January
Cloudy 30*
February
Partly Cloudy 28*
Hiked in sunshine & heavy snow fall.
Ice accumulation on top of everything. Swaying trees making creaking sounds.
Hiked in sunshine & heavy snow fall.
Ice accumulation on top of everything. Swaying trees making creaking sounds.
March
Rainy 54*
Sycamore Study:
Fallen seeds are bare (when they fall they're fuzzy),
Trunk bark: gray, scale, porous, brown under layers (also porous)
Trunk to limb transition: bark thins to reveal white patches
Far limbs: mostly white (lacking lower bark) with few dark patches
Growing on/nearby: Poison ivy climbing tree, honeysuckle shrub at base, garlic mustard
Other: fallen leaves are larger than my foot!
Sycamore Study:
Fallen seeds are bare (when they fall they're fuzzy),
Trunk bark: gray, scale, porous, brown under layers (also porous)
Trunk to limb transition: bark thins to reveal white patches
Far limbs: mostly white (lacking lower bark) with few dark patches
Growing on/nearby: Poison ivy climbing tree, honeysuckle shrub at base, garlic mustard
Other: fallen leaves are larger than my foot!
April
41* cloudy snow/rain
Tree buds beginning to swell. Otherwise the tree is still and quiet. The majority of the seed pods have fallen, as have the last of last year's leaves.
Tree buds beginning to swell. Otherwise the tree is still and quiet. The majority of the seed pods have fallen, as have the last of last year's leaves.
May
63* cloudy/rainy
June
72* sunny, breezy, fluffy clouds, scent of J. honeysuckle on the air.
small bird (chat?), lots of dead limbs, nuthatch, lots of empty space between open leaves.
small bird (chat?), lots of dead limbs, nuthatch, lots of empty space between open leaves.
July
78* sunny with fluffy clouds. Leaves filling out more. Nuthatch, cardinals, tiger swallowtail flying around. Still holding lots of dead limbs. Some leaves starting to fall.
August
Hummingbirds flying around tree. Flycatchers eating bugs (Phoebe?). Redbelly woodpecker and downy scuffle over a hole in the tree with food. Dried brown leaves are starting to fall. Webworm activity on Southside (nearest woods). Goldenrod surrounds base and field - not yet in bloom. crickets and cicadas singing. Nearby walnut tree looks nearly dead. Sycamore fruit (fuzzy balls) are starting to form.
September
67* partly sunny
October
52* mostly cloudy
November
51* Sunny
December
Cloudy, cold, big flakes of snow began as we were mid hike. By the end of our hike everything was covered in snow and it kept falling all the next day!