Winter has officially dawned upon my phenology site. While walking into the Centennial Woods to my site, I found myself in calm, still woods that were readying up for the big snow storm on the way. I followed the footprints what seemed to be a human accompanied by their dog straight to the Eastern White Pines that surround my spot. All vegetation in the understory is in complete hibernation, with the only green in the vicinity coming from coniferous trees. As I was walking around my spot to find any trace of active wildlife, I stumbled upon a path made by a small mammal. After careful examination, I concluded that I found a Cottontail Rabbit track due to foot size and the bounding path it created in the snow. The trail rabbit trail started around the actual trail through the woods and made its way towards the marsh down below. I expect my sight to sleepy and calm for quite some time, yet the smell of spring is ever so slightly there!
