Without the snow in the trees the view is beginning to resemble that of this fall once again. Now all we needs is for the leaves to come out! There have been many changes in the natural landscape around Burlington in the past month. But, I don’t have many species that support those visual changes. One thing that is for sure is the change in noise in Centennial. Upon my last visit the woods were alive with bird songs and a warm breeze confirming more warm days to come.
A new development would be the hole that I found. I didn’t observe any direct activity but I would assume its the entrance to a rodent’s home. I saw two Eastern Grey Squirrels when I walked in to the area but they quickly retreated in to the trees as I got closer. Likely it is their home or somewhere they have food stored.
Seeing the two squirrels made me reconsider what I thought was a relatively bland area after observing it the past few months. However, there is always another layer to the processes we observe which inspired my energy/trophic level diagram. The interdependency of each species on one another is huge. The squirrel eats the pinecones containing the seeds to the pine. These are then dispersed as the squirrel moves. The Pines also provide a good habitat for the squirrels to live in so the relationship benefits all parties involved in multiple ways.
Another new development were the many holes. Presumably these are made by wood peckers looking for grubs or other insects living in the rotten trees.
There are few budding plants in my plot but there are always buckthorn to be found. This is a sketch of one moving alongs its path towards greenness.