Field notes 11/18/2025 and final EDD presentation

 Date: 10/29/25

Time of day: 5:20 - 5:45 PM

Present climate conditions: Cloudy with very mild rain

Length of day: 9 hours, 40 minutes

Sunrise: 7:41 AM

Sunset: 5:18 PM

Temperature: 37 degrees Fahrenheit

Feels like temperature: 32 degrees Fahrenheit (because of wind)

EDD presentation link - presentation will be complete by Monday, November 24. Anything before then is not the final product unless this statement is deleted. 

Map (corresponds to data table, now contains data sets from field studies 1-5):

Changes since last visit:

- Everything was wet. Obviously it is a river so the leaves underwater would be wet, but because of the rainfall and the recent lack of sunlight, the water has been accumulating more than it was when the sun and warmth were around to evaporate the water. 

- I noticed that this tree was broken. You can see the top half of the tree folded back down (main trunk with small branches sticking out is touching the ground near the base of the tree).

- The rivers were clogged way more than last visit. 

        - Here is a picture from last visit:

    

        - Here are some pictures from this visit:

- I also noticed that this hazelnut tree's leaves died but still stayed on the tree. 

I wonder why? What made this tree's leaf dropping pattern different from the other trees?

- As reflected in the data table, I saw the same amount of ferns that I did last time. However, they were in much worse of shape than they were last time. Almost all the ferns were either dead or dying, and a couple (like the one below) were pressed down by the weight of the fallen leaves. 

I wonder how much a leaf weighs when it had fallen down? How many leaves would it take to knock a fern over?

- Note: on the data table, it says I only saw about 4 ferns. However, that was for the specific type of fern that I decided to focus on, the Silvery Glade fern. The following are pictures of Christmas ferns, which differ in leaf shape and color (tend to be darker green).

- This fern had curled leaves. The leaves at the tip were straight, but the others were curled. I wonder why this is? Does it have something to do with the cold?

- This is a piece of the horsetail plant I have been documenting. Each horsetail plant might have a few stalks, and so it makes sense that this area would have the same color, but I was surprised that they had this color at all. The horsetail are normally a medium-dark green, but today they were very dark green. I put them next to my hand for comparison. 

- This plastic Ziploc bag was in the creek, along with the Meijer bag. The plastic bag was between sites 6 and 7 (it truly was in that area, )

- I noticed that some of the damp logs on the ground had an orange fungus growing on the side opposite to the lichen. I wonder what it is? 

The search engine I used to search for the answer (Google) suggested it might be a fungus or special type of lichen. Either of those seem possible, but I am more inclined to believe that it is a fungus because there was no lichen growth on that side, possibly meaning it was eliminated by the fungus. 

- This was true of many plants (and also the river, see the observation about the clogged river), but it was especially true of the periwinkle. The periwinkle was covered in leaves and at first glance looked like many had died, but when I looked closer I saw that they were all still there. 

- The picture below has some periwinkle, but it also shows more of the clogged river and the sheer quantity of leaves on the ground. 

- This small tree is a hazelnut tree, one of few that still had their leaves on. This is different from my last visit because even though there were many leaves changing colors, I don't remember having any hazelnut samplings with red leaves. 

I wonder what gives the different leaves their different colors? How much is predetermined (in the genetic code) and how much depends on external factors (temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, etc)?

Organisms smelled, felt, heard, seen, etc:

- There weren't many critters out and about. However, I did hear a noise near site 3 on the hill opposite the trail (see the map if you need to know what side the trail is on).

- There were no birds and also very few cars on the nearby road, making it very a quiet visit. 

- The only other encounter I might have had with an animal was when I heard an acorn fall. But that was the only noise, no rustling, so it might have been natural. 

Other observations/questions:

- I think the two below were the same two ferns, just from different visits (the bottom one is from field study #2, the top one is from this visit). 

In both pictures, there is the darker Christmas fern on the top and the lighter colored silvery glade fern (the fern type I tracked) on the bottom.

It is interesting how the seasons change an area so much, and I also think it is remarkable that these two ferns are alive! By this visit, we have had multiple freezes, and I am surprised the ferns survived. 

I wonder how long into winter ferns survive? Do their seeds go into dormancy for the winter?

- This was just another hazelnut tree that I thought was interesting. It had a very uniform orange color. This was the best picture I could get because it was only a little below my height. 

I wonder what changes the uniformity of the leaf color? Does this factor apply only in the fall and winter or in the spring and summer as well?

Bonus: Responses to questions from last post:

- I wonder if proximity to the water impacts how fast leaves change color?

Answer: Yes, they are related because the closer to water a plant is growing, the higher the concentration of moisture will be in the soil. Without enough water, leaves can change color sooner, but will often have less intense colors. In contrast, having enough water, combined with warm days and cool nights, can lead to bright colors that look better. 

- What does a fern's life cycle look like?

Answer: 

1) spores are released from pod on previous fern

2) spores germinate if conditions are suitable

3) the roots grow down, providing nutrients, and the central plant stem (or stems) grow up.

4) the fern matures and produces a seed pod

5) the seed pod releases the spores and the cycle repeats

- Do both alive and dead roots protect against erosion?

Answer: No, only live roots are truly effective at holding the soil together. As soon as the root dies, it begins to decay, which weakens the root until it is decomposed and becomes dirt itself. However, there is a short window of time in which the dead root will provide some soil support, but it will stop providing this support when it decomposes.