For this post, I decided to explore the Salmon Hole trail with my friend Naomi.
As we left campus and started our journey towards the trail, a myriad of phenologic events came across our path.
Namely, we noticed several Norway Maple trees that still clung to their foliage, but all of it was yellow. These trees stood out alongside their bald companions, as most trees have lost the majority of their leaves by now.
As we continued walking through the residential areas and making our way down North Prospect street, we also took note of an apple tree in someone’s front yard. It was clearly evident what time of year it is from just looking at the tree itself – it had lost almost all of its leaves but was still bearing fruit, most of which was already looking a little shriveled.
Soon enough we made it to the entrance of the trail, and were greeted by a lively dog whose name I sadly never got the chance to ask.
We made our way down the steps, as stinging nettle plants surrounded us on each side. Their bright green color stood out against the forest floor, which was mainly colored with yellow and beige fallen leaves.
I noticed a divot in the soil that started up a hill and followed under a small bridge until it hit the river. It had the potential to be a stream, but I almost didn’t notice it with the small amount of water flowing through. I bet it’s filled up at least a little more after the rainfall today.
We continued walking, chatting, and looking around the trail. At this point, Naomi noticed a bunch of giant wooly bear caterpillar cocoons on a boxelder tree that I definitely would’ve missed if she hadn’t pointed them out, and I was super grateful to have a second set of eyes with me. The caterpillars from these cocoons have moved on to be leopard moths, as the cycle of life continues.
We spent some time looking around this area after the cocoons grabbed our attention, and soon enough we noticed a strange looking plant that almost looked like a spiky shower loofah. After a quick google search, we determined these were wild cucumbers, that had now dehydrated and turned from their bright green color to an autumn beige. They were super light and hollow, and very fun to look at.
Continuing down the trail, we finally came upon a clearing of huge mature trees. The ones that caught our eyes almost instantly were the huge silver maples that sat close to the river. Their bark was so cool and wildly patterned, but their stature stood out the most. The majority of the trees we had seen were mature but not big enough to seem ancient, while these ones seemed historic. (I tried to draw the little stick figure guy to show how big they were)
We continued moving along, and at one point we caught a glimpse of a squirrel scattering by, moving quickly through shrubs and bushes.
A perfect little grouping of mushrooms on the trail also warranted a few pictures as we continued moving on.
Our adventure ended with a super energetic boxer named Walter (I wonder if he has a future as an NR 1 professor :)) and a grouping of daisies. It was nice to see flowers in November as so many other plants are dying out.
Then we made our way back to campus!!
My event map 11-11-21
