The last time I had visited my phenology spot, there was no snow. Today, I visited during a snowstorm. There were several inches of snow on the ground already. It was fairly warm, so the snow was thick and some of it was melting.
Because the snow was actively falling, only the freshest footprints were visible. I saw a lot of human footprints as well as dog footprints. The only sign of wild animal activity I saw was a disturbance in the snow. Something was digging down to the dirt (also could have been from a dog).
Because of the blanket of snow, I walked off trail a bit and entered a field of cattails that I had not entered before. I could not see any green plants, only brown stalks and stems. The bittersweet berries were still there however, and are still red. I also saw some burrs waiting for an animal to latch onto.
