What Has Changed?
A month of frigid temperatures and snow has left it’s mark on my phenology site since I last saw it. While I was enjoying the more than comfortable temperatures back home in the South, I cannot say the same for salmon hole. The most notable difference is that the river is frozen over, filling the area with an empty silence aside from the crunching of my boots through the snow. Most trees have completely dropped their leaves, no match to the winds, however I am almost proud to say that my Northern Red Oak still has a good amount. Additionally, amidst the scene of white and brown, I was happy to see the bright red berry of the Bittersweet Oriental still hanging on as well. It was nice to know that not everything had left for the winter.
Aside from the lingering leaves and berries, there were plenty of other reminders that this area still brimmed with life. For example: tracks!! My phenology site is right along a popular trail, so human and their canine-companion tracks littered the trail around my site. But that was not all that I saw. I saw small tracks left behind by mice, woodchucks making their way along the river, and the footprint of a squirrel. While tracks, and even some scat was found all around my phenology site, they were muddled due to fresh snow piling on top of some, and wind blowing away the perfect prints that had originally been left behind. Regardless, it is evident that despite not seeing it, life still brims around Salmon Hole.
