12/10 Blog Post #4
Yesterday I returned to my Phenology Spot for the last time this semester. On the walk to my spot I noticed the the ground had become a frozen mud, much different than the loosely pact soil that I had usually been walking through. Another thing I noticed was that some of the water in the mud that was not entirely frozen over had a blueish hue to it. Almost like it had oil or gas spilled in it.
All of the trees were barren, besides the coniferous, and the same goes for the majority of the vegetation. Even the Norway Maple’s leaves had fallen since I had last been here. The only noticeably living vegetation in the area was the grasses along the river. The leaves from the trees were scattered along the ground, but it seemed like most of them had partially or even completely decomposed.
There was much less activity in the area than I had noticed during past visits. For one, there was much less human traffic along the path. There was only one other person I saw while at my spot, and I think it was someone who was also visiting their phenology spot. I also did not hear any birds chirping while I was in my spot. The past few times I had visited I heard a few birds moving about in the trees, but this time it was pretty silent. I also did not see any tracks left in the mud, only human foot prints.
Over the last semester I have come to love this spot in Centennial Woods. I enjoy having a peaceful place that I can head to anytime life starts to get stressful. My favorite thing about this spot is the way the water flows over the rocks that are in the middle of it. Since the water is relatively shallow, and the rocks are somewhat tall, the water falls over them and it sounds like a very small waterfall. I feel a connection to this place now that I have watched it these last few months and will definitely be coming back to it.