I went back to my spot on a very cold day. The wind was blowing so much and the temperature was close to 20 degrees. Although it was cold outside, the sun was shining and it was beautiful outside. When observing the water in the brook, most of it has frozen over at the edges and at some parts of my walk the water has frozen over completely. The foliage has changed at my spot. There were no longer leaves hanging from the trees. As the weather slowly gets colder the trees need to conserve energy. Instead of expending energy to protect these organs, trees shed the leaves. I did observe that the evergreen trees surrounding my spot were still green. This is due to the shape of the needle on the tree. The shape allows evergreens to conserve water during the summer which allows photosynthesis process to continue in the winter. The cattails at my site are still up and very full around the bridge. The leaf litter on the ground has frozen over. The soil has frozen and crystalized over.
When observing the traces of animals and their presence I found traces of dog prints. I also observed many crows flying around and a black capped chickadee. I did not observe scat around or marks on tree bark. The animal activity has decreased significantly due to the cold weather.
The aspects of my phenology spot I enjoy the most is how peaceful the bridge is. I also enjoy how secluded it is from other peoples spot. This phenology blog has allowed me to connect more to nature and find a place in Burlington that I can connect to. When I came here I was very excited to get outside and in nature. This blog has allowed me to go with my friends and have fun. It gives me an excuse to be in the woods. I am very excited to continue this blog next semester. I want to continue this blog until I graduate. I think it will be amazing to watch it change over the next 4 years and be able to have a safe space in Burlington.
