Month: November 2021

My home phenology spot is located in the woods behind my old elementary school. The overstory consists almost entirely of Eastern White Pine. Looking back at pictures now I notice that there are a couple deciduous trees sprinkled throughout the overstory as well, but in the moment I was so focused on the pines (they’re my favorite) that I guess I didn’t even notice. The entire understory is littered with old, fallen needles, but there isn’t any underbrush because this particular area has been cleared for some benches and the shell of what used to be a blackboard. We always called it the outdoor classroom. The fact that the understory has been cleared is a major difference between my phenology spots. A major similarity that these locations share is that both are near a water source that can be utilized by local plant and animal communities, Minister’s Pond being the water source in Eastham and Centennial Brook being the water source in Burlington. I would also estimate that the pines at home are about as tall as the Sugar Maples and Red Oaks in my spot in Burlington. It was definitely warmer at this time of year at my spot here on Cape Cod than it was up in Burlington though! I’m sure the trees at my phenology spot in Centennial have some snow on them by now, but we haven’t gotten enough snow on the Cape yet for that to be the case here. Also, both are located in natural areas into which walking trails have been implemented. Centennial Woods is definitely a lot more massive than this little patch of woods in Eastham though. Another pretty major difference that isn’t necessarily ecological but that I think is important is that I love my spot at home with all my heart and soul, but am still getting to know my phenology spot up in Burlington. I hope that as I form a deeper connection with it, it starts to bring me the same sense of peace and feeling of home as my spot in the woods on the Cape.  :)

Today I did something a little bit different. I went adventuring into Burlington. I decided to walk down and explore the Redstone Quarry, which is about a 30-minute walk from my dorm in MAT. Admittedly, it did end up being more of a run because the sun was setting very quickly and I wanted to make the most of my exploration. I cut through Athletic Campus by the pines, across the green before Redstone campus, and then started into the surrounding suburban area. I then walked down Cliff Street, along South Willard, and turned up Hoover Street, which I followed to Redstone Terrace where the trailhead was located. I tried to view everything I was observing through a phenological lens, and I noticed many changes. So many of the deciduous trees have dropped their leaves, and many of the ones that remained were browning. This made the evergreen trees stand out a lot more in the absence of so much greenery. The goldenrod patch down by the quarry was completely brown and white, but it was interesting to see them in another location other than my normal phenological location in Centennial Woods. It was totally overcast, but the clouds had a deep grayish/blueish tint and looked really beautiful. Another major phenological change that jumped out at me was the fact that it was 4:30PM and already becoming too dark to take pictures to document my findings because the sun had set. The sun setting so early is a phenological change I simply cannot get behind. Nonetheless, it was really great to have an opportunity to get out outside and check out some new natural areas. That has always been one of my favorite things to do, so it was cool to really have to make time for it for this post. I hope I get the chance to go exploring again soon!

Today I went back to my phenology spot around 5:30PM. It was definitely chillier today than it was during my last visit, but thankfully my spot was sheltered from the breeze that was blowing across campus. I noticed a lot of changes, some very obvious and other smaller ones, had occurred since I was last there. The water level of the river was definitely higher, which makes sense because we’ve had a very rainy week and weekend. (This was also apparent in the puddles that had formed close to the embankment where the Hemlock stand begins. I noted that the gushing of the water was much more audible and that the river had developed some small rapid areas. The most aggressive rapid was located to the left of where I stood at the point where the water hit a hard right against the bank before continuing downstream. Another rapid had popped up where a log had fallen and it appeared a small damn might have been made. Despite the increase in water volume, it seemed as though the turbidity of the water had decreased. The log that normally serves as my bridge from the point to the grassy area on the other side of the water was almost unpassable (but we made it work). All of the sugar maples at my site had turned from a deep green to a really pretty bright orange/yellow/green. The red maples on the grassy side of the river had lost almost all of their leaves and even more of the leaves of the Red Osier Dogwood had turned a dark brown/red and began to shrivel further. The Joe-Pye Weeds that make up the grassy area seem to be becoming browner and more shriveled as well. I heard crows calling overhead as well, but other than the sound of the occasional bird and the water it was very quiet. I was there observing right around golden hour, which made for some really beautiful scenery. I also discovered a cool new plant in the grassy area that I hadn’t seen before! I was able to identify it as a Winged Euonymus, and I will definitely be keeping an eye on it. It was a nice outing today, and I’m looking forward to getting back out there sometime before next week.