Being back on campus has introduced me to the battle of winter in Vermont. Last weekend I was able to spend some time in my phenology spot in Centennial Woods. On the way, I noticed several birds on the telephone wires just outside the entrance to the trails. Upon arrival to my spot, I noticed a hole in one of the trunks (pictured below!). After doing some research, I would hypothesize it might be the work of a pileated woodpecker which are common in Vermont. I also noticed some moss still alive on the trunks surviving off the moist surface coated in snow and the sun (by photosynthesizing). Not much has changed in the spot otherwise- there are still some berries visible, although most of the understory left alive in December is now dead.

I also was able to find some tracks and scat. I’m fairly certain the scat was from a medium size dog, but the animal tracks were still a little challenging to identify. Due to the snowfall while I was there/on the way, some of the toe prints weren’t super clear. I would guess squirrel for the one in the middle below based on visible toe shape and size, and I thought the spacing on the ones in the bottom left picture suggest those might be rabbit tracks. Overall, a cool (and cold) visit!