The first thing I noticed when I returned to my phenology site was the smell. The past few days have allowed for the beginnings of some melt, and a funky aroma radiated from the brook. I’m not exactly sure what was causing it, but my best guess is that the melt is starting to expose the decomposing leaf matter. The snow is different than the last time I was there. Where before it was light and fluffy, it is now thicker, denser, and wetter. It covers almost all of the understory plants, save for a few twigs poking up here and there. Finally, the water level in the brook is much higher, and the water itself is much more turbid. This was also likely fueled by the beginnings of melt.
