Richmond, Virginia
This phenological spot is one that I am very familiar with. It’s a spot walking distance from my home that I’ve been to many times. It’s a walk through the woods along the James River that opens to a rocky spot on the water. The woods consist of many of the same trees as my phenological spot in Burlington with red maples, American beech, and white oak. It also has many trees that I haven’t seen in my spot as well, such as paper birch, pawpaw, sycamores, and box elders. The location is very different not only due to them being in completely different regions of the country, but due to the type of ecosystem it is part of. This new phonological site resides along the James River with plant and animal species that are native to more of an aquatic habitat, while the Burlington phenological site has no presence of water. My Burlington phenological site surrounds you with trees and fallen leaves, it is densely wooded and enfolds you with native plants. This phenological site, however, is very open and surrounded by water on one side and woods on the other. As you look across the river you can see more woods but there isn’t the feeling of being enclosed like my spot in Burlington, making this spot seem bigger. It’s hard to speak of the animals since most of them have hidden or gone away for the season, but because of this spot’s openness, birds are more easily spotted.