The six organisms I recognized were eastern white pine, yellow birch, white ash, paper birch, and sugar maple trees as well as honeysuckle. I viewed a squirrel within my area and could hear birds but wasn’t able to see them very well. I believe one organism stands out the most to me with characterizing my site and that is the large eastern white pine tree to my northeast when sitting and facing the moss rock. It has a powerful presence that does not go unrecognized. When you see the tree, you know you are in the right area. The rest of the organisms do well to characterize the area as the honeysuckle and sugar maple are behind the sitter. The paper birch tree is on the outskirts of the site and is a marker that you are entering the site. Looking up from the rock you see the yellow birch and white ash tree.
The vegetation was fuller during my last trip. As fall continues, there are less leaves in the trees and the bushes I see are sparser. There is a noticeable amount of pine needles mixed with the muddy soil underneath the boardwalk. Similarly, the trees other than the eastern white pine, such as paper birch, yellow birch, white ash, and sugar maple, have less leaves on them. This leads to the tree canopy looking less dense and letting more light in.
In previous visits, my spot in Centennial Woods was not as muddy or wet. Due to Halloween night’s flooding, the soil was pooling underneath the boardwalk. This means the color was darker, the texture wasn’t uniform, and the smell was stronger. The rest of the path coming to and from the boardwalk spot had wet soil that was mixed with more pine needles.
The act of mapping allowed me to view my spot with a deeper perspective. This was true for the trail leading to my spot as well. Marking specific figures along the way to help guide the reader was informative in the sense that I understood which figures were important enough to mark. Similarly, I took a slower walk to my spot and spent more time at my spot looking for landmarks as well. My sense of place at my spot was heightened through this experience as I took myself with more patience and allowed myself to view the different species.