I’m spending Thanksgiving in DC, which has very few natural areas. Since it is a city, I would have to make more than a 30-minute drive to visit a natural place. For this reason, I chose my small backyard.
This backyard was renovated and has looked different before. It has gone through some cycles of fencing being replaced, hedges being removed, and a porta potty being stationed there. My backyard has 3 trees compared to my Vermont phenology spot, having 7 times as many. When standing in my backyard, I hear constant noise from car engines because of the busy street that it is near. In my Vermont spot, you can hear cars in the distance, but not as close as here in DC. The factor that contributes to most of these differences is the type of area. DC is a very populated area with a lot of commuters and streets while Burlington is a town with closer natural areas around it.
In response to Honorable Harvest, I cleaned up the leaves from our neighbor’s Northern Red Oak that leans over the fence. Cleaning up these leaves will allow water to seep into the ground more easily and hydrate the ground.
