Today, I visited my phenology spot for my final observation. When I arrived at my spot, I realized that every deciduous tree surrounding my spot had lost all of their leaves. The last time I was at my spot, most of the maple and birch leaves has fallen, but some of the oak trees, specifically white oaks, still had some of their leaves. This time, all of the leaves were gone and covering the ground. Some of these leaves on the ground are beginning to decompose, as the bottom layer of leaves is very wet from recent snow, however, the top layer of leaves it still pretty dry and intact.

Compared to the last time I was there, the animal activity was minimal. I rarely heard any birds or other animals, and I didn’t notice any animal markings or tracks.

I really enjoyed coming back to my phenology spot every few weeks, and one of my favorite parts of it was how safe and comforting it felt. My spot was a small circle that surrounded by trees, and it was nice to sit in the center of the circle and feel protected by all of the trees. I also loved the stream near my spot. It was nice to hear gentle rushing water while walking to my spot and sometimes from my spot. I also loved that my spot has several paths branching out from it, it makes me more excited to go back and explore just for fun.