For my ‘home’ Phenology spot I picked a place in the woods across the meadow at my Vermont house in Rupert. The day of my visit (11/28/2020) was cold, rainy, and grey. Both the weather and scenery showed that the season of fall is past its midpoint. The ecology and phenology of my new spot differs drastically from that of my old spot, the entrance to the Burlington Country Club. My new spot has not been disturbed for quite a while (there are signs of disturbance like fencing from an old horse operation decades ago), while the entrance to the Country Club is a well groomed patch of land which has obvious land disturbances. Since both spots are geographically similar (located within a three hour drive of each other) and, to a point (with tree species), ecologically similar, the actual phenology of each spot is relatively similar. Although, it should be noted that my new spot is on a long, sloping hill which can be heavily affected by water, nutrients, and soil composition. Notable species viewed on my new spot include Northern Red Oak, White Oak, Red Maple, White Ash, Sugar Maple, American Elm, Poplar, Goldenrod, Honeysuckle, Wood ferns, Bulbet ferns, and Basswood. Despite there being a history of disturbance and the presence of invasives (ie: Goldenrod and Honeysuckle), my new spot has great biodiversity (in comparison to my old spot).
