Welcome back to my phenology blog! It’s so warm and I’m so happy about it. It feels like things are finally coming back to life in Centennial Woods, which meant I spent a long time there getting reacquainted with my spot after the long winter. For this reason, I have quite a few random updates.
Upon arriving to my spot the first thing I checked on was my little American Beech. Not gonna lie, she don’t look any different. The buds may be a little more swollen, but nothing crazy. I’m just giving her all the time she needs because it did just start getting warm and American Beeches do not typically begin to bloom until late April or early May so hopefully my next visit will show more progress.
The next update I have is about wildlife! Before you ask no, I did not see Bill. And I was at my spot for like an hour so… we’re just not gonna talk about it. I do not even want to speak the worst so we’re just gonna say Bill was busy. However, I went to the creek and WOW, so many fishies! I was so excited to see them back in the stream because I love just sitting on the edge of the brook and watching them swim back and forth. I walked further up and down the brook than I usually do and saw many different schools of fish which is so exciting! I also walked out into the field which I have never explored before and saw an old dead tree with many holes in it. They do not appear to be super fresh, but I am assuming some are from woodpeckers and some are from different insects or termites. Speaking of insects, I also found a tick crawling up my sleeve. This served as my reminder to start checking myself for ticks after my adventures. There was also plenty of laughter in the trees from various birds and I even saw I few hawks circling above.
I obviously had to check on my Japanese Barberry and yep, there’s still berries. I just find it so fascinating that the thorns on the plant are enough to keep animals away all winter long. Now that its starting to warm up I cannot wait to see what kind of changes this plant undergoes as it starts to bud and flower.
I was sure to spend a lot of time at my spot because honestly, I miss just being able to hang out there without freezing to death. I let my curiosity guide me and ended up going for a hike and climbing a tree. I saw another super cool tree that had fuzzy buds, some cool fungi, and a fresh hole from a woodpecker. In short, this visit did not disappoint and I am so looking forward to the next visit!
