There have been a lot of changes since my last visit in early November. For starters, almost all of the trees have no leaves remaining. However, the row of trees leading towards the lake still have leaves left on them. These are none of the tree species that we have learned and don’t see around campus. However, I was pretty certain that all of the trees would have lost their leaves so seeing them still attached caught me by surprise. The only vegetation that I was able to see were some bushes that are along the walking path. It was very interesting to observe how much duller they looked compared to just a month ago. In addition, there were many leaves along with snow scattered on the grass. To my knowledge, there was no animal activity. This is a change from a month ago when I remember watching squirrels from my spot in the middle of the park. This could be because my visit today was quicker or more likely, it could be because the small critters are preparing for winter and therefore, aren’t seen as often.
My favorite thing about the phenology spot that I picked is its proximity to the lake as well as the many different components it includes. It was very cool being able to document and witness the changes that took place in all of these components. For instance, along with the park and vegetation experiencing changes, the lake and the bike path both showcased the change of seasons. If it weren’t for this spot, I probably wouldn’t have found myself in this area (especially with the cold) and I wouldn’t have gotten to witness the beautiful lake and surrounding areas.
