Over break, I spent a lot of time in the woods by my grandma’s old house in Elmore, Vermont(pictured left and below).
They’re pretty different from those in Burlington- settled in between mountains, the soil is rockier, filled with boulders that peek out from the soil. It makes it hospitable to a different kind of life- yellow birch are far more common, as are old hemlocks. Carpets of thick moss covered the ground, and walking the bike trail in the rain, with mist swirling up on all sides, felt like walking in another world. On higher rocks closer to the sky, deciduous trees and ferns made more of an appearance- mostly beeches. There used to be logging trails that run though here, so a lot of the larger-leafed trees were young, most living in the understory. Unlike Centennial woods, the place I went to in Elmore had signs of larger wildlife: I saw several signs of deer in the form of scat and prints in the muddier areas. When it snowed(four whole inches! Elevation gain really does something for the winter atmosphere), footprints of rabbits and mice could be seen wandering off into the woods. The area felt overall far less inhabited by people than my spot in centennial woods did, and it was nice to get to explore some denser woodland. I did not leave a gift while I was there, so I will be sure to do something for the space in the future.
Pictures of a mossy hilltop(above) with close ups of the moss type for identification(right). iNaturalist claims it is likely in the genus spinulum!