While it is now technically Spring, there really aren’t too many signs of it yet. There aren’t any signs of amphibians, but there are some small green plants starting to come up through the ground, which is a welcome sign. There’s a chance that some of these plants could be wildflowers that have yet to bloom. The ferns are also starting to come back to life, which is a welcome sign. One of the biggest signs that Spring is here is that the birds are back! On my walk to my spot, I saw a robin, a black-capped chickadee, and a small woodpecker. I now also understand what mud season in Vermont is, because after only five minutes of walking into the woods, my boots were covered in mud.
From a landscape ecology perspective, Centennial Woods does not have interior forest. While my site is at least a ten-minute walk into the woods, I can still hear the highway not only during my entire walk, but also from my site. There is also evidence of edge effects going on because as compared to the interior forests that I’ve been in, there is a relatively low amount of biodiversity in Centennial Woods. There’s also a lot of sunlight shining into the woods and relatively heavy erosion. By my best estimate, the nearest edge to my phenology spot is a little under 100 yards away.