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One Final Hurrah

It seems crazy that I started visiting my place in September of last year, as we had just begun the depths of the pandemic. Now we come to the light at the end of the tunnel, both with the end of the semester drawing near, but also our mask mandates are being lifted as the Governor announced today.

I was able to visit my phenology spot one more time yesterday, when the weather was beautiful, and it just so happened to be my birthday. The skies were blue with almost no clouds. It looks very similar to my first visit in September, although likely greener now than before.

I took this picture from my visit yesterday, green with leaves and needles and grass. Much less brown than the November comparison.
Although not from my first visit, this picture from my visit in November 2020 shows a good comparison

Somewhat surprisingly, it looks like the weather was quite similar on the days I took both of these photos. Not much had changed since my first visit. I did see these cute flowers on a tree nearby and later spotted some wild strawberry flowers on the ground.

iNaturalist identified this as something in the plums, cherries, and allies family.
All of the paths were very green as the shrubbery began to fill in.
May 2021
November 2020
Although not much had changed, this path was blocked by this log last year, someone at some point came in to cut it up and reopen the path.
Many piles like these were scattered around the area, showing signs of squirrels.
There were very few fiddleheads around. I’m not sure what type of fern this is.
As we were walking around we noticed some scat. This could very likely be dog scat.
This tree was very dead, missing its entire crown. But there were lots of woodpecker holes in the trunk, suggesting their presence in the area.

In what ways do nature and culture intertwine at your place?

My phenology spot is located between two neighborhoods. In fact, neighborhoods surround my phenology spot.

I think that the culture of the area is to be connected to nature. Many people walk or run through these paths, which connect a majority of the neighborhoods in this area. People can walk from the elementary school to their home through these paths. There are many people that utilize the paths and I think people have respected that thus far. There is no littering, but the heavy foot traffic also decreases the presence of animals other than birds and squirrels. But on some level, I think that the residents still think of these woods and paths as a resource to use, not something to maintain.

Do you consider yourself a part of your place? Why or why not? If so, how?

I used to be more connected to this place because I lived close to it. If I had been asked the same question at the time I probably would have said yes. I lived nearby, many of my friends used this area, and I had also. But now, not so much. I rarely ever go out this way and I have to make special trips just for phenology posts. I guess in short, I do feel connected to it because I used to live here and I feel like it is my responsibility to maintain natural areas around me. But I also feel disconnected from it because I am rarely ever nearby and don’t use it very often.