It’s Spring, and I have returned to my original blog spot to see the phenological changes that have taken place while I’ve been absent. I did not return to the space during the early spring months, and as such the phenological differences of the space have been striking.
Firstly, many deciduous trees and herbaceous plants in the understory have begun to bloom again, while the overstory trees like the large white oak and maples have yet to bud.
While just about all signs of animal life were absent in December, the area is now teeming with life. While I couldn’t make out the exact species, many birds were heard up in the tree canopy and Muskrat tracks lay across the stream bank. The stream itself is packed with small fish, I’d estimate over 100 fish were present across every nook of the stream. No signs of amphibian egg sacks or hatchings were present however, which somewhat makes sense as the prevalence of fish in the stream may deter amphibians from laying their young there, and any that do would’ve likely been eaten.
However, in a small pool only about 15 feet away from the stream were what were likely 2 green frogs, one was much larger than the other and brown while the other was smaller and green. Throughout my time at the spot the frogs never left their pool, and if I had to guess they were possibly breeding as the pool looks like it could be a good spot to lay eggs, as it seemed to lack a fish population yet still had a presence of water striders and other freshwater invertebrates.
All in all, the area, that had just entered a deep slumber last time I visited, is now waking up and beginning to teem with life once again.