Kristen Sinicariello

Site Description #2 Syndicate Road Woods, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009

9:45 A.M.

 It was obvious that it had rained the day before at the Syndicate Road Woods.  As I neared the site, I could hear the water in the stream trickling louder than before.  The weather was still a bit cool and cloudy, but began to clear up as the time passed.  Today I was concerned mostly in identifying the trees in my site, as I realized that I did not even know the species I had been looking at for three weeks.  I of course noticed many sugar maples, whose leaves had turned yellow/orange with black splotches and fallen to the ground.  There were a few red maple-leaves on the ground as well, though I doubt they had fallen from a red maple tree because their buds were pointy like those of a sugar maple.  Next I came across a large tree whose trunk had split off into practically two different trees about five feet off the ground.  The leaves were ovate and still green, so I identified the tree as a birch, though its wood did not smell like that of sweet birch.  One side of the tree was almost completely covered in moss and the bark was flakey.  Looking up, I saw that the tallest tree’s leaves were small, still green, and growing in an alternate pattern.  As they were constantly trembling in the wind, I assumed the tree to be a trembling/quaking aspen. 

At this point I crossed the stream by way of a tree that had fallen perfectly like a bridge.  It had many small holes in it where I assume termites had nested.  Now on the western bank of the stream I found an American elm tree with small greenish-yellow toothed leaves that felt like sand paper.  I also encountered one honeysuckle and many beech trees.  Looking up, I saw what seemed to be a Norway maple or a box elder tree.  I examined the lady ferns which were small and grew in an alternate pattern, as well as the sensitive fern which had a much longer stem and wider leaves growing in an opposite growth pattern. 

Next I turned to study the rocks in the stream basin.  Even a few inches of rain had made a difference in the stream.  Large puddles would form and then trickle slowly through a narrow opening of rocks into another pool of standing water.  The largest rock was smooth, circular and cream colored, which led me to believe it to be marble.  Another large rock, perhaps schist, had obvious but smooth layers with some luster among its brown and black coloring.  I collected some smaller rock samples, which appeared to be different types, but upon closer examination I found that they only fell into two categories: schistose phyllite, identifiable by its greenish luster, and quartzite, which had shimmering parts mixed in with other sediments.  Next time I come to visit the site I will be sure to bring a rock identifying kit with me in order to be sure of my speculations. 

As I began made my way back to the side walk to begin my journey home, I noticed that the southern edge of the woods was full of New York aster, which had grown in a bush-like formation.  I had never noticed the lavender blooms before, though they must have been there.  They added a nice contrast to the yellow and orange colors that were beginning to emerge in the Syndicate Road woods.  I now wonder how long it will be before the tree branches will be bare and all their colorful leaves will cover the ground.