Since my phenology location consists of both vegetated land and a large body of water, I would argue that there are certainly many communities within my small plot of land. While it is difficult to identify since it is barren in the dead of winter, the area surrounding the sands, when warm, is overgrown, filled with shrubs and large trees, specifically pines and oaks. This creates not only a diverse plant community, but also a habitat for birds and other animal species that can take refuge in these parts. Moving on, while the sands of the beach are, for the most part, barren and support little life, they do have some shrubs that sprout and fare pretty well during warm weather, since they are not being shaded out and out-competed by other, taller species. So while it may not be dense enough to be considered a community, the sands of Crescent Beach do tend to be the home for certain shrubs that have adapted and found a way to thrive there. Finally, aquatic communities, filled with plants and other organisms that thrive in the shallow waters near the energy of the sun, exist along the coast where sand and water meet at the shore of the beach. However, this is only the case during the warm weather, where the plants and other species such as tadpoles and water bugs can receive enough sunlight energy to incubate, grow, and thrive. When the weather becomes as cold as it has been recently, no such thing can exist, especially with a solid layer of ice, likely extending down to the bottom along the shore, that has formed.
Since the weather has had very little change, my phenology spot has undergone very little change as a result. Ergo, it is difficult to evaluate any phenological changes, if any have been made. However, I predict that this will change in the very near future, and I will expect to see noticeable changes when I revisit Crescent Beach after spring break, with the first signs of spring starting to reveal themselves.
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