This past Saturday, I took a walk in Centennial Woods and visited my Phenology site. From my first visit in early October to now, I have definitely noticed changes. The most obvious phenological change was the lack of leaves. As we enter stick season, there are few remaining leaves. The lingering pockets of foliage continue to show vibrant red and brown fall colors. This time of year, deciduous plants have begun to shut down in preparation for colder months. These plants absorb as much energy as possible from fading leaves to conserve resources. The nutrients is stored for later use in their roots. A small Norway Maple at my site displayed beautiful golden-yellow leaves. Since my last visit, I have also noticed some significant changes in vegetation. There was a new blanket of fallen leaves that had not covered the ground as heavily in October. There were also far fewer bushes and shrub-like plants in the understory. I noticed a bit more mud and wet moss in the surrounding areas of the stream, likely due to the recent rainfall. The water in the surrounding stream was much colder due to the recent drop in temperatures. After sitting at my site for fifteen minutes I noticed that there was a lack of wildlife. I only noted a few water bugs in the stream and birds passing by overhead. I think that this is most likely due to my phenology site’s proximity to urban development. There is a small town directly up a hill beyond my site.