Foliage
Stick season is upon us! For the time, my phenology spot is almost completely bare of leaves. There are only a couple species that still hold leaves on them, including buckthorn. The only leaves I spotted at my spot are pictured below.
Animals
There weren’t any animal tracks that I saw. There were a few bird nests that I was not able to capture good pictures of and I could still hear a couple of bird calls while I was visiting. Other than that, there was not much evidence of animal activity. I assume that since the area is so passed through by humans, animals are likely scared away from the area. The amount of animal activity has remained fairly similar over the past few months, but it may have decreased a bit since the early days.
Reflection
As my time in this space comes to a close and I reflect on my time at Salmon Hole, I realize that I have thoroughly enjoyed spending some time here every few weeks. My favorite trip was the final one because of the snow, but I still loved all of them. Generally, what I love about nature is the peacefulness and calm that it brings me. The sound of the river at Salmon Hole brought a calming aspect that stuck with me. I enjoyed sitting on the steps along the trail and taking in my surroundings, which was all trees. I loved seeing how the space changed as I visited it over the autumn season. I got to see as the leaves turned yellow, then died, then all fell off.