My site sits right at the intersection of a forested area, a river, and an open meadow. The forested area is an oak-pine-Northern hardwood forest, with tall white pine trees, some red oak, ash, and younger red maple. The soil is mostly frozen but seems to have some moisture, though it is not saturated, classifying the area as an upland community rather than a wetland. Water moves through the area via a small offshoot of the river that winds through Centennial. The soil is mostly clay and silt, remnants of when this entire area was at the bottom of Glacial Lake Vermont. The open area, where tall grasses and small shrubs grow, always has moist soil and has no exposed bedrock, marking it as a wetland rather than an upland outcropping or meadow.
Much has changed since the last time I visited this site. Though much of the forest is still covered in snow, there are patches of exposed ground and the tallest snowbanks are only around ten inches. Small thaws have caused the river to become cloudy with substrate as small trickles of melted snow reach the wetland and stream. Animal tracks are still scarce, with a deer and a red fox being the only visitors (other than myself) that I could detect. The buds on the trees are a good reminder that spring is just around the corner!