December 10, 2022

Today I visited Rock Point again before I head home!! It was a really cold day but it was sunny out and gorgeous. Once again, the biggest transformation is how bare the forest has become. There were definitely more leaves covering the ground, and most of them looked like they were from oaks, versus in November when I mostly saw maples leaves. There really are not any leaves hanging onto the trees. Most of the greenery and life that I noticed was on the spruce trees, probably because they are thriving in the colder seasons and provide a stark contrast to the bare and grey branches. Another thing that I noticed about the tree species throughout the forest was that many of the paper birch trees looked much more grey than they previously had.

I did not see any animal species at Rock Point, but I did see some evidence of life when I noticed a lot of bird nests in the trees! Unfortunately I could not see any animal tracks in the soil. Part of this was probably because there is no snow on the ground yet, which would make the tracks more visible. Also, I noticed some ice frozen in the ground as I walked along the trails, which I thought was interesting since it has not been super cold lately and is not always below freezing. I also saw some ferns in the understory! They were definitely a nice counterpart to all of the fallen branches and trees that were scattered in the area and a pop of color 🙂 I also saw a lot of berries! Maybe they were there previously and I just never noticed but they really stuck out to me this time. I hope the animals get to have the berries as a food source!

Reflecting on the semester, I REALLY enjoyed getting to visit Rock Point and observe how it has changed as the seasons do. It is always my favorite to get to see Lake Champlain from the lookout area. I think one of the best parts of this project was just getting to be outside on the weekends and take a little break from busy life. I loved getting to see a wide variety of tree species in one area, and see how the natural communities differed in their changes. I also love having Rock Point as my spot because it is never very busy so my experience always feels very grounding.