I have decided to keep the same phenological spot from last semester to have the opportunity to track its complete progression throughout the Fall, Winter, and Spring! My spot is located in Centennial Woods, and is a brook that is situated just to the left of a large clearing about fifteen minutes into the trail.
We visited our spots on Saturday January 25th, and the temperature was fairly warmer than it has been this past week, around 21 degrees with some wind.
I haven’t been to Centennial since before Winter break for my last phenology post and it was so amazing to see the changes that have occurred there over the past couple of months. Some of the changes I observed, one of the most prominent changes, is the fact that there is snow as far as the eye can see covering every surface. Secondly, all of the bodies of water were completely frozen over, whereas the last time I visited I can distinctly remember they were only just beginning to freeze along the edges. Lastly, there were basically no leaves still hanging on as there were upon my last visit, where the Norway Maple tree was practically full of dead leaves.
Me testing the structural integrity of the ice: the top layer of the ice was slushy so it was difficult to tell whether it was just the snow melting on top of the ice or if the ice was not strong all the way through. Would not recommend this brook for ice skating!
There were not many tracks that we were able to catch besides boots and dog prints, but I did catch this just next to the brook. These seemed a little small to be from a dog, so I am going to hypothesize that they might be from a rabbit (?)
A little reminder how life persists even through the harshest conditions
Cate Bilbe reminding us that greenery and colorful blooms will return to the Burlington area in just a few short months!