Today (4/13/2021) was a gorgeous and sunny day. The sky and air was clear. I walked down to my phenology spot after classes were over (around 4:00 PM). Once I arrived at the club entrance, I made way to the tree line where I began looking for phenological changes. I noticed that the Buckthorn has passed budding and had leaflets poking out of the casings. I also noticed a tiny, forest floor shrub that I did not recognize. Using iNaturalist, I found that it was under the Genus of Coporsma. Another cool plant that peeped up from the pine needles strewn across the forest floor was a small plant under the subfamily of Sempervivoideae. It had these clumps of compounding, alternating leaves, all in all, it was a fascinating plant to look at. There was a low amount of animal presence but I could hear and see a few birds in distant trees. I noticed signs of squirrels; chewed up shells of acorns from the grand Northern Red Oak on the property. There were also indiscernible prints near the sidewalk (I could tell it was from a large mammal but it was impossible to tell because they were incomplete). Also during my rounds through the tree line I found what I think to be was an Elm tree (not sure if it was an American Elm or some other kind). I was also able to find that one of the large trees by the driveway is a Red Horse-Chestnut. There were tall grasses and Dandelions poking up on the forest floor and near the tree line (I recognized the greens). Lastly, I had a very pleasant experience at my phenology spot.
