area surrounding the beach is so developed, the only likely tracks would have consisted of human footprints, dog prints, or the occasional outdoor cat. The water level of Lake Champlain seems relatively similar to that of when I had last checked before the winter break, but I predict the water to rise in the upcoming months as the snow begins to melt and runoff. As I return to the beach more often, it will be interesting to see what life wanders through it, and how both plants and animals will rebound in the area as warmer weather approaches.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 4th, 2019 at 8:16 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.