Returning to my spot, the leaves are basically off the trees. The Coniferous trees’ needles seem to also be falling off a little bit too. The two American Beech trees at my spot both have some dead, orange leaves hanging onto the trees. The leaf litter is very different from the last time I was here! It is far grayer and seems to be decomposing quickly. I did not view any decomposers at my spot, but it is obvious they are there because of how the leaves seem to be breaking down and falling apart. For animals, I saw a squirrel as I was walking into Centennial and I could hear birds chirping as I walked to my spot. The only evidence of animals that I saw was some bird poop that was on the leaves on the floor. The animal activity has rapidly decreased overall. In the fall I used to go and be able to see chipmunks, birds, squirrels everywhere and now I am lucky to have seen even one squirrel.
The aspects of my phenology spot that I enjoyed the most was the way that it makes such a cute little circle. It really feels like it is inviting you in when you step into the area, and it has a cute log further inside that you can sit on if you wish. My spot is also a little ways of the main path, which makes it feel more private and allows for a lot more animal activity than a spot right on the main path area. I really like seeing the animals when I go and feeling like I am experiencing the natural area as it should be. All together, my spot is really special to me because it is really pretty to get there and because it just always has something so fun to show me when I go.