Birds-Eye Map
The deciduous trees in Centennial Woods changed colors and display beautiful foliage. They are losing their chlorophyll and showing their true pigments in preparation for a long, cold winter with much less sunlight and warmth than the summer. Colors such as yellow, red, orange, and brown are now seen in the woods instead of just green leaves. A major difference that I noticed was that the evergreen trees, especially the eastern white pines, lost some of their needles, exposing birds’ nests higher up. Ferns close to the ground are accompanied by layers of fallen leaves and pines. There are also many large fallen limbs on the ground due to the recent gusts of wind that we have been experiencing. Since the trees still have most of their leaves, they are still more susceptible to falling and having branches broken off by the wind since the leaves create drag. As the fall becomes colder, fewer birds will be seen as they migrate to warmer areas and large mammals will be seen easier once the leaves begin to drop.