Back to the Tree…

In slight exhaustion, my friends and I traveled to our phenology spot following our NR002 lab (also located at Rock Point!) to visit our trees again, and there were a few exciting changes that not only showed on my tree but also signs of spring!

The green grass, the mud, and the slushy snow all displayed that spring is heading this way!

My Tree!

I didn’t notice any particular changes on the bud, and the rainy weather may have dampened the bud given its darkened appearance, one change I did notice is a change in the moss ( I’m not entirely sure it is actually moss, but that is my best guess) has grown in size on the trunk of the tree.

A Noticeable

Increase in “Moss”

Friendly Chirping!

iNaturalist Post

Until Next Time…

As it is warming up, becoming muddier, and the green is slowly infiltrating our lives again, it is evident that changes with become more evident. As springtime becomes more and more prominent in our environment, I am excited to note the changes at Lone Rock Point ( and I can’t complain about the sunshine!)

“I know there will be spring, as surely as the birds know it when they see above the snow two tiny, quivering green leaves. Spring cannot fail us.”

– Olive Schreiner

What Tree Did I Identify?

I knew that there were going to be plenty of the listed tree species on the route to my phenology spot, but I decided to stop to look at the Paper Birch pictured below.

Unlike its common winter lookalikes, I was able to identify this tree as a Paper Birch for the following reasons:

1. The bark was scaley and came off in paper-like strips
2. The bark did not have a dark brown or yellow undertone like a Yellow Birch.
3. It does not have large potato chip flakes like a River Birch.
4. The Gray Birch, which I struggled with the most, I was able to rule out by examining the twig and bud:

My twig photo was atrociously blurry, although I did include it below, so I resorted to google to find a better comparison photo of Gray vs. Paper Birch!

I used this photo (which was the least blurry) to compare to the Gray vs. Paper Birch to confirm my suspicion that the tree was in fact, a Paper Birch!

A few other angles!

My iNaturalist Post and Location!

Although it was a cold and dreary day, I enjoyed getting to visit Lone Rock Point, and I am excited to see the change in the Paper Birch tree as I go back throughout the rest of the seasons!

“Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour.”

John Boswell