My site is a very rich and dense area, filled with trees and thick underbrush. It lies a little ways down the trail past two tree stands and a leftmost trail in a fork.
The six organisms that I found and identified included:
- Gray Squirrel or Sciurus Carolinensis
- Eastern White Pine or Pinus Strobus
- White Oak or Quercus Alba
- Hay-Scented Fern or Dennstaedtia Punctilobula
- American Beech or Fagus Grandifolia
- Earthworm
These species indicate a variety of plant life and small woodland animals. They are common across the northeastern United States, as they are common within cooler forests that experience seasonal changes. The one coniferous tree in the area is a very tall Eastern White Pine, that is the oldest tree within the site. The vegetation is mostly low lying ferns and small shrubbery. The ferns rest upon the soil and logs, and along the path. There are little to no grasses within the area. The earthworm was active due to the heavy rainfall in the past few days, as the moist soil is their favored conditions.
Most of the trees within the site have lost their leaves and the ground is covered in various leaf litter piles, which will aid the soil as it decomposes. There are various logs that have some more moss since my last visit, I think I will bring a ruler next time to measure the amount of coverage to see if it changes week to week. The soil was very moist, and feels like clay and silt. It is dense and muddy due to all of the rain. On my way through the woods to my site I noticed just how much the river itself had raised throughout the flooding. It was such a noticeable difference that it through me off when walking to my site, as I thought that I had come to the wrong trail and had to retrace my steps completely. The erosion did not effect my site’s topography, besides a now slippery trail.