As we wrap up both the semester and the academic year, I made one last visit to my phenology site. Over time the major geography of the area has remained the same. The large fallen tree still lays across the path at the entrance, and the original ring of trees still circle the main spot I sit at when I sketch. The majority of change is seen in phenological happenings, as this project has focused on.
When I first set out to choose a spot, we were in full late summer bloom. The deciduous trees were covered in leaves, and the herbaceous ground cover was out. Currently, trees are just starting to show leaves. The ferns are just starting to unfurl from fiddleheads. Bushes and moneywort are slowly beginning to cover the area in green again.
Human culture is an aspect of this site as well as nature. The forest itself is managed by people. Just a few hundred feet away from my site is an active project run by a restoration ecology class. My spot is a good spot to sit and enjoy nature, there have been signs that other people use it for this as well. Many UVM students like to get away from campus and into natural areas such as this.
I consider myself a part of this place in the way that a bird that visits a feeder is part of the household. I consistently visit, I pay my respects, I use the area, but the place does not need me. I do not stay there full-time, and I am not necessary to shaping and influencing the changes of the seasons. Although I will still visit my spot, it will not be as frequently after this project comes to an end. My phenology sight has served the purpose I need it to, and can now remain to serve the its more important purposes in the wider ecosystem.